a) The internet plays a crucial role in peoples’ lives these days, especially teenagers and youths. The internet as we know it simplifies our lives, making things easier. People are now able to shop, pay bills, sell, read, purchase plane tickets and retrieve any sort of information online. Therefore, owning a blog is simply a necessity to most people. Why is that? Blogging is one medium used by teenagers who want to be heard, giving them the freedom to express themselves in any form of way (Hulber 2005). Be it said, blogs become the voices of people, those who have ideas and opinions on an issue or dissatisfaction on a problem; politically or otherwise, and who wishes to remain anonymous. In Asia, blogging has managed to drive audiences in the millions and a recent survey proves that 41% spend more than 3 hours a week on blogging (Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions n.d). Blogs are beneficial in a way that it connects audiences to one another besides updating the world on current issues. In the near future, blogging would still be emerging but it plays an essential role in most peoples’ lives especially for social purposes or business conducts.
b) Classification and categorization of blogs are done based on audiences’ interest, preferences and subject matters. There are many types of blogs. Some examples would be personal, business, politics, military, private, sports blogs and etc. Personal blogs play a role in providing messages regarding family, travel, religion, books, philosophy and health topics. Business blogs are used by professionals to share their expertise or to engage with their customers. Military blogs function as a channel of communication between families and members of the army whereas private blogs are those that share photos and information between friends and family (WordPress.com n.d). Moblogs clients take pictures with their mobile phones, immediately transferring them to their blogs. Current clients rely on tools like the e-mail and SMS to submit their typed entries. An example of a moblog would be BlogPlanet (Knudsen 2003). Video blogging offers a wider experience with the web because it is a combination of movies, sounds, still images and text, increasing the flow of information between author and viewer (Educause 2005). In my opinion, the style of a blog attracts readership because audiences would prefer blogs that look good besides having appropriate content. People search for blogs to find one that suits their preference because these different types of blogs play different role, providing a diversity in information giving.
c) Blogging communities are formed when a group of people share a specific goal or aim in order to reach out to the world. Communities that already exist are fashion, news, politics, historical, entertainment, social, business and many more. Each blog plays their own unique function and role in a community. Bloggers from all over the world who are keen on blogging on related topics form a community so as they can reach out to the world in just a few seconds. Given an example, business blogs are used as an informal method to ensure regular communication between customers (Heathfield 2009). A business blog may serve the purpose of educating the public on the goals and targets of a company as well as its achievements and innovations. As blogs can be updated at any time, customers and employees receive the same load of information at the same time. In a company, a blog may actually represent it in a positive light. Global voices is an online community of bloggers which provides the world with information and reports on blogs and citizen media from any part of the world, emphasizing on voices that are not usually heard in mainstream media (GlobalVoices n.d). These communities connect people from different nations and cultures, enabling them to speak their voices out on any form of topic, especially on latest news and updates.
d) There are many differences in writing and designing for print and online. According to Walsh (2006), reading with print-based texts requires different levels of decoding, responding and comprehending which initiates constant reaction between reader and text or in other words, it forms a dynamic interaction in a socio-cultural context. Walsh (2006) also mentioned that websites are designed to attract attention of readers besides assisting them to places containing information. Therefore, the understanding and interpretation of messages occur inside the head. Print and online media share a similarity. In order to gain readership, its design should be appropriate with the use of both text and images. According to Schriver (1997), changes in technology has influenced the development on document design and professionals today should be able to cross line between writing and design, becoming communication architects instead of information decorators. In my opinion, print and online play different roles and functions because these days, people are constantly using the internet, therefore, they would prefer to retrieve information online rather than through print-based materials. Print-based are used for educational purposes, especially in primary, secondary and tertiary levels but otherwise, people would prefer search engines like Google and Yahoo because any form of information is reachable in just a matter of seconds, causing absolutely no hassle. Weblogs should not be so focused because readers would find it hard to grasp the information available (Nielsen 2005).
e) Facebook and Twitter are current online media trends that are rising globally. Youtube serves as a site for readers to any form of videos that other people have uploaded. Facebook and Twitter are social networking sites. These social networking sites are used by billions from all around the world. These websites enable a grouping of individuals from all around the world that share the same interest and give first-hand information on personal experiences regarding topics of interest (Social Networking 2009). Freedom of speech is made easier through websites such as these because anyone has the ability to express their thoughts through the internet. Even though these websites may be beneficial to some, but it does bring harm too, especially to teenagers. Teenagers are getting hooked onto Facebook, becoming a form of drug as they spend hours on the Internet sharing jokes and gossips (Zimmerman 2009). In my opinion, these websites ensures communication from any part of the world but it becomes a form of addiction among youths today. Therefore, it limits their time spent socializing with friends, reducing face-to-face communication and when this happens, an individual would have difficulty fitting in with the crowd. These factors may bring harm to an individual, physically and mentally.
