According to Dictionary.com, a blog is "a web site on which an individual or group of users record opinions, information, etc. on a regular basis."

The art of blogging has developed in recent years and has become more and more popular. Since there are multiple social web sites such as Facebook and Twitter, we all have the ability to blog.

One stereotype of a blogger is the bearded old man sitting in front of his computer screen reminiscing about his past and dwelling on the girl he met when he was 20 and whom he refuses to forget in the hopes that someone out there is reading his blog entitled, "Achy Breaky Heart."

But today blogs have gained the respect of readers who would probably not buy that big screen TV or drop the class with the instructor described as boring and too demanding if it weren't for blog sites.

Updating your Facebook status and tweeting a picture of what you're about to eat is something you do without really thinking about who may see it or who keeps up with your data. But once you post something on the web, it is public for anyone to see.

Facebook keeps track of all of the posts you have made from the day you got your account up to the latest picture you liked. Everything you post, all of the conversations you have with people and all the pictures you tweet constitute your blog.

Aside from social websites, blogs also have helped students. There are several blog sites where you can read about instructors in the university you are about to attend, and about classes you wish to take. Here at AWC, there are online services that give you tips on how to blog, and you can even read some of the entries from bloggers on campus.

If you think about it, everyone who has access to the Internet and who uses it for social sites or for accessing restaurant reviews on the Yellow Pages is accessing a blog site. Blogging has become such a common practice that everyone is encouraged to do so.

So, AWC students: Whenever you wish to gain feedback on professors or classes, to update your Facebook status, or simply to know whether or not the next Apple product is worth paying for, go forthÖand blog.