This probably wouldn't surprise anyone who blogs, but The Merriam-Webster Online Web site named “blog” its No. 1 word for 2004, based on the number of people looking it up.
“Blog, noun – short for weblog (1999): a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.”
The explosive growth of blogging has led to an equally explosive growth in blog readership. A recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found blog readership jumped 58 percent in the United States last year, representing about 32 million people, or roughly 27 percent of all Internet users. -- Journal Gazette