Web+Log = Annoying Neologism

I've been wondering this for a while now, going back to the very start of the blogging movement, when I had a close friend with a publicly accessible blog. I can understand personal blogs where access is restricted just to friends, and I can understand non-personal blogs (tech, politics, etc), but I'd like to know why the personal, publicly viewable blogs/journals are attractive to those who use them. Anyone care to elucidate the matter for me?