What is a blog?

A blog is a free online journal, a public diary that gives you your own voice on the web. People create blogs to share information such as political commentary, personal narratives, or links to websites they find interesting. Some blogs are read by the friends and family members of the blogger, while others have a worldwide audience of thousands. All blogs are accessible by anyone who is connected to the internet. The blogging experience allows you to hear back from, and connect with, other like-minded folks by creating a place for comments after each journal posting. Readers of your site from all over the world can give you feedback on what you share on your blog. You can choose whether you want to allow comments on each posting. Group Blogs can be excellent communication tools for small groups, such as your local CODEPINK group.


How to create a blog:

Anyone can create a blog by using one of several websites with pre-programmed formats. Writing can be instantly uploaded to a website and seen by anyone. The fastest way to understand blogging is to try it out. As Blogspot reports, you can be part of the phenomenon that is transforming the web and media into participatory activities in less than five minutes!

With most sites, you will need to first set up an account with the server before starting your blog. This means that you will enter your name, e-mail, and desired user name and password onto a web form. Once you are registered with the blog site, you can follow the instructions on the site to create your own blog.

Recommended blog sites:

www.blogger.com: This website allows you to create a blog in 3 easy steps: create an account, name your blog, and choose a template!

www.livejournal.com: LiveJournal is a free, simple-to-use, but extremely powerful and customizable, personal publishing ("blogging") tool, built on open source software.

www.blog-city.com: Blog City is another option for free blogging.

www.myspace.com: My Space makes it possible for you to connect with people from all over the world who share similar interests or live in your geographic area. You can also create a blog once you are a member. My Space is similar to www.friendster.com, and is very useful to make connections within the activist community.


CODEPINK Blogs:

Click here to read the CODEPINK blog from our delegation to New Orleans during Thanksgiving, 2005.

Click here to read the CODEPINK blog from our delegation to Iran in the summer of 2005.

http://codepinkjournals.blogspot.com: Read about Sam's journeys on the road with her CODEPINK truck. Postings include accounts of voter registration in Ohio and Florida, travels through the South and the Southwest, and national and local action highlights.

http://ravenjournal.blogspot.com: Read Rae's accounts of CODEPINK actions, including voter registration, banner drops, counter-inauguration work, the 40-mile peace walk, a speaking tour in Italy, and more.

http://codepink.utne.com/: The CODEPINK blog space provided by the Utne magazine.

http://www.livejournal.com/~pinktucson/: CODEPINK Tucson coordinator Nancy Hill's road journal starts with her trip to DC for the counter-inaugural and continues to describe organizing endeavors and actions in Arizona.

http://codepinkaspen.blogspot.com/: CODEPINK Aspen's group blog.

http://profiles.myspace.com/users/23184941: A CODEPINK My Space website created by women from Dallas, Texas to connect with one another. This is a good example of a My Space site.

http://profiles.myspace.com/users/23184941: Fort Wayne CODEPINK activist Naomi Morin's My Space website.


Other blogs we love:

Carol Norris' political blog

The Progressive Democrats of America blog

Tom Hayden's blog