Blog 5: Blog Blogger Bloggiest
Our first blog asked you to react to the Wiki (oh that mysterious, funny sounding word). Now, I want you to respond to the Blog (another funny sounding word, but it is short for web-log). Had you ever posted to a blog, or something similar to a blog, before. What was the context? What do you see as the positives and negatives to a blog in general?
Then specifically, what do you see as the positives and negatives to our class blog?
Then specifically, what do you see as the positives and negatives to our class blog?
posted by cmartin at 12:20 AM
29 Comments:
Blogs are definitely a new craze to express one's opinion on many topics of interest or to bear one's soul if needed. It seems that the blog has become the new American phenomena in individual expression. You can vocally belt out any pros, cons or other notes of interest in your precious blog. Blogs are not restricted by subject either, so it could be entertainment, politics, education or family. One can choose how much you are going to share with others, or how personal it is going to be. I actually have never used a blog, except for our class blog. I have found it interesting, because I think our class is discussing and sharing on all of the new technology and problems that we are facing due to this new era in advancement. However, I do feel that not all people may find these topics as interesting as I, and therefore might not feel the need to take the Blog as seriously.
Totally in agreement with Jon. I find our class blog to be a great way to share in a very informal way, but I do think that for some people it is not something they find enjoyable. I like to see words on paper, so words on the blog as Jon says are an easy way to converse in a sense. I have not done so yet, but I am happy to know that there is a blog for gator football news. I will have to check that out. This is what it is all about, sharing sites and interesting info.
I love the blog. Its a place where you can really just write whatever you want. Its funny because although on other websites I've participated in, there have been blogs, I've never written in one regularly. Our class blog obviously has focus and topics of discussion, but a blog could also be an online journal type of thing. Seeing the potential held in a blog has sparked my interest in using them on other websites where I can write anything that pops into my head. Its just like posting your thoughts for the world to read, which in a way is scary, but I think it's fun and exciting at the same time.
--in response to Jon R--
I definetly hear you on the becoming distinterested in the blog. It seems that maybe, if the topic was something really open, such as, what did you do last weekend, I would be much more interested to read what people had to say. When it comes to opinions on something, there arent that many different sides to take and reading our blog entries can become redundant.
Before this class I had never posted a blog before. Yet, this wasn't all new to me because I am familiar with sites that provide for blogs to be posted, but I've personally never posted one. Blogs provide for such an easy exchange of ideas, without having to having much expertise in anything. The vocabulary used in a blog is very much conversational and informal, allowing for an easy-going discussion. It is not a synchronized form of communication, but it still succeeds in getting ideas across. Being asynchronized makes it more convenient overall for the whole class. Some negatives are that some ideas may go unnoticed by others, like Jon R. said. Besides that I can't see many more negative aspects to blogs.
--in response to kate--
You're right, the concept of just putting your ideas out there for the rest of the world to see is interesting. An example of this is LiveJournal. I've never really had one, but all my close friends do; and it's interesting to see the responses you can get to some of your thoughts. The blog is similar, except the discussion has a specific topic(just like you said).
I had never used a blog before this class, but from information on the internet and on t.v i had heard a lot about it. One medium I have tried was a site called livejournal.com, it was basically a site where you could write whatever you wanted and people would respnd to you. It was neat, a lot of my friends had one, and I kept up with mine every so often for a while. I don't think I've edited it in about a year though. I mostly wrote about what was going on in my crazy head and also some really funny stories. I had always wanted to write a book so I started recording some stories on there just to get some feedback. If anyone's interested in reading some pretty wild stuff let me know. I think blogging is a good way to share something in a real quick way. It also allows people to respond, if that's your goal. The downsides I can think of, are you may not want certain people tapping into your life through blogs. I know when I had my live journal going a lot of people read it that I was friends with, well then soon different people were commenting leaving nasty little notes I didn't really care to read. A lot of these people remained anonymous, so you never know who's out there keeping an eye on you.
in response to jon r
Yeah I too don't really have the patience to read all of these things every week. Maybe because we are all commenting on the same thing??? If the blog topic was something like, "What's the craziest thing that ever happened to you". Then we might get down to some actual reading, and probably some excellent writing. However I do try to skim everything to get a picture of their comment. I too, am going to check out this gatorcountry.com btw.
Despite never posting to a blog before, I had heard about and read a blog previous to taking this class. Starting in about tenth grade I started to see blogs, mainly live-journals. Many of my friends, mostly the overly dramatic girls would post their overly dramatic thoughts to their live-journal. Seriously though, these blogs were better than the plots for soap operas! Despite being a medium for melodramatic teenagers, blogs are also used by scholars, travelers and even politicians. Some people use them for diaries, others to initiate discussion. Regardless of content, it is an easy way for one to display his or her thoughts and ideas in an easy to read chronological format. Our class blog is a good way for students to practice creative informal writing. However, some students probably take advantage of it’s informal format and do not spend as much time or effort into their writings.
in response to Josh W in response to Jon R.
