The Buzz Behind Blogs

on Thursday, January 28, 2010 with 0 comments



A blog is a type of website that includes entries made in the same fashion as a diary or journal in reverse chronological order.

Web logs, more commonly referred to as blogs, have become commonplace for online communication. A blog is a type of Web site that includes entries made in the same fashion as a diary or journal in reverse chronological order. The individual posting to the blog (aka: “blogger”) is able to quickly make new entries without any advanced knowledge of HTML scripting. Blog posts can be configured to permit comments, whereby readers are able to respond to the content of the postings. In early 2006, over 50 million blogs are reported to be in existence, with at least one new blog created every second of every day. A study by Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 8% of current U.S. Internet users are actively using blogs as a means of creative, personal expression (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2006).



Some people have turned to blogs as a means for personal self-expression and self-publication, while others have incorporated blogging into their business and marketing activities. The ease of use for both contributors and readers coupled with the ability for the content to be syndicated to others through the process of Really Simple Syndication (RSS) are among the many contributing factors leading to the prominence of blogging among the various modes of computer mediated communication. RSS makes it possible for readers to use an aggregator to check for updates from numerous blogs simultaneously and view the content of new postings without physically having to revisit the source blogs.


Those interested in blogging have a wide array of approaches available for blog creation. Using one such free service, Blogger, one can easily register for an account, create a blog, and begin contributing to it within a matter of minutes. If one has a server and the ability to make some technical configurations, the open source software powering many common hosted solutions such as WordPress can be downloaded for free. While blogging is becoming increasingly popular, it is important for those engaged in blogging to be cognizant of the full spectrum of associated issues. Here are a few important considerations to keep in mind when deciding whether to use a blog for personal or business purposes:
  • Access. The content of blogs is typically available to ANYONE online. While this may be desirable when attempting to broadcast your message to a vast number of individuals, the information is in fact available to anyone, anywhere with an Internet connection.

  • Syndication. RSS makes it possible for blog contributions to be read in a variety of different contexts, including directly within another Web page. All one needs is the URL of the RSS feed for a blog to syndicate the content of that blog to any other Web site.

  • Credibility. Anyone with Internet access can setup a blog and post to it. Therefore, the credibility of content found on blogs is often questionable and is certainly nowhere near that of peer-reviewed publications.

  • Longevity. The nature of computer mediated communication via the Internet is such that if at any point in the future the author wishes to delete postings, it may be extremely difficult to do so.

Category: Blogger

POST COMMENT

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Newer Post
Older Post
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)