Bruce Ableson

{{Short description|American computer programmer (born 1963)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Bruce Ableson

| image = bruceableson.jpg

| caption = Bruce Ableson

| image_size =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|09|16}}

| birth_place = New York, United States

| occupation = Programmer

}}

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, the first online blogging community.{{cite book|last=Macnamara|first=Jim|title=The 21st century media (r)evolution : emergent communication practices|year=2010|publisher=Peter Lang|location=New York|isbn=978-1-4331-0936-2|pages=48}}

Ableson was raised in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, and graduated from Birmingham Groves High School. During high school, he worked as editor of the Groves Scriptor, became an Eagle Scout,{{cite web|url=http://www.troop1022.org/honorroll.html|title=BSA Troop 1022 Honor Roll|access-date=2011-12-24|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123752/http://www.troop1022.org/honorroll.html|archive-date=2016-03-04}} and appeared in several short Super 8 films produced by schoolmate Ted Raimi.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

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,{{cite book|last=Loughnanne|first=E.|title=Net Success Interviews|year=2005|publisher=Lulu|isbn=1-4116-2698-2|url=http://interviewbooks.com/opendiary_com.htm|access-date=2012-01-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125034036/http://www.interviewbooks.com/opendiary_com.htm|archive-date=2012-01-25|url-status=dead}} which launched on October 20, 1998.{{cite news|last=Berman|first=A.S.|title=Open Diary lets people anonymously bare their souls|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/59705274.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+7%2C+2000&author=A.S.+Berman&pub=USA+TODAY&edition=&startpage=03.D&desc=Open+Diary+lets+people+anonymously+bare+their+souls|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714215507/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/59705274.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+7,+2000&author=A.S.+Berman&pub=USA+TODAY&edition=&startpage=03.D&desc=Open+Diary+lets+people+anonymously+bare+their+souls|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2012|access-date=2012-01-26|newspaper=USA Today|date=2000-09-07}}{{cite web|last=Seminerio|first=Maria|title=The Open Diary Takes Off|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-open-diary-takes-off/|work=ZDNet|access-date=2012-01-26}} Ableson built the first system for blog comments,{{cite web|last=Seminerio|first=Maria|title=Birth of an Accidental Community|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/birth-of-an-accidental-community/|work=ZDNet|access-date=2012-01-26}}{{cite news|last=Richmond|first=Shane|title=What is a blog? How the technology shapes the medium|url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/8173527/What_is_a_blog_How_the_technology_shapes_the_medium/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606135752/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/8173527/What_is_a_blog_How_the_technology_shapes_the_medium/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-06-06|access-date=2012-01-26|newspaper=London Telegraph|date=2009-01-22}}{{cite web|title=The Rising Popularity of Blogs|url=http://www.newsbyblog.com/article-providing-info-rising-popularity.html|access-date=2012-01-26}} and innovated the use of friend's list privacy settingsWikibooks:Web 2.0 and Emerging Learning Technologies/Open Diary 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 and social media.{{cite journal|author1=A. M. Kaplan|author2=M. Haenlein|title=Users of the World Unite! The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media|journal=Business Horizons|date=February 2010|volume=53|issue=1|pages=59–68|url=http://michaelhaenlein.com/Publications/Kaplan,%20Andreas%20-%20Users%20of%20the%20world,%20unite.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323231833/http://michaelhaenlein.com/Publications/Kaplan,%20Andreas%20-%20Users%20of%20the%20world,%20unite.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=March 23, 2012|doi=10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003|s2cid=16741539 }}{{cite web|last=Fouts|first=Jeff|title=Social Media and All Its Glory|url=http://socialmediaclub.org/blogs/social-media-observer/social-media-and-all-its-glory |work=Social Media Club |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518131457/http://socialmediaclub.org/blogs/social-media-observer/social-media-and-all-its-glory |archive-date=2013-05-18 |access-date=2012-01-26}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/8935e719-174b-42fc-a37f-6d4441214d9a|title=How the world responded to the Myspace data loss|last=Day|first=Harvey|date=2019-03-20|website=BBC Three|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-06-24}}