In general, I’m of the opinion that there has been way too much written about the so-called phenomenon of weblogging, and that part of the reason is that the medium is still at the stage where people are kicking its tires, trying to figure out if weblogs add value to the world. That’s not to say that some of what’s written isn’t valuable, entertaining, or even needed; on the contrary, given the relative newness of personal web publishing, there is a real value in well-reasoned pieces that try either to familiarize readers with the medium or to help writers understand those things which make weblogging unique, powerful, and an entirely different way of reaching readers.

As a good example of the latter, the latest issue of A List Apart brings us Mark Bernstein’s “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.” Mark focuses on the dynamic nature of weblogs (or, better yet, of any site that represents frequent personal input and guidance), and gives ten good rules that aim to help writers both understand that dynamism and shape their creative energies accordingly. It’s the kind of essay that I’ll bookmark and send along to anyone who asks me about weblogs; it may be the best example yet of capturing the reasons why weblogs have become such a success. It’s definitely worth a read.