The Portuguese blogosphere

Blogs have been around for ages - the first blogs appeared on the Internet back in the 1990s. This is how my own story as a blogger began: in 1999, I registered an Internet domain and created a site called Farofa, which is the name of a type of Brazilian food eaten as a supplement to the main dish.

My aim was to contribute an additional little piece to the World Wide Web - a sort of supplement to the main meal, if you like. Farofa grew, and soon I was getting commercial offers and after a few months, I began to write professionally. One of the sections on Farofa was a diary called

Querido Diário [dear diary]. I soon changed the title to Querido Leitor [Dear Reader].

Technical challenges

Writing for the site was a complex task, for which you need a special program. After I had created the site, it had to be uploaded onto a server. I only had the necessary programs (Dreamweaver and FireFTP) on my PC, which meant that I could only update my site from home. That made it almost impossible to keep Farofa "warm" or "current" and I had my work cut out trying to meet my promise to deliver not just flour, but fresh eggs as well!

At the beginning of 2000, I made the acquaintance of a new Web site tool known as a "blog." The name "blog" derived from "web" and "log", a reference to diaries kept by shipmasters on long voyages.

Plunging into the world of blogging

Because they are Internet-based, blogs can be updated wherever you happen to be. All you need to do is go online, log on and post your entries. Blogs seemed to be like an electronic parchment unrolling before my eyes. It was like magic. It was progress - something as important as the mobile phone, which gave the old, traditional phone the gift of mobility.

Nevertheless, it was not without some trepidation that I decided to plunge into the world of the blog. Should I, I wondered, create a blog for Farofa, or for Querido Leitor? In the end I created two blogs. Farofa was scattered to the winds, but Querido Leitor became a labor of love. I entered into the 21st century with the word "blogger" etched into my forehead and tattooed across my breast.

I learnt to send text, video and audio messages and to use live streams – all with my mobile phone. I began to carry my laptop around in my bag with me - complete with wi-fi and a 3G modem - in order to stay in permanent contact. For almost a decade now, I have written my first blog post before breakfast. I've often got back out of bed because I’ve remembered that I've forgotten to wish my readers a "good night." Blogs have brought me friends, travel, opportunities, work and awards.

Blogging means communication

I got to know blogs by journalists, actors, citizens, activists, politicians and comics. I met people over 80 who had found a new life through blogs. I met a taxi driver who photographed the city and posted the photos on his blog. I've assisted organ donation campaigns, supported environmental movements and participated in flash mobs. I adopted my darling Laika from a friend who I had met in the blogosphere. I received and gave presents. I created a library out of donated books, which I gave to Maria, the cashier at my local supermarket. I travelled to Bonn to collect a prestigious BOBs award for Querido Leitor, which was found to be the best Weblog in the Portuguese language.

At the end of the first decade of the 21st century we can look back and say that the blog's most important revolution was the worldwide and unmediated debate that grew out of this form of grassroots journalism. Blogs have changed the way in which online text is written. They have forced Internet publications to get close to their readers. They have demanded dialogue.

Social media in Brazil

Social networking plays a huge role in Brazil. Orkut, which is comparable with Facebook, has the largest user base in the whole of the Brazilian blogosphere. This Internet community rivals Google for the place as most clicked on Web site. If you go into an Internet cafe, or simply to work or to school, you are bound to meet people using Orkut.

Blogs are also growing in Brazil. The Brazilian blogosphere is every bit as important as traditional media portals. I'd say that "Blog do Noblat," "Blog do Milton Jung," "Pensar Enlouquece" and "Contraditorium" are amongst the most influential. Funny blogs, such as "KibeLoko," get the most clicks.

Nowadays, a blog post has the power to influence the scheduling of major TV companies. There are many examples: everything from comedy videos that make national headlines to political postings that lead to actions in the street.

This process is far from over. On the contrary, ever more artists, politicians, NGOs and ordinary citizens start writing blogs every day. 2010 is election year in Brazil. We are about to live through a new phenomenon: the increased presence of candidates and election campaigners in blogs and social networks.

For us Brazilians this represents a triumph. The more information and transparency there is, the more dialogue and democracy we will get.

A glimpse into the future ...

On the threshold of a new decade I can see that the first generation of bloggers has grown up. There remains much to experience, learn and explore.

These days I am a professional blogger, but I remain as passionate as ever. I still write my first post before I eat my breakfast and I still wish my readers "good night" before I get into bed. I take part in discoveries and learn alongside my readers. My passion has never left me. Without passion, blogs don’t get written.

Rosana Hermann is an author, scriptwriter and TV host. She studied nuclear physics and journalism. She has worked, amongst others, for the TV companies SBT, Rede Globo and Band. She is currently creative director at R7 (www.r7.com), one of the biggest Internet portals in Brazil.

Editor: Sean Sinico