The early 1990s were when blogs first became popular and they were known as web logs (or weblogs) at the time. The term has now been shortened to simply “blog” and the word was selected by Merriam Webster as the 2004 word of the year (Merriam Webster, 2004, p. 1). According to current estimates, there are well over a billion blogs posted and updated regularly around the world.
According to Dr. Laurie Rozakis (2007) in the third chapter of her book EveryDay Writing, a blog is “an online diary, a personal record of your ideas that you publish as a web page” (p. 71). However, for many people writing a blog (or blogging) has become much more than that. It is also a way to inform people of things that are happening around the United States and the world from a personal perspective (i.e., the blogs by soldiers in Iraq and the ones during Virginia Tech’s tragedy last fall). In political blogs (known as plogs), the posts or entries can often create heated arguments as commenters debate issues, candidates and policies. And then there are blogs such as this one, which try to present verifiable information from reliable sources while also serving up the occasional philosophical idea or opinion.
Blogs are usually updated on a daily basis with the expectation that someone (even a family member) will read it. Blogging is a way to share (or publish) your writing and ideas with a large number of people and to become involved with other writers. Reasons for considering blogging include:
to spark your creativity, . . . to write more easily, . . . to polish your writing skills, . . . to establish a platform, . . . and to influence public opinion . . . (Rozakis, 2007, p. 74-76).
I find that the more I write on my blogs, the easier it is for me to write and the more I am able to compose and even edit new posts in my head. This is not my first blog, although it is the one of which I am most proud. I also do political blogging, using online researching techniques for facts to support or reject primary or general election candidates as well as to express my opinions on local matters of interest (yes to schools, no to landfills!). The most important point I need to make is that you could be held responsible for what you write and the best way to do that is to include links to original sources, not second-hand information or gossip. There is at least one case of a blogger in Virginia that was sued for defamation of character, although some protections exist (for political speech anyway) under the FEC rulings. There is not yet an official code of ethics for bloggers, although CyberJournalist.com has posted a tentative one here with comments included and some Virginia bloggers are already using suggested ethics codes for their own sites.
Dr. Rozakis (2007) also has some guidelines for being a responsible blogger, because once your writing appears on the Internet, it’s there for anyone to read:
Don’t post unverified information. Don’t inflate yourself and your accomplishments. Be careful about venting and ranting. Don’t slur anyone, least of all your employer. Don’t assume you can hide behind a fake name (p. 76-77).
If you decide to begin a blog, there are several different sites that will host your site usually at no cost. Dr. Rozakis (2007) recommends Googling “blog hosting software” or “blog software” to find specific information on different services available (p. 80). My first two blogs were on Blogger, but I chose WordPress for this blog. The reasons include recommendations from long-time blogger acquaintances at my first statewide bloggers’ conference last year and the chance to learn something new (as all sites are different in what they will allow you to tweak on their sites and in their templates). With this blog, I have had the opportunity to work with HTML code more than on Blogger. Believe me, learning to do blockquotes correctly on WordPress and make bulleted lists took more time than I expected. Even copying tables from Microsoft Word 2007 was not as easy as on Blogger (Note to self and others: paste tables into the Visual window, not into the code window!).
Blogs can be on any topic of your choice. Some people choose to use it as a diary and include things such as quotes, news stories, everyday life events, their own creative writing stories or poetry, opinions on a variety of topics, or pictures that they have taken. But, no matter what you choose to write about, always remember to:
Give your blog a title (and perhaps a subtitle) that will help your audience identify what it is about. Make your blog attractive using templates and images. Watch for changes in font size and spacing, as it will make some posts harder to read. (Thanks, Mickey!) Post often or people will stop visiting your site. Make your posts (and your paragraphs) short and interesting to read, even if you end up splitting a post somewhere to include a “Continue Reading” link for people who want to know more about what you are writing. Link to other sites in the posts and in your sidebar, even if you don’t refer to them in a post anywhere. Edit your writing for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling and HTML code errors. Be passionate about your topic and it will show. And, most importantly, have fun!
It would be interesting to have an educational blog for students and I have read several articles on the process. Many schools systems have blocked blogs along with chatrooms and instant messaging programs. However, I discussed the idea of blogging with the regional director of our Adult Education Program. She said that the state was interested in adult education programs using more technology (including blogs) in their classes. So, who knows, she may even start a blog for her program where students can publish their own writing and opinions.
References:
Merriam-Webster Online. (November 2004). Merriam-Webster announces the 2004 words of the year. Retrieved November 17, 2007, from http://www.m-w.com/info/pr/2004-words-of-year.htm.
Rozakis, L. (2007). EveryDay writing (for fun, for profit, for your heart’s content). New York: Madison Park Press.
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