REFERENCES
Hulber, M. 2005, Blogs become trend Online journals are popular among teens who want to be heard, Herald News, The (Joliet, IL), viewed 17th November 2009, < http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1N1-10C6550C46745030.html>
Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, n.d, Blogging Phenomenon Sweeps Asia, Research from Windows Live Highlights, viewed 17th November 2009, < http://promotion.hk.msn.com/pr/20061127Blogging_Phenomenon_Sweeps_Asia_TradePR.pdf>
Heathfield, S. M. 2009, Why Blogging Matters to Business, About.com : Human Resources, viewed 17th November 2009, < http://humanresources.about.com/od/businessblogs/a/business_blogs.htm>
GlobalVoices, n.d, About, viewed 17th November 2009, < http://globalvoicesonline.org/about/>
Nielsen, J. 2005, Weblog Usability: The Top Ten Design Mistakes, October 17, viewed 17th November 2009, < http://www.useit.com/alertbox/weblogs.html>
Walsh, M. 2006, 'Textual Shift: Examining the reading process with print, visual and mulitimodal texts,' Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol 29, no.1, p.24-37.
Schriver, K. A 1997, Dynamics in Document Design: creating texts for readers, Wiley Computer Pub, New York.
Zimmerman, j. 2009, Hooked on Facebook, Open Forum, San Francisco Chronicle, March 20, viewed 18th November 2009, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/19/EDOU16JJU4.DTL
Social Networking, 2009, What is Social Networking?, viewed 18th November 2009, http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/
Educause, 2005, 7 things you should know about video blogging, Educause Learning Initiative,
viewed 18th November 2009, http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7005.pdf
Knudsen, J. 2003, Moblogging Ascendant, Sun Developer Network, viewed 18th November 2009, http://developers.sun.com/mobility/midp/articles/blogging/
WordPress.com, n.d, Types of Blogs, viewed 18th November 2009, http://en.wordpress.com/types-of-blogs/
b) Classification and categorization of blogs are done based on audiences’ interest, preferences and subject matters. There are many types of blogs. Some examples would be personal, business, politics, military, private, sports blogs and etc. Personal blogs play a role in providing messages regarding family, travel, religion, books, philosophy and health topics. Business blogs are used by professionals to share their expertise or to engage with their customers. Military blogs function as a channel of communication between families and members of the army whereas private blogs are those that share photos and information between friends and family (WordPress.com n.d). Moblogs clients take pictures with their mobile phones, immediately transferring them to their blogs. Current clients rely on tools like the e-mail and SMS to submit their typed entries. An example of a moblog would be BlogPlanet (Knudsen 2003). Video blogging offers a wider experience with the web because it is a combination of movies, sounds, still images and text, increasing the flow of information between author and viewer (Educause 2005). In my opinion, the style of a blog attracts readership because audiences would prefer blogs that look good besides having appropriate content. People search for blogs to find one that suits their preference because these different types of blogs play different role, providing a diversity in information giving.
c) Blogging communities are formed when a group of people share a specific goal or aim in order to reach out to the world. Communities that already exist are fashion, news, politics, historical, entertainment, social, business and many more. Each blog plays their own unique function and role in a community. Bloggers from all over the world who are keen on blogging on related topics form a community so as they can reach out to the world in just a few seconds. Given an example, business blogs are used as an informal method to ensure regular communication between customers (Heathfield 2009). A business blog may serve the purpose of educating the public on the goals and targets of a company as well as its achievements and innovations. As blogs can be updated at any time, customers and employees receive the same load of information at the same time. In a company, a blog may actually represent it in a positive light. Global voices is an online community of bloggers which provides the world with information and reports on blogs and citizen media from any part of the world, emphasizing on voices that are not usually heard in mainstream media (GlobalVoices n.d). These communities connect people from different nations and cultures, enabling them to speak their voices out on any form of topic, especially on latest news and updates.
