Blogging a Post 9/11 World

On this fifth anniversary of September 11, it bears mentioning that the day that changed the world was also an important day in the genesis of the blogosphere. Wired has a fascinating article on the subject that credits 9/11 with the rise of both personal and political blogging:

This collective tragedy demanded a forum to be shared by people all around the world who wanted to talk about what happened with anyone because it was the only way of making any sense of it. Were it to happen again, blogs and social networks would play an enormously cathartic role…

Since 9/11, the rise of “warbloggers” and online political commentators like Glenn Reynolds’ Instapundit has been, in many cases, a direct response to the U.S. government’s post-9/11 foreign policy, kickstarting a culture of questioning, poking and prodding from which no public figure is safe.

Robert Scoble and Steve Rubel have analyses of the piece along with their own personal remembrances of that horrific and difficult day and its long-term aftermath.