Blogs:

Blogs are one of the new tools with which to communicate on the internet. They are an asynchronous in form, where one person can communicate with potentially many others. And they are booming on the net.

The thing that i find most appealing about blogs is their capacity to facilitate discussion through comments. Often it's not a particular post that is the most interesting part , but the flurry of comments that sometimes follow, as readers choose to add their two cents worth. Comments can be silly and even outrageous, but they can also be amusing and informative and add to the topic being discussed to the point sometimes of being more interesting than the original post.

I follow a few blogs regularly. I guess Lifehacker.com would be one of my favorites. It's a technology blog that I've learn't heaps from, mainly about more productive ways of doing things with technology. I would say my internet literacy where it stands now has a lot to do with that site, not only due to the topics they post, but also the responses to the posts that follow.

When i think about personal blogging, i think about a blog's ability to communicate and therefore connect with potentially lots of others especially in situations where the participants may be isolated. I remember being struck by a news report I saw on the TV some weeks ago about a young man who had written a blog of his experiences undergoing treatment for this rare life threatening medical condition that he had somehow taken on. And then how supported he had felt by the responses he received especially by others who were suffering the same disease. It was an uplifting news story and showed the power of the internet through blogging to connect with others. The same story could be applied to those who feel alone and isolated through mental illness such as depression and schizophrenia.

And citizen journalism? it's a new concept for me, something i haven't thought much about before.

I think the basic idea is that ordinary citizens can participate in the reporting and publishing of news. Whereas previously, what was deemed newsworthy would be decided by editors and the proprietors of large media companies, the internet via blogs has now broken down the barriers to make it possible for potentially anybody to contribute news. The most succinct definition I got was from you tube: definition of citizen journalism. People are calling it the democratization of the media. Really? I just wonder if the reality is as good as the rhetoric. Just because you can write a informative and opinioned post and publish it on a blog, or upload a newsworthy video on you tube, is that journalism? Or is it just news reporting? Not sure about that.

I did a bit of searching on Google regarding this topic and it's obvious it is a subject of intense debate, something to write a thesis about rather than just contribute in a blog post here. Maybe for another time.