In my book, BLOGWARS, I talk about the “Blogthrough,” a moment where blogs, due to their unique qualities, come into increased press and public attention and thus further enhance their status. Blogthroughs are often tied to big news events (The South Asian Tsunami, the Virginia Tech Bombings, “Rathergate”) where blogs either incite or become part of the story. This chart, prepared with graduate students, Misti McDaniels and Nate Rodriguez, illustrates the “rise of blogs.”

The chart tracks over time (late 1990s to spring 2007) the number of mentions of the word “weblog” or “blog” in mainstream media (TV, radio, print).

Originally posted August 18, 2008 at PolicyByBlog