The recent phenomenon and popularity of blogs, especially the extent to which they've grown in the past few years, astonishes me. The fact that something that never existed until very recently can provide a lucrative career for people now seems crazy. But that is the world we live in - where new technology is developed every day, and new developments very quickly become obsolete.

I vaguely remember becoming aware of what a blog was sometime when I was in college. A blog was then simply a means of online communication for friends, family or a group of people with similar interests. It was a simple forum for discussion, which until the past year I really had no interest in. But modern-day communication is constantly evolving, which requires everyone - businesses and individuals alike - to not only take notice of the trends but to join them. These days, you can find a blog on just about any topic you're interested in - from sports to politics, education to ice cream. Corporations and political candidates have their own blogs as do college students and retirees. Here at Dittoe PR, every account executive has her own blog for which she writes on a regular basis.

Online news sites have largely replaced print newspapers and magazines. While many people still enjoy picking up a hard copy of their favorite news source to read on a Sunday morning or when they're traveling on an airplane, it is far easier to read news on the computer - especially when so many people are in front of one all day long. Online news sites can still make money by selling advertisements on their web pages. Similarly, bloggers who are able to generate enough traffic to their sites can sell ads as a means of income - supplementary or even full time.

For example, I just read an article this morning in the New York Times on a woman, Heather Armstrong, who runs her own blog for other women - particularly mothers - called "Dooce." Her site has become so wildly popular that she's been able to sell ads to corporate giants like J.C. Penny, Crate & Barrel, Walgreens and Starwood. She's generating enough income through these ads that both she and her husband have since quit their regular jobs to focus on running the blog!

With forms of communication changing so rapidly - not to mention the other technological advancements that are constantly happening in our world - students in college today are likely to have a job in something that didn't exist when they were preparing for their careers. And for the rest of us - we'd better stay up to date with the changes, or we'll be left behind!