To blog or not to blog..

Considering this assignment revolves around the concept of ‘blogging,’ I thought I should actually take the time to define the term ‘blog....’

‘Blogs’ are online diaries, in relation to personal, political, academic, link-based, technological or miscellaneous matters, posted and accessed through the World Wide Web (Burgess, 2006, March 29). Authored by independent individuals, blogs provide a platform for bloggers to create user customization, interactivity and intercreativity (Bruns and Jacobs, 2006, p.65.) They also allow debate, deliberation and expressions within environments providing opportunities for authors to reach out and connect with audiences through a controlled, directed channel (Bruns and Jacobs, 2006, p. 64).

Wikipedia (2008) defines a blog (an abridgment of the term web log) as a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. The most popular blogs tend to be newsworthy, and contain some form of media, whether it is video’s or images. These video’s usually come from the website youtube, where produsers have uploaded content to share on this networking system.

However, blogs originally started off as personal diaries, whereas now they are used by political communicators and candidates to express views on war and controversial issues. Secondly, Marketing, PR and Advertising companies have started to use blogs are a form of wide exposure, realising how the new era of citizen journalism has created a new market. In January 2005, Fortune magazine listed eight bloggers that business people "could not ignore": Peter Rojas, Xeni Jardin, Ben Trott, Mena Trott, Jonathan Schwartz, Jason Goldman, Robert Scoble, and Jason Calacanis (Wikipedia, 2008.)

The collective community of all blogs, personal and corporate, is known as the blogosphere. This means that through the internet, all blogs are interconnected and socially networked. Even more specific is a ‘bloghood’, which is a collection of local blogs in a geographic region.

As mentioned before, blogs provide a platform for interactivity and intercreativity. Blogs can be judged through ratings systems, either by leaving comments on specific posts or by rating the post through such buttons as ‘like’ or ‘hide.’ The posts and blogs that are liked, have a so called ‘hype’ surrounding them in the Blogosphere, and are therefore given a higher popularity level, which in turn, advertisers the blog more. Successful blogs create high readership and generate ‘produser’ (Bruns and Jacobs, 2006, p.64) interaction.
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However, in order to become a successful blog, it requires the author to consistently update content that relates to readers interests, use sources that support their argument, draw in readers who leave comments and valid opinions and provide relevant links to other websites and blogs…all which are mentioned in the definition of a blog. The most successful or best-known blogs are referred to as ‘A-Lists’ (Bruns and Jacobs, 2006, p.60).

So there we have it…what a blog is, what their uses are, who uses them and why. Axel Bruns and Joanne Jacobs (2006) argue that blogs seemingly are everywhere, however, until 10 weeks ago, I really had no idea what one was, nor will I continue to use mine after this unit is done. However, I don’t participate in Citizen Journalism nor does it interest me. I like reading my newspaper each morning whilst drinking my morning coffee and will continue to do so. It is convenient, there at my doorstep waiting and does not require me to turn on a computer and stare at a screen. Blogging has its uses and will continue to exist as this hype in the ‘blogosphere’ continues; however, until virtual communities, Web 2.0 and fast paced broad band fully takes over the world, blogging will never dominate traditional media…
Well that’s my view anyways…what’s your’s??

Reference

Bruns, A., and J. Jacobs. 2006. Uses of Blogs. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

Burgess, J. 2006, March 29. Blogs. [Public Lecture: Brisbane QUT]

The difference between Web1.0 and Web2.0

There is much controversy between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 as to which is better developed, more useful and so on and so forth...



However, once you look at the finer details, I believe that in actaul fact Web 2.0 is more beneficial to the user. Its programs seem more developed, are more orientated towards the consumers and overall are more interactive.



Such programs as delicious, wikipedia, google and multiple social networking tools are relying on the input of consumers to help build up their programs / networks

Below is a list of clear differences between the systems found on http://ajaxian.com/archives/how-to-tell-the-difference-between-web-10-and-web-20

Web 1.0 was about reading, Web 2.0 is about writing

Web 1.0 was about companies, Web 2.0 is about communities

Web 1.0 was about client-server, Web 2.0 is about peer to peer

Web 1.0 was about HTML, Web 2.0 is about XML

Web 1.0 was about home pages, Web 2.0 is about blogs

Web 1.0 was about portals, Web 2.0 is about RSS
Web 1.0 was about taxonomy, Web 2.0 is about tags
Web 1.0 was about wires, Web 2.0 is about wireless
Web 1.0 was about owning, Web 2.0 is about sharing
Web 1.0 was about IPOs, Web 2.0 is about trade sales
Web 1.0 was about Netscape, Web 2.0 is about Google
Web 1.0 was about web forms, Web 2.0 is about web applications
Web 1.0 was about screen scraping, Web 2.0 is about APIs
Web 1.0 was about dialup, Web 2.0 is about broadband
Web 1.0 was about hardware costs, Web 2.0 is about bandwidth costs

Virtual Cultures....define it, encase it - just explain it?

