Smile Politely. Speak Directly. A Champaign-Urbana Culture Blog

You can't always get what you want from mainstream media and in this day and age, anyone can take five minutes and start a blog. But — how structured should it be? How casual the language? Should the writer adhere to the AP Stylebook? What are the benefits or consequences of blogging?

The blogosphere's options are endless and there is enough opinion and information to keep you surfing the internet all day long. Depending on the type of blog, it's the freshest form of journalism, or even the most public form of self-expression. Blog topics are bountiful and encourage interaction — they can reach audiences further and wider than traditional news outlets — and have spawned what has become known as the "digital smokebreak."

In Champaign-Urbana we have a great variety of blogs: Little Blog on the Prairie, Champaign Taste and Illini Pundit to name a few. Each has developed it's own voice, style of writing, genre and niche market of followers. After all, you're here now — and while we're an online magazine — we like to think of ourselves as neighbors, at the least.

So, you tell us — what blog around these parts has what you like to read — and why?