tuesday, april 18, 2006 | 1:40am | ABSTRACT
Blogging software is basically a way of keeping an online journal. Blogs may range in topics anywhere from politics, local news to individual online "diaries". Blogging software provide tools for individuals to create and maintain their own blogs.
tuesday, april 18, 2006 | 1:45am | BACKGROUND
Pre-Blog: e-mail lists, bulletin boards, forums, online-diary
(roxanne creates first blog on geocities.com/roxanneiscool via microsoft frontpage. no blogging software used)
"Weblog": coined by Jorn Barger, 12/17/1997
Blogging software is developed.
1996 Xanga
1998 Open Diary
Blogging became popular as personal online journals, where other users can leave comments. (roxanne creates first xanga journal on march 23, 2002)
March 2003: "weblog, weblogging, weblogger" added to Oxford Dictionary
Media picks up on blogs, especially Politics. More notably, presidential candidates, news, etc.
artsy blogs: photoblogs, sketchblogs
tuesday, april 18, 2006 | 2:11am | DESCRIPTION
Server Models: blog software is available for users to download and install on their own computers. sometimes they are free. sometimes not.
User-Hosted: software installed onto computer
http://www.blogsphere.net/
http://noahgrey.com/greysoft/
Developer-Hosted: no installation needed. go online and blog.
http://myspace.com
http://livejournal.com
Blogging software functions: editing of text, style through HTML; easy publishing capabilities; image loader; comment boxes (or eprops); photoblogs allow for mass image storage; profiles, etc.
tuesday, april 18, 2006 | 2:23am | ANALYSIS
Why is this topic important?
Blogs are a break-through in mass communication. It is exemplary of the accessibility of varieties of information, and ease of response. AND- it's only growing. Back in the day, very few people (those who were extremely bored- like myself in the 7th grade) maintained blogs through their own personal websites. With the advent of blogging software, practically everyone can blog about anything they want. Anyone with internet access can look up your blog. You have the ability to make public or private entries. You feel good when people leave you comments.
What is good about this topic?
Blogging allows us to get a very personal feel on issues from different viewpoints. Because it branches out from journaling, we get a sense of comfort in knowing that somewhere out there, a person wrote in their blog. We feel that much closer to our favorite band, as they go on tour; that much closer to our high school friends we haven't seen for years; and hell- even the president (even though notable figures tend to try to make us feel all warm and tingly inside). Also, as bloggers- we get be the authors behind our personal life stories. We show the photos that make us look especially good, we write those poems that make other people want to feel sorry for you, we declare our stance on heated worldly topics. Plus, blogging software is easy to use. duh.
What are the weaknesses?
In our attempts to gain information, via online, we forget to really call those friends from high school. We may be easily be swayed the better story teller. The creation of easy blogging software only allows us only to infinitely dump random information on the web. I dunno. I like it. except those creepy relationship finding blogs and stuff.
tuesday, april 18, 2006 | 2:37am | CONCLUSION
MY evaluation: i like blogging software. sometimes they allow people to create really ugly ugly ass websites (like on myspace), but whatever. it's easy to use, and its easy to customize to fit your own style.
competing products or technologies: its more like... the fusion of blogging capabilities with other online community based stuff. (like myspace). Blogs are becoming more multi-functional with the incorporation of massive amounts of photos, comments galore, profile editing, online dating, online gaming, online everything else.
possible future developments: wearable blogging technology that satisfies the blase person of modernity. the MIT Media Lab is researching the social properties and implications of blogs. see Blogdex project
tuesday, april 18, 2006 | 2:45am | REFERENCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog