BLOGS
See also:
ABOUT BLOGS BLOG TOOLS BLOGS TO READ
BLOGS IN EDUCATION BLOGS IN EDUCATION 2 MEDIA & WRITER's BLOGS The ABCS of RSS
JOURNALISM INFO
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Contrary to those just now becoming aware of BLOGS, they are not new.
BLOGS have been around since the late '90's.
WEBLOGS were developed as a sort of online diary, or journal.
They emerged from a combination of old chat rooms and discussion lists, with their main feature being
the addition of interaction between blogger and reader.
While much is generally known about the origins and developers of Computers, not many people are familiar with the history of Blogs.
The very first Blog and first website was created byTim Berners Lee at CERN. Little did he know what a technological revolution he was startiing! Through many changes and evolutions, remarkably that page still exists! It is archived at W3C and has a value that is immeasureable.
Other early Blogs were RobotWisdom.com, CAMWORLD,and TOMALOK'S REALM
See if you can find any of these, and check out their early archives. The posts from these Blogs diarize the technology as it developed.
Known as one of the earliest bloggers, David Winer maintains one of the longest-running blogs,
SCRIPTING NEWS.His interest in blogs led to his creating the WIKI Server, the original "ping" function signaling the addition of new blog content.
David continues to be involved in blogging. His company, Userland, promotes his two product management systems,
MANILA, a centralized server based content management system, and
RADIO USERLAND a software program that facilitates desktop blogging.
BLOGS usually focus on an area reflective of the owner's expertise, or high interest and always contain links to other BLOGS of similar or complimentary subjects.
It is the interlinking that provides the immediate exchange of breaking information, along with RSS Feeds.
BLOGS pass along information, much like the old game of "Broken Telephone"- minus the error factor.
The blog "thread" is added to, and passed from one to another, at incredible speed, with the addition of more information wherever possible.
PERSONAL BLOGS follow a format similar to a diary, or journal.
TOPICAL BLOGS have a specific niche they focus upon. These are usually, but not exclusively, a tech genre.
THOUGHTFUL BLOGS fall somewhere between a Personal and Political Blog, but are distinctly different enough to merit their own category.
FRIENDSHIP BLOGS are distributed between a network of friends. The Friends then add their own comments and continue the threads (discussion topics)
NEWS BLOGS tend to concentrate on a specific topic or interest, but also can provide Summary Links to News Topics of interest It should be noted that the protections offered by
the First Ammendment are as yet undetermined insofar as News Blogs are concerned.
COLLABORATIVE BLOGS rely upon a number of persons contributing to their content.
POLITICAL BLOGS were seen in the 2004 elections, Howard Dean, is an example.
GROUP BLOGS, such as those authored by Employees, have been frowned upon of late, yet the Senior Management of many companies are now enjoying their own CORPORATE Blogs.
BLOGS are generally in a 2 or 3 column format, with the middle column being the largest. Most information, such as new and recent posts, is displayed that middle column.
The remaining column(s) offer links to previous information, an Index, and links to others, respectively. Posts generally speak to readers in a friendly manner, thus giving a homey feel to the blogosphere.
The warmth of a blog, and its non-sales focus is in large part how a blog differs from a web page.
Regular (daily, weekly) updates are also a great difference from a site.
The sudden popularity and high profile of BLOGS is partly due to the increased restrictions and constraints that have a stranglehold on traditional media and reporting.
It is no secret that Journalists have been increasingly frustrated by censorship and information access roadblocks since 9-11.
The ability to freely communicate with little or no censorship by management or government has brought new life to the dying one of traditional news publishing.
Organizations like the Media Center at the American Press Institute, and The Poynter Institute are collaborating in addressing the future of journalism.
Blogging is playing a large role in adapting journalism to the electric age of communication through the development of strategies that stimulate and educate the journalism community, combined with the use of digital fields.
The significance of BLOGS and microjournalism is changing from something people
consume- to something people do.
BLOGS are no longer a Geek-only communication tool. Anyone can have a blog. They are front and center,
mainstream media information resources, and cover every possible subject and interest known.
Unrestricted publishing also allows for BLOGS that exist for no other reason than to promote an agenda of pro or con ideals, a tool to further a cause, or subject, solely the way one wishes it to be.
BLOGS have been used as an adjunct to lobbying, to add more spin to existing spin, and in efforts to
"make it so because I say it is".
The reader and/or supporter of a particular blog own the responsibility to thoroughly verify facts before accepting them, and to ferret out original intent and purpose before making any determination.
Bona fide blog news has often scooped, and informed, traditional news, in a voice that is loud, and knowledgeable.
Examples, like that of Trent Lott's unsuccessful reelection, can be attributed to bloggers.
By collaborating to ferret out numerous blatant racist comments Lott made in speeches over the years, bloggers had enough ammunition to assure the country of the truth of their claims.
Bloggers are responsible for the recent revelations regarding one "Jeff Gannon" a White House Press correspondent, and his double life and fake name. The "journalist" by day, and gay escort by night, brought questions of security breaches to light.
One wonders how an individual using a false name got security clearance by
both the FBI and the Secret Service,
if nothing else.
In the summer of 2004, both the Democrats and Republicans recognized the value of bloggers and their instant dissemination of information. Each party invited a "Blogging Delegation" to attend their respective conventions.
If, by Bling, you mean spreading your word(s), the answer is emphatically, "yes".
Blogging is an excellent marketing tool, particularly when linked with subject appropriate promotion BLOGS.
If you already make use of your own site, and/or newsletter to sell and promote your writing,
or used as a means to penetrate your identified market, adding a blog to those tools is not only logical, it can be profitable.
There are a number of ways to generate blog revenues, much as those for a site, through Affiliate Programs, Direct Sales, Sponsors, Google adsense , and banner/text ads.
BLOGS are available in a number of formats that include text, photos, art, design, coded in html, xml, and css, and combinations of all.
Educators have recognized the value of BLOGS as a communication and teaching tool.
More and more Blogs are being implemented in schools and institutions of learning,especially in distance-learning situations.
The bottom line is that there is a valuable use for BLOGS in practically every industry, profession and lifestyle.
Though statistics show that at least 75% of existing BLOGS have been abandoned, the majority of those were created during the initial introduction of BLOGS, while people were fascinated by them, but not necessarily committed to them.
The addition of blog search engines, and the ease and proliferation of adding RSS Feeds, along with developing technology, ensures that BLOGS are here for the long term.
The popularity of many BLOGS can be seen by their growing numbers of subscribers- to both their text updates, and RSS.
If you are dedicated to maximizing the available methods for self-promotion, then it's time to add Blogging to your world!