LAI Kuan Jung 14:21, 27 Aug 2004 (EST)
Weblogs are commonly known as ‘blogs’, and a blog is usually a listing of journal entries updated by a blogger regularly in reverse chronological order on the Internet. As bloggers make use of their blog space as a personal diary on the Internet, blogs are also known as online diaries. By publishing their diaries online, others are able to read these bloggers’ work, thoughts, feelings, and experiences. With services provided by blog hosts like LiveJournal, Bloggers can choose to open their blogs to public viewing or to a limited group of people. Although similar to a personal diary, blogging offers much more because of the Internet’s ability to share the information with others. Blogging is a way to express viewpoints where others can view and respond to, making discussions and exchanging ideas. And because of the unique features that blogs offer, social interaction within the web is highly associated with blogging.
The unique blog features that differ from a regular web page is that each entry is date and time stamped automatically, and most entries contain links to other bloggers or other web resources, and both the bloggers and readers can join in the conversation by adding comments. (Hourihan, 2002). This allows communication with each other, encouraging social interaction. Although some may argue that the lack of physical presence does not create valuable interaction, researches in the recent years have concluded that online interaction including blogs, e-mails, online forums, discussion groups, and instant messages, are effective ways to maintain social relationships and also to create new ones both online and offline, as sometimes online interaction can sometimes lead to face to face interaction. (Castells, 2001).
These researches include: a survey conducted in 2001 by Pew Institute and American Life Project in the USA that involved a 2000 sample; a survey conducted by a UCLA research team that involved 2,096 respondents and published online in October 2000; and a survey conducted through the National Geographic website that involved 40,000 users in North America in the fall of 1998. (Castells, 2001). These findings can be found in Manuel Castell's book: [http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=THBH07e6wvq9&isbn=0199255776&itm=1 The Internet Galaxy – Reflections on the Internet, Business and Society.]
When bloggers post an entry, the automatic date and time stamp is an important value of blogs because this allows readers to discern the author’s update pattern. When a reader posts a comment in response to the author’s post, the reader’s comment will also be automatically date and time stamped, and this enhances the connection between the two who are communicating to each other through blogs. For example, if the author had updated an entry at 4.00 p.m., and the reader posts a comment in response to it at 4.05 p.m., this can create a powerful connection between them because they were both ‘there’ at the same time. (Hourihan, 2002).
The reader’s name, and website URL (usually the reader's blog) will also be retained after posting a comment, allowing the author to then link back to the reader’s blog.
Blogs become very personal to the author himself, and also for others who read them regularly because blogs are updated regularly, allowing readers to follow what the author is going through throughout the week, and this can create a sense of closeness. Other features that can also create a sense of closeness for the readers is that the author can include an image that describes his mood, or the music that he is listening to at the time of posting his entry. However, these features are optional for the author to include.
Discussion groups are also involved in blogging, where bloggers join a community and engage in conversations and exchange ideas with each other on the same topic of interest. For example, LiveJournal bloggers who are interested in photography may join a community in LiveJournal called Color Theory, where bloggers can post their latest photography pieces, and share with other bloggers within the community. Not only can bloggers learn tips about photography through communities like this, they also engage in social interaction with each other through conversations and discussions about the same interests.
Bloggers can choose from a wide range of communities to join in LiveJournal, from health communities like People with Asthma to dance communities like Home of the Classical Ballerinas.
Through blogging, one’s interest can easily be expanded by joining blog communities, and connect with thousands of others around the world.
Bloggers engage in blogging not only for the purpose of recording the experiences that they go though in their lives, but most importantly, people engage in blogging because it is a tool for sharing information that creates communication and social interaction with others.
References
Castells, M. 2001. The Internet Galaxy – Reflections on the Internet, Business, and Society. Pp. 116 – 124. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0199241538.
Hourihan, M. 2002. What We're Doing When We Blog. Available: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/javascript/2002/06/13/megnut.html (accessed 7, Sepbtember 2004)
See also
Links to Blog Hosts
LiveJournal: http://www.livejournal.com
Blogger: http://www.blogger.com/start
Journalspace: http://www.journalspace.com/
Modblog: http://www.modblog.com/
BlogEasy: http://www.blogeasy.com/
Pitas.com: http://www.pitas.com/
LAI Kuan Jung 17:18, 8 Sep 2004 (EST)
