Ever since I found out that Today's Meredith Vieira had her own blog, I've been checking in on it every so often, and I'm liking what I've been seeing. Not only is Vieira a good writer, but the easygoing, self-deprecating manner she shows on the air comes through in the blog. She's talked about childhood memories, her dog, her family, and her thoughts on whatever she's been working on for either of the shows she's on (Today and Millionaire).

When I caught up with Vieira in Pasadena earlier in the month, I asked her how the blog got started and how she's been finding it. "The blog was an afterthought," she replied. "They (NBC) asked me to do it, and I'm not a computer person, and I didn't really know what (the word) blog meant... What does it mean by the way?"

When I told her it was short for "weblog," she continued, citing the fact that the producers felt a personal connection needed to be established between her and the audience early on. "Anyway, they made the point that not everybody knows The View (her previous show)." She then quoted what they told her. "'All these poeple, they love Katie, you're coming in and taking over this job, and they kinda want to get to know you quickly.'"

She quickly warmed to the format, though. "Once I started doing it, I thought, well, this is a good thing. And, as hard as it is to do -- I find it really difficult -- it makes you stop in your day and reflect. And if i didn't have that, I don't think I would, because there wouldn't be time."