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The Blogging Revolution
Written on Sunday, April 10, 2005
Are you sometimes amazed at the numerous ways we have for communicating with someone on the
Internet -- MSN Messenger,
AOL, Skype,
Groove, and whatever e-mail client is the flavor of the
day? Then there are the web development tools, like
FrontPage and
Dreamweaver, for publishing websites and discussion
boards (Yahoo
Groups) for building informal community networks. These
days, anyone can put their thoughts on the Internet for the
entire world to see. And, it just got easier! The next web
revolution has already begun and the new "killer app" is not
an application at all, but a process (some would argue, a
cultural movement) known as blogging.
The term blogging means to write in
one's web-based logbook, or weblog (or, simply, blog). Blogs
are accessible by anyone with Internet access and a web
browser. They are used by individuals and organizations to
communicate periodic ramblings, commentary, or
announcements. In fact, anyone who deems something important
enough can publish it in a blog for public consumption
(sometimes, regardless of whether there is an audience.) For
the most part, blogs provide somewhat self-regulating,
thematic containers for rantings and musings. Their focus
can be personal, career, educational, philosophical,
political, or technology-oriented. Blogs also result in the
informal collusion of communities of practice, although some
might say the purpose is more reflective of a mutual
admiration society. The bottom-line is that a blog can be
anything that you want it to be. MarketingProfs.com provides
some further definitions, purposes, and suggestions for
blogging in
this article.
To witness some different blogging
flavors, visit the Blog of Proximal Development at
http://www.teachandlearn.ca/blog/, a CEO's (and
well-known author's) personal blog at
http://www.davidco.com/blogs/david/, Robin Good's
ramblings on new media technologies at
http://www.masternewmedia.org/sharewood_tidings.htm, and
Microsoft guru, Robert Scoble's ruminations at
http://scoble.weblogs.com/.
So what has propelled this blogging
revolution? There are many answers, but I'll focus on three
points. First, people love to talk about themselves, share their findings, and
voice their opinions. While there are blogs that are
extremely content-rich and cutting-edge, the majority are
vanity corners for publishing random thoughts and "goings
on" for family and friends. Second, blogging is cheap.
Anyone can establish a web presence using any number of
blogging services (www.typepad.com,
www.weblogger.com,
www.mindsay.com, and
www.blogger.com). Lastly, blogging is easy. Blogging
does not require you to be a web designer or proficient with
web publishing tools. Although you can purchase software (www.blogjet.com)
to help you write and manage your blogs, many services
provide easy-to-use Web-based options for uploading entries.
To summarize, blogging provides a cheap and easy way for you
to self-publish on the Internet. I hope to see you in the blogosphere!
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