Virtual Communities...

Howard Rheingold was the first to notice and define virtual communities as ‘social aggregations’; individuals participating in communication during a length of time in which relationships formed with others within the cyberspace context (Flew, 2004, p.2) Whereas Turkle (quoted by Flew, 2004, p.3) considers virtual communities as a providence of a “constructive and potentially liberatory space through which ‘the obese can become slender, the beautiful plain, the nerdy sophisticated”.

Virtual communities have evolved into communicative networks within new applications of the internet; predominantly through social interaction (Spurgeon, 2006, May 31). Which ever way you choose to define virtual communities, it boils down to three words - Social Interaction Online. So by these three words I participate in a virtual community via Facebook. Whilst I have not risen to the next level of interaction, produsage, I do enjoy viewing others uploads. The communities provide a plato, for social and intellectual interaction, that is geographically, socially and culturally boundaryless.

Nelson Mandela once said that our greatest fear is not that we are inadaquate. Our greatest fear is that we are more powerful than measure. If we take the concept of virtual cultures and apply it to this theory, then what can we expect next? Where socialising once only occured face to face, over dinner, attending balls, sports teams and school, virtual communities now enable one to sit at home, invent the identity they want to be and socialise with anyone, at anytime, anywhere on the globe. And more to the point, if technology is still evolving, and scientists and IT professionals, more commonly known as nerds, are inventing cutting edge systems...how long until technology invades our bodies and thoughts are downloaded to a computer through a mere cable? Where does the line get drawn and how far is too far? My fear is that virtual communities will not only exist in the depths of computers, but life as we know it, will transform into a virtual system.

Flew acknowledges Pierre Levy (1997) in his argument that virtual communities are situated on a continuum between organic relationships established through ‘face to face’ interaction and between organised groups where identities are far more ‘imagined’ and mediated through communication technologies. However for the moment, there seems a even balance between the 'real world' and 'virtual world'. When idenities begin to blur, and privacy is breeched, then the concept of virtual communities will need to be re-assessed and just like everything else, regulated. But, right now, as Turke states the "internet is another element of computer culture that has contributed to thinking about identity as multiplicity. On it, people are able to build a self by cycling through many selves, (Creed, 2003, p.193).”

References

Creed, B. 2003. The Global Self and the New Reality. In Media Matrix: Sexing the new reality. Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin

Flew, T. 2004. Virtual Cultures. In New Media: An Introduction, ed 2. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Jenkins, H. Quentin Tarantino’s Star Wars? In Digital Cinema, Media Convergence and Participatory Culture.

How online communities organise themselves...

As technology has advanced, so has the use of technology. Virtual Cultures have emerged, where communities have formed forums, where very political, sociological and economical debates are facilitated. Within the world of computer-mediated communication (CMC), people are more at ease to speak their minds, disagree with others and work constructively on a specific topic to produce a desired result.

Flew recognises that online communites provides a platform for people to share common interests to them...however uncommon to the people in their physical environment...you can have a secret / double identity...

However, in saying that....flew also states that technology would be nothing but a mechanical process if it were not for the use of it..therefore these communities, the users....give life to technology, by using the developing programs and web 2.0...
So how do the communities organise themselves...

Through a common interest....it can one singular interest and they can start a relationship with a complete stranger through a community .... which is naturally impossible in the 'real world.'

Such interests can be fandom, avatars, economics, politics, dating sites, research sites, hobbies, fantasies, weird but wonderful obsessions....somewhere on the WWW, a community exits that anyone can be a part of...and if not, its simple to start your own....

Online Communities exist in a free environment, with no constraints, boundaries or administrators preventing them from doing what they wish...and most important...its free from the normal rules and regulations of traditional society that we expereince in physical human contact / relationships.

Dittems first blog

Hey world,
Well im in KCB201 tut atm and were looking at Matt Ryans blog, or at least trying to!!!!
The day has been fairly interesting so far consisting of lectures and tuts and well there gonna continue till 8pm tonight...yay for me!!!

Cassie is sitting beside me and doesnt look as though she knows what she is doing, and well Kat, is behind me and typing away in a freenzy!!!!


Stay posted, ill let you know how the day eventuates, and if i learn something....
And ill be back anyway, i have to keep blogging for assignment TWO!!!!
Ok cheers, have a good one...