Bruce Ableson (born September 16, 1963 in New York) is an American computer programmer and website developer. He is best known as the inventor of

Open Diary Open Diary (often abbreviated as "OD") is an online diary community, an early example of social networking software. It was founded on October 20, 1998. Open Diary went offline on February 7, 2014, but was re-launched on January 26, 2018. The ...

, the first online

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

ging community. Ableson was raised in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, and graduated from

Birmingham Groves High School Groves High School (Wylie E. Groves High School or Groves) is a public, magnet high school in Beverly Hills, Michigan, United States, in the Birmingham Public School District. Groves' colors are green, white, and yellow and its mascot is Fredd ...

. During high school, he worked as editor of the Groves Scriptor, became an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle S ...

, and appeared in several short Super 8 films produced by schoolmate

Ted Raimi Theodore "Ted" Raimi (born December 14, 1965) is an American character actor, director, comedian, and writer. He is known for his roles in the works of his brother Sam Raimi, including a fake Shemp in ''The Evil Dead'', possessed Henrietta in ...

. After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in Telecommunications, Ableson worked for several years as a systems consultant and programmer. During this time, Ableson developed Open Diary, which launched on October 20, 1998. Ableson built the first system for blog comments, and innovated the use of friend's list privacy settings and activity feeds on the site. These features have led some to credit Ableson's site and inventions to be the beginnings of

social networks A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for a ...

and

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

References

External links

Chicago Tribune: Journal Writers Go Public with Personal ExperiencesLos Angeles Times: Teens Go Online to Post Their Innermost Thoughts - AnonymouslyWashington Post: Teen Diaries, Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ableson, Bruce 1963 births Living people American computer programmers Michigan State University alumni Birmingham Groves High School alumni