In 1999, Xanga started out as a site that was meant to share book and music reviews. Then as it grew more and more and more and more and more and more and more and more and more and more popular, it turned into a full-fledged blog site. It seems that just about anyone and everyone has a Xanga site.



Actually, not everyone has a Xanga site. Only 2.5 million people have one. And everyone has a place on Xanga. You can go at it alone, or there are blogrings, which people can make or join that have a comment interest in things. Like the Future Attorneys of America blogring, which has 72 members. Or the EZ mOnEy blogring with 6 members. Theres 3082 blogrings about poetry, which is about 3081 more than I believe is needed. Theres also a PrOuD TeXaN blogring which only has 2 members and I would imagine its the same person with two different sites cause I cant imagine that many people being proud of being from Texas.



Even some celebrities have Xanga sites. Maybe. Johnny Greenwood from Radiohead has a site, but who knows it is really he? Lindsay Lohan has a site that she posts on, but how do I know it is not an imposter? She and I are going out and she wont even tell me. I ask her all the time, Is that your Xanga site? and all she says is some line from Mean Girls. And then the scene changes and I have to wait until she is on the screen again to talk to her.



So why do 2.5 million people have a Xanga site? What is the point of having a blog site to begin with?



The main reason people would want a blog site is to keep in touch with friends or complete strangers. Its an online community. I have to admit, it is fun to go around to random sites and see what people are doing. And you know what most of them are doing?



They are bitching, complaining and asking for compliments. After reading many Xanga sites, it seems like a good majority of the members are pissed off at everything. They complain about school, work, loves and politics. Theres even a I Hate Hilary Duff blogring, which I might join because shes not nearly as talented as Lindsay Lohan but do not get me started. And some even write poetry about it! I love crappy poetry, just like the next person. Everyone can write poetry, but only a few can write well.



But maybe Xanga isnt all about talking to friends or complaining. Maybe it is something more that most people dont think about.



As Xanga, or any blog site, is a community, it is also a place where people go to not feel alone. It is a place to go where people can feel like others care about them. They dont want to be forgotten. And dont say that is wrong, because anyone with a site will tell you that when they havent received a comment on their site, they feel forgotten. People want the reassurance that there is someone else who knows they exist. Nobody wants to be alone or forgotten.



I need to go update my Xanga site now. And yes, I do have a site and I complain that it is stupid, but Im fine with that. Self-reflection is the key to being a complete human. And plus I can do it, cause Im awesome.



Mark Potts is a journalism and film major who is currently on tour with Lindsay Lohan as a backup dancer.
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