Weblogs and Their Influence
Weblogs have developed from a personal hobby and an Internet specialist niche to an important contemporary mainstream communications phenomenon. Weblogs or blogs have entered into almost every sphere of communications and knowledge sourcing. While blogging is relatively easy to explain in terms of the mechanics of its functioning, it is much more difficult to understand in terms of the implications and potential for development; particularly with regard to the fields of politics, journalism, academic research and education.
One of the essential functions of Weblogs is to filter the masses of online information, which is growing at an exponential rate. This is a crucial aspect as, through technology such as RSS syndication, the user can selectively access and edit large amounts of information from thousands of formal and informal sources. RSS and news reading software is one of the latest developments in the Weblog field and are aspects that will be discussed in this paper.
However this is not the only advantage to Weblogs and blogging. Both online commerce and journalism are being affected and changed by the proliferation of Weblogs and the recent sophistication of Weblogging software.
Weblogs also provide a unique way of communicating and networking over the Internet, which is proving to be highly successful. Weblogs are also starting to make their influence felt in the world of online commerce and corporate business as well as in journalism. Blogs allow for the all-important element of self-expression and self-publishing in an organized, linked and syndicated environment.
( Smith G.B. 2004)
Those critics who predicted that blogs would be a sporadic fad that would be absorbed by Internet chat groups and peer-to-peer networks, have been proven wrong. One of the indications of the increasing importance and the potential that Weblogs have today is the recent purchase by Google of Pyra Labs' Weblog tool Blogger. Furthermore, "An indication of the competitive activity surrounding Weblog technology can also be seen in the launch of by Six Apart, which sells the popular Weblog tool Movable Type, in answer to Google's initiatives." ( ibid) There are other signs that Weblogs are becoming more mainstream; for example, the new Blogs at Harvard Initiative. Criticism that blogs are too numerous and without much relevant 'rich' data and content, is being countered by recent improvements in Weblog software and filtering systems. Another indication is the recent signs of the incorporation of Weblogs as acceptable media in journalism and the academic research environment. Technology such as RSS also aids this process.
The number of Weblogs online has escalated dramatically in the last year. This escalation can also been measured in the higher readership numbers.
Pyra Labs, which publishes the Web-based editing tool, Blogger, has registered 3,000 new users since its launch late last year. According to the company, subscriptions are growing at a rate of 30% a month. (Smith, G. 2004)
There are a number of factors that have created the environment for this upsurge on blogging activity. Among the most important is spam mail. Another is the increase in Web speed, broadband and downloads times on the Internet in general. Another crucial factor in understanding the impact of Weblogs is the user-friendly and largely free software that has recently been offered for both Weblog creation and maintenance.
1.1 Definition
A definition of Weblogs and blogging is essential if the precise impact and influence of this technology is to be understood. The following is a brief overall explanation.
In short, Weblogs are regularly updated sites that contain lists of links, commentary and other elements such as online articles, images and media. While this description may seem similar to any interactive website, the difference is that Weblogs are designed for quick and easy access via links to in-depth information and commentary on certain topics. They also allow for a sense of personality and individual style that comes through in the reading of the various entries on an effective Weblog. It's a tour of...
The extreme power of this new cultural tool is the very nature -- it depends on nothing but an electronic connection. it, like many things in the modern world, is instantaneous, satisfying the 21st century need to have both dependence and independence based on our own decision or whim. Therein lies the confusion for many -- just how real is an electronic friendship that can exist without really "knowing"
Aristoxenos, two centuries after Pythagoras released his model, sought to discredit the standing theories held by Pythagorean devotees. In his works, he established that numbers are not relevant to music, and that music is based on perception of what one hears, not any mathematical equation. Descartes as well as Vincenzo Galilei (Galileo's father) both also discredited the music-to-math theories that formed the revolutionary basis for Pythagoras' music work, but not
66). Furthermore, social software will only increase in importance in helping organizations maintain and manage their domains of knowledge and information. When networks are enabled and flourish, their value to all users and to the organization increases as well. That increase in value is typically nonlinear, where some additions yield more than proportionate values to the organization (McCluskey and Korobow, 2009). Some of the key characteristics of social software applications
policy makers underestimate internet independence? YouTube independence of positing video content The internet moderated terrorism Regulating the internet for anti-terrorism Freedom and Terrorism on the Internet The purpose of the study is to explore the use of internet by terrorist organizations and the degree of independence that terrorist enjoy while conducting and coordinating their terrorism activities from the cyberspace. The topic is an area of interest for the researcher as it is significantly relevant
As a result of this lucrative market, the ease of use of Web building tools have increased over the years. They have become more effective and allow for the building of Web sites which can incorporate the latest technologies such as Flash without the user having to know more than the essential basics. Therefore the future of the Web and the Internet as a whole depends on the interactive input
(Glende) One of the most recent technological developments which has precipitated a greater democratization of the Internet is the proliferation of networking sites that have become prominent recently. These sites attract millions of users and viewers or users and viewers and have become a source for the proliferation of popular culture. There is also a view from scholars that the link between popular cultures and the Internet is synergistic. In other
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now