Essay#3 Blogging in Our World

Many people wonder what makes a blog so appealing and why they are out around the internet. Some people have a hard understanding of the whole concept of blogging. But is there really a right answer to those questions? People feel different about each type of blog. Some think that the purpose for them is to journal, or to just write down your life, or even to talk about you’re opinions of politics or a certain issue that is going on. Blogs are used for many reasons, but it is how it affects the reader and/or writer and how they relate to it.

When people use blogs for journaling reasons it is to get news out there to others to hear about. Sometimes people only know of an event through blogs. In this type of blog it is beneficial to the writer because he wants to get the issue and his views out, and also for the reader to understand what is going on. The author of the blog is updating someone on an event that happened and not so much on what they think about the issue. The reader is able to learn the issue without being persuaded or distracted by the author’s personal believes. In the blog Kermit’s Community Blog, (http://kermitscommunity.blogspot.com/2006/11/osu-should-support-chimps-at-chimp.html) the author is taking about an issue that he feels should be addressed and noticed. He talks about an issue where chimps at The Ohio State University were going to be separated after the Chimp Center at OSU was closed. He talks about how OSU should help pay for the chimps to stay together at Chimp Haven because that is the best thing for all of them. The author explains the issue and then talks about how he hopes that people will support it. The readers agree with him and how he represents the issue. This blog is very informative and is best for the reader, so that people know what issues are going on and how they are being taken care of. It offers a chance to know what is going on so that the reader can get involved in the issue if they want to.

The book, Never Threaten To Eat Your Co-Workers, has many blog posts from different people. One of the authors, Christopher Allbritton has a blog site Back in Iraq 2, and talks about his experiences in Iraq. In this one entry he writes in a journalistic view about what had happened as he was walking down the street of Baghdad. Because he was a reporter and an American, people just assumed that he knew all the answers to their questions. “Muhammad, the man who asked about the victims of Saddam’s regime, said thousands of people are waiting to hear about their relatives and friends. Where are they? They had disappeared. ‘We want to know where they are,’ he said. ‘You the media. You can tell the world. People, help us.’” (181) Christopher wrote this post, not as his own opinion of anything, but as a way to tell people what he was running into over seas. His point is to tell people what he is going through in Iraq. He is trying to get the word out that people in Iraq still have questions and are not getting any answers. This post is for the reader to understand some of the things are going on and how it is affecting people from both sides of the issue.

Many people use blogs to write about their life and what they feel. They are able to write about how they are feeling that day or what their day was like. Many even use this opportunity to be creative and post their poems or stories. Some also use this as a way to link to things they think are cool. Many people link to videos or other sites that are funny or informative. This kind of blog relates to the author more then the reader. It’s definitely way to relive stress or just have some fun without really caring what the reader may think. In the blog Everyday Life (http://catrinr.typepad.com/everyday_life/ ), the author talks about her day in many ways. One day she’ll talk about what she did that day and another she’ll talk about how she’s happy to finish what she was knitting. This blog is very casual and there for fun to just tell people what she’s thinking. Her readers seem to enjoy what she says too, because they comment on how their glad she found her camera, or that their happy she finished her knitting. This kind of blog really is there for the author and not as much for the reader even though readers can enjoy what she has to say.

Blogs are also a way for people to write down their feelings on important subjects like politics or events around the world. This gives the author a chance to write what he or she feels about what’s happening and not have someone trying to talk at the same time. This also gives readers a chance to tell what they think after reading what the author posted. In the blog, Blog 4 Brains (http://www.blog4brains.com/2007/05/16/fox-news-gop-debate-controversial-ron-paul-wvideo/#more-879), the author talks about his views on the Republican presidential debate that aired May 15. He talks about his views on the events that happened during the debate then asked his readers what they thought. The readers were interested in what he had to say and liked being able to say what they had to say too. This blog is for both the reader and the author. It is a way to be able to get out what you think and have some feedback at the same time.

Blogs can definitely shape someone’s opinions and their idea’s. Blogs do have the power to be able to affect our culture and thoughts. Just like when the Virginia Tech shootings happened, an Asian male recently blogged about his love for guns who attended Virginia Tech. By doing that, he was falsely accused of doing the shootings because of his blog and when people saw it they just assumed it was him. In that aspect blogging can be dangerous and misleading. Blogs have the power to take over our own ideas because we get so involved in others opinions that we almost forget our own.

Blogs can be very powerful but if used correctly can be a positive in our society. If blogs are used in a responsible way, and are there for fun and information as well as not to trap someone, blogs are very beneficial. It gives someone the chance to express themselves in whatever way that may be and gives someone else a chance to see that. Overall, blogs can help society and people if used the right way.