Introduction...

Purpose

Blog

The word blog comes from Web log. A blog is an online journal whereby it comprises of links to other websites and blog postings so that readers are allowed to give their comment and critiques on the original post. It is a form of discussion(Meg Hourihan, 2003)

Why blog?

purpose of blogging is something we should think about these days. Different people may see blogging in different ways. Some may find it a waste of time and some may feel it is as the perfect way to communicate to others on the current happening issues.

Personally I feel that blogging is an interactive way to keep in touch and learn about the latest happening issues around the world today. Different blogger think in different ways. As such they have different comments and critiques. Where else on the other hand there are some bloggers who talks about their personal life and their feelings, which I feel is a waste of time. I find them rather an “attention seeker”.


Classifications

There are different types of blogs:

• The serious blog


• Fashion blogs


• Business blogs


• Video blogs
  

For example of a fashion blog is College Fashion In this blog, they target students to read and get their insights about the latest fashion trends and the retail world.
An example of a food blog is Cooking with Amy. She shares new recipes, her favorite food in varies countries and places to shop. This is an interactive way which attracts reader’s who have passion for cooking and food to participate and share their views.Below are the examples of a fashion blog and a food blog:

Fashion Blog



Food Blog

The phenomenon

Blogging has become a phenomenon lately. If we look back in time, nobody knew about blogging but it is a trend now that everyone wants to own a blog. People have developed interest in blogging. Blogger was introduced in 1999 by San Francisco -based Pyra Labs, and today over 150,000 registered users. Refer to James M. Branum, 2001

Personally to me blogging is addictive. Because of the trend, we start creating blogs, and when we start to blog, we tend to get addicted whereby we must have a follow up posting. It’s like a viral way of spreading information. People start talking about all the issues and latest gossip just to keep up with trend. Or else, they’re left out.

Blogging Community

Blogs by itself have many different communities. For example, Xanga, Blogspot, Wordpress and Expat blog. Xanga is a community of online diaries and journals. Where else, Expat blog is catered to share expat experience to the worldwide through the online expatriate community.

When people of the same interest come together, they form a community. Through blogging, there is a community formed when the authors of the same interest discuss on the same interest. Just like the example above, Cooking with Amy, other cooks and people who love food come in through links to share their thoughts as a community. A good blogging community is ITtoolbox Blogs.

Print VS Online

Writing for the print and the web has its own different advantages and disadvantages. Personally I would prefer to write online than the print because firstly, there can be regular updates of posting. There is no limit in writing and you can write all you want. No one can stop you! Besides, wring for the web is better because it is easy to access and there is more readership. People spend almost a day working on their computers. Writing for the web is rather complete because the bibliographies are attached for further references. Readers can do multiple searches online by using the web links provided. People pay more attention online because it is more interactive rather than starring into a magazine or newspaper where they just glance through Refer to Print vs. Online

References:

Cooking With Amy: A Food Blog, 2007 [Online, Accessed 1 June
2007] URL: http://cookingwithamy.blogspot.com/

James M. Branum, 2001, The Blogging Phenomenon, [Online, Accessed 1 June 2007] URL: http://www.ajy.net/jmb/blogphenomenon.htm

Meg Hourihan, 2003 What is a Blog? [Online, Accessed 1 June 2007] URL: http://www.blogscanada.ca/BlogDefinition.html

Print Vs Online, [Online, Accessed 1 June 2007] URL: http://news.cn.edu/kocour/NewGroves/sld003.htm