Nowadays, one of the hippest and most popular thing to do online would be to create blogs. If you are not doing it yourself, you probably know one or two who does. Blog can be found almost everywhere in the Net. It has become the center for news and conversations in the Internet. Because of this, blog sites have become one of the best ways to do a people search.

But if you are not as Internet savvy as most people, you may be asking "what is a blog in the first place"?

The word "blog" is actually a short term for weblog. A weblog is chronological write-ups of a writer’s thoughts, experiences and happenings; much like a public diary. A blog would usually have certain main topic such as travel blogs where articles would usually revolve around an author’s experiences when they traveled form one place to another. Some blogs would revolve on movie reviews and even restaurant reviews. Anyone can make a blog out of anything. And because of this increasing interest in them, it has evolved into an online social network of conversations and comments from readers who also have something to say on a certain topic. The fact that blogs are usually updated almost everyday by the author or even the readers would make it a very good source of the latest information for a people search.

It is amazing how blogs have transformed from a simple online article to become a means where people can discuss and talk about certain issues. This is what kept blogging alive. A blog where no one has commented on will probably be forgotten and lost. People who usually have a common interest would use email ads to keep in contact with each other. People in the group would usually create an email-list serve. Those who wish to be contacted and updated of the latest news would voluntarily give out their email addresses to this list. For people doing a people search, this would be extremely helpful in finding a means of contact with their subject.

Another way that people of the same interest communicate with each other online is through message boards or forums. Each message board is dedicated to a certain topic or interest. The topics could range from hobbies to current events. Some sites with message boards allow only their members to post so outsiders would need to log-in and register to the site. Some even require a certain membership fee before getting access. The difference between a message board and a blog is that blogs have one main author that allows readers to make some comments on the article. Message boards on the other hand, have a certain topic where everyone can post their ideas on. Different individuals may also start the different topics.

Nowadays, blogs are becoming more and more popular. The United States alone was reported to have over 8 million blogs in the Web. Why such interest in the sites?

First is because blogs are a very good source of information. It is a place where readers can both share and get information from other readers on a certain topic. This also very useful for purposes of a people search.

Second, the fact that you can actually comment on a certain write-up is very irresistible for readers who also want to voice out their opinions.

Third, this is a good way for writers and authors to make their articles available to all people all around the world. Anyone who goes into their site can read their articles and comment on it.

Fourth, blogs can be a good way for businesses to advertise their services or their products.

And lastly, blogs give people a sense of community and belongingness. It gathers people with similar interest from all over the world and gives them that "place" where they can discuss topics with people who are equally interested in them.

Blog have become a good means of getting some bits of information on a person. Although there are sites specifically dedicated to people search, blog sites should never be ruled out as an option. So the next time you want to do a people search, try searching for information in blogs. You may be surprised on the useful information that you can find.