Overall, I view most blogging as very similar to op ed pieces or letters to the editor in the newspaper, so in a sense, I see it as a tradional form of voicing opinions, however, using new technological means. Additionally, the blogging landscape allows even greater participation of individuals because of the many, many different platforms and sites on which to contribute than the traditional media vains. This does allow more and more people to actively involve or situate themselves within a particular community or discussion that would not come as easily with traditional means of communication.
While most blogs with which I am familar tend to be just these types of pieces - opionions on news articles or public policy - I do believe that others, while they are certainly personal, are used more as a means to log personal accomplishments, family events or updates, or just personal reflections very similar to diary or journal entries.
Additionally, I'm familiar with discipline specific blogs. Contributors to these likely used journals and conference presentations as their primary means to communicate their findings or musings. However, now, with professional blogs within certain displines, I think it allows even more members to participate and share knowledge with one another, which is an important aspect to any field of study. It allows a greater number of people to join in the conversation, participate and offer and disseminate new knowledge.
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I like your idea that there is a blog for everyone - regardless of goal, field of study, comfort with self-disclosure. Maybe one thing that makes blogs so appealing is how easy they are to meld to one's interests.
As a former reporter, I wonder at the distinction between "op-ed and opinion pieces" and regular news. It seems like there used to be more of a distinction between opinion and "unbiased" news than there is now. I wonder if that is a result of new media coverage like blogs and the opinion-heavy Daily Show and the like. Maybe all our news will start sounding/looking like blog journalism.
So I wonder where a blogging community of knitters would fit in? Yes, that sort of blog is personal in a way, but I could see myself participating in that genre of blogging more readily than the very personal spaces or the highly opinionated ones... It seems that you could accomplish something as a participant in a knitting blog because you would get information (or could get it) that would impact your life away from the computer...
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