d) There are many differences in writing and designing for print and online. According to Walsh (2006), reading with print-based texts requires different levels of decoding, responding and comprehending which initiates constant reaction between reader and text or in other words, it forms a dynamic interaction in a socio-cultural context. Walsh (2006) also mentioned that websites are designed to attract attention of readers besides assisting them to places containing information. Therefore, the understanding and interpretation of messages occur inside the head. Print and online media share a similarity. In order to gain readership, its design should be appropriate with the use of both text and images. According to Schriver (1997), changes in technology has influenced the development on document design and professionals today should be able to cross line between writing and design, becoming communication architects instead of information decorators. In my opinion, print and online play different roles and functions because these days, people are constantly using the internet, therefore, they would prefer to retrieve information online rather than through print-based materials. Print-based are used for educational purposes, especially in primary, secondary and tertiary levels but otherwise, people would prefer search engines like Google and Yahoo because any form of information is reachable in just a matter of seconds, causing absolutely no hassle. Weblogs should not be so focused because readers would find it hard to grasp the information available (Nielsen 2005).
e) Facebook and Twitter are current online media trends that are rising globally. Youtube serves as a site for readers to any form of videos that other people have uploaded. Facebook and Twitter are social networking sites. These social networking sites are used by billions from all around the world. These websites enable a grouping of individuals from all around the world that share the same interest and give first-hand information on personal experiences regarding topics of interest (Social Networking 2009). Freedom of speech is made easier through websites such as these because anyone has the ability to express their thoughts through the internet. Even though these websites may be beneficial to some, but it does bring harm too, especially to teenagers. Teenagers are getting hooked onto Facebook, becoming a form of drug as they spend hours on the Internet sharing jokes and gossips (Zimmerman 2009). In my opinion, these websites ensures communication from any part of the world but it becomes a form of addiction among youths today. Therefore, it limits their time spent socializing with friends, reducing face-to-face communication and when this happens, an individual would have difficulty fitting in with the crowd. These factors may bring harm to an individual, physically and mentally.
REFERENCES
Hulber, M. 2005, Blogs become trend Online journals are popular among teens who want to be heard, Herald News, The (Joliet, IL), viewed 17th November 2009, < http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1N1-10C6550C46745030.html>
Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, n.d, Blogging Phenomenon Sweeps Asia, Research from Windows Live Highlights, viewed 17th November 2009, < http://promotion.hk.msn.com/pr/20061127Blogging_Phenomenon_Sweeps_Asia_TradePR.pdf>
Heathfield, S. M. 2009, Why Blogging Matters to Business, About.com : Human Resources, viewed 17th November 2009, < http://humanresources.about.com/od/businessblogs/a/business_blogs.htm>
GlobalVoices, n.d, About, viewed 17th November 2009, < http://globalvoicesonline.org/about/>
Nielsen, J. 2005, Weblog Usability: The Top Ten Design Mistakes, October 17, viewed 17th November 2009, < http://www.useit.com/alertbox/weblogs.html>
Walsh, M. 2006, 'Textual Shift: Examining the reading process with print, visual and mulitimodal texts,' Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol 29, no.1, p.24-37.
Schriver, K. A 1997, Dynamics in Document Design: creating texts for readers, Wiley Computer Pub, New York.
Zimmerman, j. 2009, Hooked on Facebook, Open Forum, San Francisco Chronicle, March 20, viewed 18th November 2009, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/19/EDOU16JJU4.DTL
Social Networking, 2009, What is Social Networking?, viewed 18th November 2009, http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/
Educause, 2005, 7 things you should know about video blogging, Educause Learning Initiative,
viewed 18th November 2009, http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7005.pdf
Knudsen, J. 2003, Moblogging Ascendant, Sun Developer Network, viewed 18th November 2009, http://developers.sun.com/mobility/midp/articles/blogging/
WordPress.com, n.d, Types of Blogs, viewed 18th November 2009, http://en.wordpress.com/types-of-blogs/
Ms Jenny, I have accidentally posted all five issues under one post for Blogging Issues, instead of five separate posts. I'm not sure how to redo it, making it the third post once again. I'm afraid that if I adjust it, the arrangement of posts from first to last will be wrong. I hope you don't mind. Sorry for the inconvenience caused. Thank You.
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