A General Tutorial to Blogging
Friday, November 27th, 2009
Blogging, derived from the expression web-logging, has become a widely popular phenomena these days.
In the end of the first decade of the 21st century, is there really still a point in having to explain blogging? I highly doubt it. Most people know that blogging is. But to those who are unfamiliar with the expression: what is blogging? Blogging generally means having a personal diary online which one shares with everyone. There are individuals who write 10 blog posts a day, others write a blog post every month or so. In fact, millions of people are blogging each and every day, and some are actually making a respectable living out of it.
Some inquire what is the appeal of that? Exhibitionism? Yes, to some that is the case. To other people blogging gives the ability to share stories. To other it gives the ability to share work experiences and network: there are in fact professional blogs in essentially every niche one can imagine: internet marketing, cooking, cars, classic cars, insurance, health, GPS satellites, personal computers, back pain, stomach pain, headaches, chronic fatigue and so on.
I have a friend with such a professional blog where he shares certain lessons he has learned throughout his days (he is a manager). I have a friend that has a personal blog where he tells personal anecdotes about his life and family (he has three toddlers at home: therefore, much to say). I have a friend that has a funny blog, where he share all the funny stories he hears of. I even know someone with a photoblog where he posts a new - and gorgeous - photo every single day. I also knew a someone who had a specialized version of a photoblog he used to share photos of all the meals he eats. Indeed, the blogging arena is extremely diverse.
The point is that this new media offers alternatives that until recently had not existed. In other words, blogging in the 21st century new cousin of journalism. It enables everyone to open a personal computer, write a story, and basically become a journalist whose stories can in theory be read by millions. While this carries with it plenty responsibilities, it is also a great enabler of free speech and freedom of information.