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Blog is short for web log, a largely automated way to post information and optionally invite interaction from the ever so global World Wide Web. It is simply the fastest way to post Web information including text, links, pictures and audio/video. All kinds of problems are headed off and advances made by timely presentation and discussion of ideas and events. Blogging is one of the latest communication innovations that speeds up the sharing of information and the formation of community. The nature of blogging must also be seen as a concept that has built on deep and largely hidden philosophical roots (Deflem, 1996; Dewey, 1916; Habermas, 1984), roots that seem unconsciously contributing to the ongoing nova of blog invention (Wikipedia.org).
The best blogs have developed writing and communication styles that are honest, conversational, colloquial, and interactive which builds loyalty and mutual trust. This page will explore the blog concept, provide examples, build a blog, discuss search tools and new developments, and consider their values and limitations. Blogging is not only the simplest and quickest way to manage communication with a larger and widely distributed group, it is truly simple and quick. This is equally true for blog communication using text, images, audio or video.
Sharing and reacting to information is one of the most basic communication skills. Using blogs to facilitate this invokes all four major problem solving functions of computers and the Web. All kinds of news needs rapid distribution. Doing this personally with those standing around us is simple and quick. But most of us must deal with a much larger group of individuals who cannot reach us when we are available and we often cannot reach them when they are. For example, teachers are busy in their classrooms and parents are busy at work. Communicating with these larger widely distributed groups is seldom simple and never quick. Most blog systems not only make posting simple, but provide links for comments or replies, which can be made visible or invisible to other readers.
These blogging features have numerous advantages for educators working with a classroom full of children and their families for months at a time. The concept also has the same general application to any group and one individual might manage a blog for each of their major social groups. That is, an entrepreneur might have separate blogs for communicating with business partners and customers and while a company team might use a blog to track ongoing project activity.
If you had never seen a book, hearing a description of a book would be useful and yet lead to a very limited understanding of books. Nothing beats getting your hands on a wide variety of books to better know their value. Knowing that a blog is a kind of online journal with date and time stamped postings of information to a web site suffers from the same problem. So, explore one, http://planetesme.blogspot.com/ and note the pattern or structure of dated postings of information. use the link below to jump into one of these blogs and give them a skim. Millions of blogs are currently available on the Internet for searching and browsing. Some are actually worth reading and providing reader input.
What if you would like to hunt for and read the blog comments of other? Possible? In fact, there are specialized search engines that update their indexes of blog comments hourly or more often. By using one of the blog search engines and some search term, you will be led to the latest and later comments of millions of blog postings on almost any topic under the sun. Reminder: "almost any topic under the sun" means that just like any Web search, more adult topics can appear depending on the search terms used. Children and adolescents need supervision.
Blog search engines include: Zuula ; Google Blog Search ; Bloglines ; Technorati ; Blogdigger; Icerocket; Sphere ; and Readle.
Microblogging (140 character limit) search engines include: Twitscoop ; Microplaza ; TwazzUp ; TwitterTroll ; Tweet Scan ; TweetDeck ; Twitter Search
Private service blogging and related social services for schools: Edmodo.com; http://kidblog.org/home.php ; http://classblogmeister.com/ Blogs and other interactive social media are valuable in building and strengthening the bonds between students, schools, families, and communities.
To blog requires blogging style software running on your local networked computer of your own or a hosted service. Long lists of web hosting services or blogware applications themselves are readily available. Some users have taken the time to provide annotated reviews of blog services and make comparison tables of blogware options but choices and features change frequently, so doing your own research is essential to having current information. Free services include free hosting services and free blog server software, in contrast to paying a fee for more features or buying blog server software.
The quick approach is to use one of the free big three blog hosting services which includes Blogger, MSNspaces and Yahoo 360. I've tried all three and find it easiest to start people using blogger.com. Blogger's procedure for creating a blog is clear, simple and fast. Unless you browse the Tour and explanation links extensively, the setup and first posting takes just a few minutes. The opening web page of the blogger.com site reviews the first steps:
Use this link to get started and get your first comment posted. www.blogger.com.
After these 3 steps, all that is left is to put a comment in a first posting. This first comment can be on anything, something simple like "Hi Mom" is fine. In minutes, you'll be a published Web author. You are welcome to creat other postings as you explore and experiment with how this works. They can be added or deleted or edited at any time.
When finished with your readings over the first chapter, write a second posting that reflects on your experiences with chapter one.
In later chapters, numerous other options for blogging will be considered, such as Twitter's microblogging that can be done from cellphones and smartphones.
Blogging is a much bigger topic than this brief introduction to such activity. A lengthy and optional is available: The Blogging Landscape: Radically Simplifying Web Publishing & Communication.
[Chapter Parent Frame | Created 8/27/09 - | Page-author Houghton ]