I agree! Next week we need to have a really insane writing prompt! I would love to read other people's stories or the crazy things floating in people's heads. I guess that is the appeal of the blog. Its a way to get to know people through their thoughts and feelings. Like getting to know them from the inside out rather than the other way around. I can't wait until next week when we write about something crazy!
The only time I have ever posted something for a blog is for this class. I think they have a lot of potential, for it’s an easy way to post thoughts, vent, connect to someone or pretty much anything else. The negative is that this could be taking away from personal interaction in favor of more text-based relationships. Used correctly, blogs have the potential to reach a lot of people and could become the foundation of something new. I’m not a fan of Howard Dean by any stretch of the imagination, but I have to give him credit for creatively, almost brilliantly, using the blog. During the beginning of the 2004 election, President Bush and Vice President Cheney were hosting $1,000 dollar a plate luncheons. For about $3 dollar, however, anyone could go online to his blog at a specific time and eat a sandwich with Howard Dean. This is just a classic example of technology changing the way we think about things. In regards to our class, I think the blog is pretty effective as far as voicing opinions, because you get to hear from the quieter people as well. The negative aspect is that not everyone will read everyone’s post, because most turn out very similar.
In response to Bianca:
I agree that the conversational aspect of a blog is one of its greatest attributes. Even for people who are not writers, the informal nature of a blog can help to ease them into that form of expression and make them feel more comfortable about their writing, which is definitely a positive.
Blogs and I have known each other for quite some time now. I had a "blog" over five years ago, when livejournals weren't popular, but
"The Open Diary" was the way to go. Needless to say, high school drama ensued and my journal was deleted. I remember at the time though that I thought it was the most amazing thing. I could post my secrets to a website, and let others I didn't know comment on my (what I thought was interesting) life. Of course, some people that I did know, read it too. I luckily did not post anything too bad, but others did. I became obsessed with finding the blogs of people I knew, which really isn't that hard at all. Reading the secrets of others is not always a good thing. A few friendships were badly broken that year. Since then,I have had a foul taste in my mouth over blogs. Too many use it to start drama, and the internet gives everyone the freedom to read something, and technically not be nosy. You can always use the excuse of "well, if you didn't want someone to read it, you shouldn't post it." Bottom line- if it's out there and about people you know, you'll read it.
Phew! Sorry, stepping off of my soap box now. All gripes aside, I think that NON-personal blogs can be very benficial. I know that I said in class how I preferred in-class discussions over the blogs, but I do enjoy posting, honest! I just don't read the posting of others most of the time, so I feel like in class, we all get to really hear other point of views. I think this blog is great, for the same reasons that Cathlena listed in class. Formalizing thoughts, and giving everyone a comfortable way to voice them is a great idea.
In response to Jon R.---
I am one of the guilty! I admit, I don't read all of the blogs. Sometimes it is because I have posted before many, other times I kind of just skim and look for something I can respond to. I think that as time goes by I will become more used to updating and reading. It's also fun to put names to the blogs, so as we all really get to know eachother by names I think I will be more interested in what each person has to say. I think that reason relates back to my need for visual,face-to-face discussions!
I remember first being exposed about weblogs my first year of high school when journalism schoolmates used the format in order to get better exposure to writing. We used it in a educational format, and it was a good help. Other than that, as jon reported, the majority of people used the blog more a casual sounding board, as evident with the "livejournal", "blurty", "diaryland" and "friendster" craze during the past couple of years. Personally, i don't see the big deal with having a personal weblog, but everyone seems to be on the bandwagon, even big corporations are jumping on so there must be something about it that is working.
Basic Positives about weblogs: Great Sounding Board that have a long shelf life, i.e.: posting cooking tips, and searching them later on if you forget.
Basic Negatives: Personal Weblogs (as Natalie previously pointed out) can quickly turn into a mud-slinging contest.
Although I hate to admit it, I did have an online journal, Livejournal to be exact. Back in my high school days I was all over that thing. I think that it's something about writing about yourself and having people respond to it, like knowing that they care. It is pretty much the same thing as a regular journal, but this one is for everyone to see. It definitely starts a lot of drama, however. There was even an incident in my high school where the teacher was shown that a student was talking about the teacher doing inappropriate things, and a whole ordeal came out of it.
In terms of our class blog, I think the positive is that the typically shy people who don't participate as much in the class discussions have a forum where they can talk and not have the anxiety of speaking infront of the whole class. The only negative aspect, for myself, is that I know I have a week to do it, and I always put it off till sunday night. But that is just me being a procrastinator.
In response to Josh-
Yes, another negative is that most times i do not thouroughly read through everyone's responses in the class. I typically skim them till I find something interesting I can respond to.
--In response to Everyone--
Since everyone has used Jon's comment, i couldn't help myself to add my two cents on the topic. It is true that in our class, most people don't take the time to read everyones blogs, but i also think that discussing the topics we blog about IN CLASS at some point or another, make bloggers expect certain positions of other bloggers (based on how we side in class discussions), therefore leading us to skim to find a interesting comment that ends up leading the week's topic. Jon's comment this week is evident of my assumption. Or maybe it could be that most of us are multi-tasking with our iPods, TV's, Games, etc., leaving us with no time to blog for class.
