My first jump into the blogsphere ocean

As an Arts and Technology major, you would think that I should be an active participant in the latest and greatest forms of technology. Unfortunately however, that is not the case when it comes to my adventures in the “blogsphere.” I have heard of blogs. I have seen them. I have even browsed over a few blog pages. That being the case, I still have never even attempted to create my own blog.

I have always viewed blogs as the online diary for the computer savvy individual, and didn’t understand why they would want to document their life for the world to see. Consequently, my lack of understanding and inexperience with the blogsphere has left me somewhat indifferent to blogging in general. After reading the introduction to “The Uses of Blogs,” I am beginning to see the light. I even surfed the web for a little bit and cruised over to the world of some other bloggers, just to see what this whole phenomenon was really about.

The blogsphere has made a significant contribution to the evolution of text. Unlike the past, writers do not have to seek out a publisher in order to receive a widespread audience. Books are still published, but, that is not the sole way that writers can gain a public interest in their work. This being said, authorship is now open to anyone. The web log internet phenomena has opened up a writing outlet for virtually anyone. The only requirement for the modern writer is to have access to the internet. Everyday people are able to achieve thousands of readers from their very own living rooms. By creating their own web identity, normal people are able to achieve star status through the blogsphere “A-list.” The changes fashioned out of the blog culture are now enabling anyone with the internet to actively contribute to what they read.

Even though the web log has evolved our current print modes, one thing remains the same. The essence of blogging is the text itself. Most blogs are primarily made of text. Without the text, there would be no blog. One of the most unique elements of a blog is that the reader can comment on the post from the author and can thus add his or her own opinion to the blog itself, where other readers as well as the author can respond to that very comment. Without the essential element of text, this interaction between the author and the readers could not be achieved. The essence of blogging is the communication between everyone who reads the text. Without the text there would be no communication, and blogging would be about as innovative as the typewriter.

1 comment August 19, 2007