Do you blog?
Blogging in style
According to
Merriam Webster, a blog
(short for weblog) is "a Web site that contains an
online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often
hyperlinks provided by the writer". In existence since
1999, this
most
looked-up word of
2004 remains a quiet mystery to most Internet users.
People have actually been blogging many more years than this, but just
didn't have a techie word for it. So, why is everyone still so
baffled by this "new technology"? Let's try to demystify some of
the blog mystique.
America's Blog Habits
The
Pew
Internet & American Life Project survey concludes the following statistics about blogging:
- 7% of all Americans who use the Internet say they have actually
created a blog of their own
- 27% of all Internet users said they read blogs in 2004, up from
only 11% in 2003
- Only 38% of the 120 million American Internet users know what a
blog is!
There are several theories floating around the Internet as to why
authorship and readership of blogs soared in 2004, the most popular of
which are the 2004 presidential campaign and the December tsunami in
Asia.
Further analysis from
Pew
states that blog creators are:
- Young: 48% are under age 30
- Internet veterans: 82% have been online for six years or more
- "Well educated": 39% have college or graduate degrees
The
Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
studied the blogging phenomenon and calculated that a new weblog is
created every 7.4 seconds. But, do blogs have a strong foothold
in our quickly changing technology interests? According to
Wharton marketing professor
Peter
Fader, "Blogging is really driven by interest and desires, not
commercial activity. It's rare to see something take off like this when
commercial prospects are so minimal. People just want to share ideas."
Blogging at UVM
UVM has joined the blogging band wagon and is now offering UVM
community members the chance to author their own weblog. To
request your own UVM weblog powered by the
Movable Type publishing platform or learn more about UVM's weblog service,
visit
BLOGGING@UVM
maintained by the
UVM Center for
Teaching & Learning. All UVM bloggers are encouraged
to join the BLOGGING discussion list to ask questions, give feedback,
or help fellow bloggers. To join BLOGGING, compose an email
message with the following information:
To: listserv@list.uvm.edu
Subject: <leave blank>
Body: subscribe BLOGGING firstname lastname
You will receive a confirmation message when you have successfully been
added to the list.
The weblog service is fairly new at UVM, but here are a few UVM blog pioneers:
Similar to the slow explosion of UVM web pages in the mid 90s, there are currently very few UVM weblogs and their purposes are unique to each author's life and work experience.
Other UVM community members are blogging at UVM, but have broken out of the Movable Type space. For example, Justin Henry from Center for Teaching and Learning is using the WordPress publishing platform within his UVM web space. Visit
JUSTIN.HENRY for a different view.
As is the
policy for UVM websites, the use of weblogs for commercial purposes is prohibited.
Blogging outside of UVM
One of the most convincing reasons for having a weblog not tied to your
UVM persona is freedom of expression. It is easier to be more
honest about thoughts, feelings, or opinions in a space that is not
tied to you employer (or alma mater). Don't get me wrong, I
definitely recommend requesting and using a UVM weblog, but I use my
UVM blog much more cautiously than my Blogger blog.
The vast expanse of "information superhighway" offers many free
commercial blogging sites that allow you to publish as anonymously as
you choose. Some suggestions for free weblog hosting:
My personal favorite is Blogger, which I use for my secret blogspace
where I can talk about whatever is on my mind and nobody knows my name
(the opposite of the "
Cheers
effect"). Most of the weblogs I keep on my Blogger
blogroll also happen to use Blogger,
but please find the blog host that works for you.
Be blog-smart
Blogging can be very fun and enjoyable, but blogs are visible to the
entire world, so be cautious with your content:
- Limit posting personal information about yourself, family,
friends, or anyone you know
- Instead of full names use first names or initials
- Don't tell everybody where you live and that you're going out
of town for two weeks
- If you're angry with someone think twice before posting about
that person or organization
- It's best not to post specific information about your employer or
your job
- Don't post any information that can be used to steal your
identity such as your social security number, where you bank, or your
credit card number or company
- Steer away from statements of libel
about other individuals or entities
- Credit the source of information or images you post
- Make sure to properly
cite or create a hyperlink back to the referring source of the
information, don't mislead others into thinking it's your original idea
(plagiarism!)
- Follow the rules of netiquette
(Internet etiquette)
It's definitely your choice how much you want to "put yourself out
there". Only you know how public or private a person you are and what
type of information you want strangers reading about you.
That's great, so how do I blog??
The
BLOGGING@UVM site
offers information about posting to your weblog. Also, any
commercial weblog hosting service will have a tutorial or frequently
asked questions (FAQ) section about posting. If you learn best by reading a book, a popular blogging
resource is
How to
Blog by Tony Pierce. Just want to see how other people
blog? Try out the
Blogwise
blog directory.
Author: Stefanie
Ploof, CIT Client Services / CALS
IT Office
Last modified April 06 2005 06:41 AM
