“What makes a blog a blog is the interaction between the writer and the reader.” This is a definition that I have seen a number of times regarding the nature of what constitutes a “blog.” It is not one that I personally buy into. Lest I be accused of desiring to create my own meaning for a word, I refer to Hugh Hewitt’s Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation that’s changing your world (Nelson, 2005)—the very book that got me into blogging—where Hewitt says that “blog” is simply short for “weblog, an online site that is update by its author(s) frequently” (p.xv). Nothing there about interaction between author(s) and reader(s).

Of course, this has a personal dimension! I have not activated the link that allows for comments on my various blog entries. The reason for this is not because I think myself above criticism. Hardly that! How do I expect to grow? For a Christian, growth is often a corporate experience. No, it is simply because I do not have the time to answer even the few comments that might come my way because of my blogging. My profile gives an e-mail link that enables people to contact me if they really want to.

In my opinion, then, responding back and forth to comments about a blog does add another dimension to blogging, but it does not define its essence.