Weblogs are easily updated web sites organized by time. Weblogs do not require the user to first learn a Web Authoring program, such as Dreamweaver or Frontpage. Nor do they require a knowledge of HTML, Web servers, or other Web Technologies.

The term "weblog" was first used in December 1997 by Jorn Barger to describe personal sites that are continuously updated, with commentary and links. Started as a way to allow people to easily keep an online journal, they became popular as a means to self-publish.

The appeal of weblogs is their ease of use. If one wants to simply add content to the web on a regular basis, little or no knowledge of HTML and other Web Technologies is necessary. The weblogger, or "blogger" simply enters their content using their favorite web browser, types what they want to add and then clicks a "Submit" button. The weblog software takes care of adding it to the top of the listing, allowing visitors to immediately view the new entry.

Weblog software has an open source and free-to-use history, although developments by some (AOL, TypePad, Blogger and UserLand) see some weblog products moving to a commercial format.