Do you remember the year 2006? It was one of your middle school years, when everyone was just starting to discover social networking. It was when only a few knew about MySpace, and when Facebook was still unpopular. The next best alternative was the blog, a form of online diary.So you turned to Xanga, a simple blogging site where you could write about anything, and eagerly wait for friends to comment on your entry. You probably remember reading about birthday parties and relationships, and slapping your forehead when you mistakenly left “eProps” on the entries of people you weren’t fond of. But all of a sudden, a large mass of people converted to Myspace, then to Facebook, leaving Xanga a barren wasteland.
Since that great conversion, blogging has been relatively unpopular among teens. But that seems to be changing now, with the slow but steady rise of Blogspot as a popular blogging website. “It’s a nice way to express your feelings,” says Jasmin Kim, a teen user of Blogspot. “I blog because I have terrible memory and because I want to reflect on my high school years when I’m older.”
Blogspot requires its users to create Google accounts, but allows easy configuration and editing. Pre-made layouts are available, and users can add “gadgets” such as clocks and virtual pets for personalization. Users can also create multiple blogs under one account, a fact which adds to the site’s convenience.  
Some teens even use Blogspot as a place to upload their works of fiction as well as their journal entries. “It’s something I can easily log on to and write whenever I want,” says Kim, a user who uploads fictional works of literature on her blog.
Blogging is slowly making a comeback, but it is up to teens to decide its future popularity among them. Will Blogspot just become the second Xanga and end up abandoned? Only time will tell – but until then, happy blogging.