Despite the recent popularity of web blogs, I have been posting on them (or similar websites) for a long time. I originally began posting on forums, whether about sports or videogames, for a while. Forums are similar, where the poster can pose a question or a topic and open up an online forum to discuss. I don't really see much of a difference in 'blogs,' accept possibly the trend of most common subjects. For example, common blogs include personal blogs such as livejournal or xanga, both of which I have used before. Though, honestly, keeping an online diary isn't really for me. Still, I could see a forum becoming the same thing, so I don't really understand the distinction or recent popularity of 'blogs' seeing as it's been around for so long in a different form.
In relation to the class, the 'blog' opens up open discussion and forces everyone to talk, thus giving people a chance that don't usually talk in class. Although the blog is more informal writing, this helps create a more open and inviting environment.
---in response to Vanessa---
That's funny. Yeah, back in highschool everyone was crazy about those things. Livejournal.com, deadjournal.com, xanga.com....the list goes on and on. I created an account, but those never really stayed current too much and then I just grew out of the fad. I did personally enjoy one blog though, where the person typed strange things to create a type of realistic horror story where people actually believed these things were happening in real life. It connected to other people's blogs, enhancing the experience.
before this class i had not had much experience with blogs. i have seen (and had) livejournals before, but not for academic use. i belive there are many positives to blog use for this class as well as others. it allows those who do not speak much in class to post their opinions on a topic and to actively participate in class through a different medium. it also allows all of us to have a hard copy of our discussion so that later, we can go back and examine it in full. a live conversation or discussion doesn't allow the same degree of thought to be put into effect; many times things are said on a whim.
the first time i actually posted to any blog was after enrolling in this class. i was familiar with the concept and had briefly looked at a few online, but was never too interested in reading them. now that i've been "introduced" to them, they're popping up everywhere!!
one that i found interesting was that of a journalist for the advocate newspaper from my hometown, baton rouge, louisiana -- his blog covers live events in the area and was updated constantly throughout the hurricane. many readers seem to like it, because there are lots of responses to his posts. (you can access it at 2theadvocate.blogspot.com)
blogs are useful in that they allow readers to take on many different perspectives, all in a "live" environment. it's almost like a constantly updated "opinions" section of a newspaper. as for the downfalls, some of the blogs that i have started to visit frequently (knighttrader and visualtrader, two blogs for stock traders) always get bogus posts by spammers trying to push their website or product -- it's annoying!
for this class, i think the blog idea is wonderful - like many have mentioned, it allows those who do not normally voice themselves in class an opportunity to do so. i enjoy reading others' posts. the redundancy of some of the posts is a downfall, however.
-- in response to jensy --
i agree, many times the same thing is said over and over. i still find myself reading through the posts...sometimes there's variation.
this just may be the case with our class blog -- looking at others, there is less redundancy in the comments posted on them. our posts are bounded by each topic, and topics can only be posted by the mediator of the blog - which limits the breadth of them. if everyone was allowed to freely post topics, we'd see a big change (but i guess that would be more of a message board, not a blog).
oh, and i am "anonymous" above.
-- in response to vanessa --
i had a livejournal too, and used it much like you did. personally, i preferred livejournal to a physical journal because of the ease of posting to it. instead of writing by hand, i could type my entries. it's nice to have a friend respond every now and then. but there are downfalls, like you mentioned -- anyone has access to your personal life (to the extent that you expose it) like anything, there are advantages and disadvantages to keeping a livejournal.
I actually have a blog. I have friends that go to school in places around the country and we all have blogs to keep ourselves up to date on what's going on in our lives without necessarily having to waste minutes on our cell phones. We write about the things going on in our lives. Some of them even post pictures, which is something I did on my blog when I was studying abroad. I love the comments feature on blogspot because I get to see what all my other friends think of the subject being discussed. Blogs are the greatest idea ever!
However, I have different feelings about the class blog. I feel like since its so many people taking part in the discussion, I don't read what everyone writes except for maybe the person who commented above me. It is, however, an excellent alternative to having to write papers. :)
--Re: Jensy
I hadn't thought about that. The blog really is a good option for those that don't speak in class. With the blog, they get their word in edgewise. It's good to have a class that allows people to express themselves in more than one way.
Of course, I had heard of a blog before this class. But the truth is, I had never actually used one before this class. It is a good way to participate in class discussion, especially without being interrupted. So far, we have only discussed topics like homework assignments and other things pertaining to class. I think that the blogs would be much more interesting and fun if we discussed the kind of topics that we do in class. As some other people have said, a lot of us say the same things over again. I think that’s also what makes some of us stop reading after just a few. I think maybe if we had a topic more similar to the kind we have in class, there would be a more interactive discussion and we could really utilize the blog to its full potential.
Good job. I am thinking about implementing some of your suggestions into class.
--in response to josh w--
I've never heard of livejournal.com. It sounds interesting though. Sometimes I feel like I just need to get stuff out without having to bore my friends with the same old mindless stories. It is kind of strange to think of random people reading your journal tho. But, I'm not random, and I'd be interested in reading some of your stories.
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