What is a weblog?
The term "weblog" was first used by Jorn Barger on his Robot Wisdom website in 1997 (Auburn 1999, and Blood 2000) and is now used to describe personal websites that offer "frequently updated observations, news, headlines, commentary, recommended links and/or diary entries, generally organized chronologically." (Werbach 2001) While there are many websites that are frequently updated, "what makes a Weblog a Weblog is that it's organized chronologically and designed for short, frequent updates. In other words, Weblogs represent the online intersection of people and time." (Werbach 2001)
Interesting facts on weblogs
Let us observe the blogging arena through the lens of the world as a whole. The average monthly unique visitors to blogs are approximately 26,000 a month and nearly half of those actively online in have a blog with over 73% of them being between 18-34 years old (Technorati, 2008). It is also said that 41% of bloggers spend three hours a week blogging (Windows Live Spaces, 2006), which is a considerable amount of time. Technorati states, the blogosphere has been doubling in size every 5 months for the past 20 months - a 16-fold increase in less than 2 years, and has no signs of slowing down. Blogging is already dwarfing the print media in terms of content generation. Technorati is now monitoring up to 500,000 posts each day. That means several hundred thousand people each day are spending anything from a few minutes to a few hours writing content for public consumption.
Are blogs creating a cyber storm?Why the existence of weblogs?
Even though blogs are created to suit different purposes, blogs are primarily used as a means to maintain and build social connections and for expression. Most bloggers enjoy sharing their lives with family and friends as bloggers indicated they chose to start a blog to share a photo album or diary with loved ones (Windows Live Spaces, 2006).With Korea and India being exceptions, blogging as a corporate and business tool still appears to be relatively new in Asia.
If we accept that blogs are a form of journalism, then what is the impact of this new form of journalism? (Lasica 2001) believes that the grassroots blogging phenomenon is the Internet's answer to the ineptitude of the corporate mainstream media and says that the movement "may sow the seeds for new forms of journalism, public discourse, interactivity and online community." He goes on to say that blogging "represents Ground Zero of the personal Webcasting revolution. Weblogging will drive a powerful new form of amateur journalism as millions of net users - young people especially - take on the role of columnist, reporter, analyst and publisher while fashioning their own personal broadcasting networks."
However, the possibilities presented by this phenomenon should not suggest that blogging will supplant traditional mainstream media sources. While there are notable exceptions, bloggers do not have the resources to compete directly with the mainstream media in presenting the "late-breaking news." (Walker 2001) Yet, (Walker 2001) notes that the phenomenon's strength comes from being able to report on the "strange and wonderful, or merely strange and stage, things you are likely otherwise to have missed" in the mainstream media.
Blogging brings about many advantages to all sectors of the community. Marketing executives can perform brand building, direct communication and media and public relations through blogs (Suarez, 2006). Communities also benefit through political blogs as it provides research and discussion on political and social issues (Corporate Blogging, 2007). Personal benefits include self-expression, connection, peace of mind and contribution (Perera, 2008).
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References
Australian political blogging and the benefits 2007, Corporate Blogging, viewed 5 November 2008,
http://www.wiliam.com.au/wiliam-blog/australian-political-blogging-and-the-benefits
Blogging phenomenon sweeps Asia 2006, Windows Live Spaces, viewed 5 November 2008,
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-28-2006/0004480819&EDATE
Lasica, J.D. 2001, Blogging as a Form of Journalism. Online Journalism Review, viewed 11 December 2001, http://ojr.usc.edu/content/story.cfm?request=585
Perera, G 2008, The personal benefits of blogging, Article Alley, viewed 5 November 2008,
http://www.articlealley.com/article_669123_15.html
State of the blogosphere 2008, Technorati, viewed 5 November 2008,
http://www.technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere
Suarez, L 2006, 10 great strategic benefits of blogging, Knowledge Management Community, viewed 5 November 2008, http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/elsua/10-great-strategic-benefits-of-blogging-9233
Walker, R 2001, The News According to Blogs. Slate, viewed December 2001, from http://slate.msn.com/?id=102057
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