In my life, the purpose and mere definition of a blog has changed over time. Blogging has been a part of my life for some time. When I was in high school, I kept a "LiveJournal" with a small group of five or so close friends in which we periodically updated each other on the very exciting happenings of our highly dramatic high school days. The content of those entries is quite juvenile when I look back on it now, and it is interesting to see what I thought was so important in my life at that point. Thankfully, those entries are set to "private", though who knows if they're still circulating around in cyberspace. More recently, I have kept a blog on wordpress.com. ( http://wordpress.com/) I originally heard of the blog host from a podcast in which the podcaster suggested the blog site due to ease of use and customizable features. At the same time, I designed a personal website in which I attached a link to my newly formed blog on Wordpress. The use of my blog at this instance in my life was dramatically different from writing about prom dates, calculus tests, and that cute boy in 3rd period. This time around, my blog was much more professional. The purpose of my website was to inform potential employers and fellow students/professors about myself, provide a resume, and add a bit of character to a name and face through a digital form. The blog was my answer to adding character to my name and face. I write about many topics in my blog, but I always make sure to keep my tone professional, adding wit and humor when necessary.
Looking back, it's interesting to note how I got started blogging. In high school, I was introduced to the concept through a social network of my friends. In college, I was introduced to it once again through a podcast. The purpose of my blog in the past was to stay up to date on my social networks, and now my blog's purpose is to bolster my resume and allow an outlet for my personal thoughts on world events, economic theory, and anything else that interests me.
I see blogging as a way to express one's opinion in an artistic way. One can add multimedia to a blog in a way no print form can ever do (at least not yet). Video files, music files, and pictures can all be added to add depth, transparency, and legitimacy to one's written work. In some of my blog posts, I tell a story in which the reader can only fully understand if the entry is accompanied by a photo or video in order to fully submerge the reader in the ideas and thoughts of the writer(blogger)*.
*I put blogger in quotations because this New Media begs the question: Is the writer of a blog a writer or a blogger? Are those terms interchangeable, or does each come with baggage?
In my mind, a writer is a distinguished person whose work is produced with strict guidelines and exhaustively edited in order to produce a pristine piece of writing every time. Though their work may not be published as often as a blog, their work is quality. So is a blogger's work not quality? That's hard to say. As noted in Sullivan's article, a blog doesn't have to be edited. Moreover, a blog is known for not having absolute correct spelling and grammar. But is it necessary to be grammatically correct in order to be considered quality? What makes a blog is the "character" that the blogger brings into his/her writing. Perhaps mispellings and grammar mistakes allow readers to relate better with the blogger. Perhaps imperfect writing allows bloggers to connect with their readers on a different level than just being a stuffy columnist at some New York City high rise.
I believe with the evolution of blogs, the definition of bloggers and writers will continue to blur. Many distinguished people are turning to the world of blogging due the vast possibilities that a blog can provide; however, there are also, dare I say, consequences of this new medium as well that people must take into account. Sullivan mentioned how instantaneous blogging is, whereas traditional print journalism allows people to fully gather their thoughts, edit their work, and publish their work after countless revisions. He also noted how the reactions from readers can be both helpful and degrading. However, it seems to me that blogging can be viewed as a very courageous form of writing. Once a blog is posted, that vulnerable form of the entry is out for the world to see. People will argue and support the blogger's opinion relentlessly due to the anonymity over the Internet. Moreover, people aren't afraid to be wrong or go beyond what they would say to someone's face. However, perhaps this "rawness", this pure form of writing is just what we need as a society to come together, whether we agree on a subject or not. Blogging allows people to express their opinion in brand new ways that reach a magnitude of people that is unimaginable.
To me, blogging on an academic level is an ever evolving medium of written work. Although an academic blog entry should be professional, I believe adding "character" to one's written work should also be a priority when publishing to a blog. As Sullivan states, "Blogging is therefore to writing what extreme sports are to athletics: more free-form, more accident-prone, less formal, more alive. It is, in many ways, writing out loud." ( http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200811/andrew-sullivan-why-i-blog ) Sullivan also stated that the relationship between readers and the blogger begin to become a sort of friendship. In my mind, that's exactly what a blog is. One person starts a conversation by going out on a limb and stating one's opinion, while their "followers" (friends) lash out or express their support, in much the same way as friends do with intriguing conversations over lunch. Personally, I began my blogging experience with a few friends at school, and now I continue my blogging life with many people I haven't physically met, but we still argue, support, and converse over topics. However, presently the topics of conversation are somewhat different than what Johnny said at lunch the other day. My blog, and perhaps myself, are evolving.
A Comic From Another Person's Blog.
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2 comments:
I think you make some great points about the nature of the blog and academic writing. I know I struggled quite a bit trying to reconcile the tone of my blog with the conventions of academic blogging. What your post has shown me is that making academic writing more conversational through the blog doesn't make it less important, but merely more accessible.
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Oh man, these are really long posts.
My poor, little A.D.D. brain can't handle them.
I'll comment, but I have to admit that I won't, or rather can't, read the entire post.
Character is key to any blog.
If your blog is just like something else you've read, then you're taking a gamble as to which is more appealing to the reader and the reader will then choose which is better.
When you establish a kind of uniqueness to your blog then you start attracting unique followers.
Moving on to the design of your blog, it's old fashioned.
Which is probably what you were aiming for.
This design reminds me of an old diary only your posts are probably not what I would find in a regular diary.
You might also want to change the font to compliment your design.
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