My Sunday mornings always begin with a cup of coffee and a push of a button as I commence my religious, hour-long blog reading. By the time I’m done reading, I’m emotionally and physically drained. Yet, every Sunday, I begin the same old ritual, until I mentally remind myself that I have assignments to complete and meetings to attend.But like a drug, the habit is hard to break. These blogs somehow give me the dose I need to start my day, and I’m listlessly attached to them. There are three sites I always visit: sixsentences.blogspot.com, a literary blog created by Robert McEvily where anyone can submit six sentences pertaining to any subject; postsecret.blogspot.com, an online forum created by Frank Warren for everyday postcard secrets; and jakandjil.blogspot.com, a fashion photography Web site featuring everyday people wearing often not-so-everyday apparel.A blog, derived from the word ‘weblog,’ has since been defined by Merriam-Webster as a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks provided by the writer. Of course, with the fast progression of technology and social networking Web sites, the manifestations of blogs have taken new forms. No longer are they just an ‘online personal journal’ – good blogs can make their bloggers famous, help gain endorsement deals and literally make them an overnight celebrity. But I think the question is whether these moments under the spotlight are warranted. Perez Hilton, one of the top-tier celebrity bloggers, manipulates the Web through snarky comments and adding not-so-flattering features on his targeted subjects. But I have to give it to Hilton: He’s smart in knowing how to brand himself as the vicious, no-remorse blogger to the public. Those who love him support his site incessantly while the rest (mostly celebrities) denounce his way of making a living.Jolyn Wu, a senior public relations and selective studies major, said that blogging is an interesting method of communication, but it really depends on how people treat it. ‘Some people use it as a platform of communication, which is nice,’ Wu said. ‘But like the magazine industry, we have to realize that with the good that rises to the top, we also have to contend with the bad and recognize that it’s there.’I don’t know what it is about blogs and blogging that make me so drawn to them. Perhaps it’s the anonymity of the Web that serves as a go-to tool for readers to relate and share without being too forward. I can read something off the Web and interpret it as my own, without the consequence of someone rebuking my claim. It’s freedom of thought, exponentially multiplied.One contributor of Painted Bride Quarterly, one of the oldest literary magazines in the country, posted in March 2009, ‘There is something so self-serving about blogging. Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on. I feel the egocentrism oozing from my skin sometimes. I’m privy to certain people’s judgments about bearing my soul on places like facebook (sic) and myspace (sic). And quite frankly, the attention some people seek in their blatant ‘LOOK AT ME’ status updates is quite ugly.’ It’s quite the conundrum. I’m always questioning where we draw the line before public sharing becomes too public. The Web has broadened our horizons in terms of how we share information, but it’s also a form of communication that needs to be reined in with caution. Blogging can be a great source of refuge and therapeutic release or an agent of change and reform. But I really do think it’s a matter of how it is moderated and used for it to be a beneficial and useful component in our daily lives.Angela Hu is a sophomore magazine journalism and English and textual studies major. Her column appears weekly, and she can be reached at ajhu01@syr.edu.