BLOGS
A blog (also called a weblog or web log) is a website consisting of entries (also called posts) appearing in reverse chronological order with the most recent entry appearing first (similar in format to a daily journal). Blogs typically include features such as commentsand links to increase user interactivity. Blogs are created using specific publishing software.
Variations of the term blog :- Blogging: The act of writing a post for a blog
- Blogger: A person who writes content for a blog
- Blogosphere: The online community of blogs and bloggers
The World Before Blogging:
There was a time when the Internet was just an informational tool. In the early life of the World Wide Web some 20 years ago, websites were simple and provided a one-sided conversation. As time went on, the Internet became more interactive with the introduction of transaction-based websites and online shopping, but the online world remained one-sided.
That all changed with the evolution of Web 2.0 (the social web) wherein user-generated content became an integral part of the online world. Today, users expect websites to provide a two-way conversation and web logs (or blogs) were born.
The Birth of Blogs:
The earliest blogs started in the late 1990s as online diaries. Individuals posted information on a daily basis about their lives and opinions. The daily posts were listed in reverse date order, so readers viewed the most recent post first and scrolled through previous posts. The format provided an ongoing inner monologue from the writer.
As blogs evolved, interactive features were added to create a two-way conversation. Readers took advantage of features that allowed them to leave comments on blog posts or link to posts on other blogs and websites to further the dialogue.
Blogs Today:
As the Internet has become more social, blogs have gained in popularity. Today, there are over 100 million blogs with more entering the blogosphere everyday. Blogs have become more than online diaries. In fact, blogging has become an important part of the online and offline worlds with popular bloggers impacting the worlds of politics, business and society with their words.
The Future of Blogs:
It seems inevitable that blogging will become even more powerful in the future with more people and businesses recognizing the power of bloggers as online influencers. Anyone can start a blog thanks to the simple (and often free) tools readily available online. The question will likely become not, "Why should I start a blog?" but rather, "Why shouldn't I start a blog?"
Advantages
1) The consumer and citizen are potentially better informed and this can only be good for the long-term health of our societies and economies.
2) Blogs have potential to help the organization develop stronger relationships and brand loyalty with its customers, as they interact with the ‘human face’ of the organization through blogs.
3) Blogs, in an intranet environment, can be an excellent way of sharing knowledge within the organization.
4) Blogs can be a positive way of getting feedback, and keeping your finger on the pulse, as readers react to certain pieces, suggest story ideas, etc.
5) Blogs can build the profile of the writer, showcasing the organization as having talent and expertise.
Disadvantages
1) Most people don’t have very much to say that’s interesting, and/or are unable to write down their ideas in a compelling and clear manner.
2) I have often found that the people who have most time to write have least to say, and the people who have most to say don’t have enough time to write it. Thus, the real expertise within the organization lays hidden, as you get drowned in trivia.
3) Like practically everything else on the Web, blogs are easy to start and hard to maintain. Writing coherently is one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks for a human being to undertake. So, far from blogs being a cheap strategy, they are a very expensive one, in that they eat up time. As a result, many blogs are not updated, thus damaging rather than enhancing the reputation of the organization.
4) Organizations are not democracies. The Web makes many organizations look like disorganizations, with multiple tones and opinions. Contrary to what some might think, the average customer prefers it if the organization they are about to purchase from is at least somewhat coherent.
If you want to learn how to create a Blog, check this out!
References:
- Godwin-Jones (2013) INTEGRATING INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
INTO LANGUAGE LEARNING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY from: http://llt.msu.edu/issues/june2013/emerging.pdf
- Gunelius S (2014) What is a Blog? from: http://weblogs.about.com/od/startingablog/p/WhatIsABlog.htm
