“Blog” No. 1 Word of the Year

CNN reports that U.S. dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster has named “blog” the number one Word of the Year. Merriam-Webster defines blog as “a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks.” Blog was one of the most searched terms on the company’s sites this year.
One of the reasons blogging moved closer to the mainstream – the US Presidential election. From covering the debates, to offering a critical view of the campaigns, blogs offered a welcome alternative to the mainstream media and moved into popular consciousness.

Freed from the constraints that govern traditional print and broadcast news organizations, blogs spread gossip while also serving as an outlet for people increasingly disenchanted with mainstream media.

Blog will be a new entry in the 2005 version of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.