The blogging phenomenon
A blog (short for web log) can be defined as a website where entries are posted in a chronological order and displayed in reverse chronological order (Motive.co, 2007). The blogging phenomenon started in early 1998, and the term was first coined by John Barger in 1997 (Blood, 2000). It can serve many purposes but typically it provides commentaries various issues relevant to the author. It could also serve a more personal nature as an online diary. A blog combines elements such as text, images, and in some cases, videos and sound. The blogging trend in Asia is a conflict between freedoms of expression and attempts to restrain the freedom by its governments (Gomez,2004).
Purpose of blogging
There are many reasons why people started blogging but some of the most common ones are for professional, personal or social reasons. In my opinion, a blog is a good way to communicate with family and friends and keep each other up-to-date because it can be accessed at any time when the person is free. However, it is important to note that blogs can be both public and intensely personal in possibly contradictory ways and one should be aware of where to draw the line (Miller&Shepherd,2007). I have created this blog with the purpose to discuss and highlight some important media issues that have come up recently in the specific areas of print, broadcast or online media. The target audiences for this blog are people who wish to know more about the current publishing issues- specifically people from the academic and professional field. For this matter, blogging is not a waste of time as it serves as a tool to provide audience with relevant information that could benefit them to a certain extent.
Classification of blogs
A blog can be classified into many different and unique categories. In most cases, a blog will include postings on many subject matter, thus identifying its unique types will be difficult. Some of the more popular category includes fashion, politics, food, and entertainment. Types of media used when publishing a blog will differ according to its purpose but some examples are- vlog, linklog, sketchlog, tumblelogs. In my opinion, identifying and grouping blogs into specific categories are difficult due to its diverse nature; however, elements that should be taken into consideration are the common factors such as topic, style, format and audience.
Blogging Community
One of the main purposes of blogging is to deliver a message to a wider group of audience. In order to promote more people to read their blogs, most bloggers will be a part of a blogging community which can either consist of blogs within the same categories, or many different categories. In Malaysia, one of the better known blogging community is the Project Petaling Street at www.petalingstreet.org. It is a community which is open to all Malaysian bloggers and it provides services such as their own directory, wiki, pinger and a search engine. The PPS bloggers as they are known extended the relationship established online to the real life by organizing annual gatherings for its members. A blogging community can be formed either by using an existing site such as Livejournal.com, or creating their own domain address. In my opinion, bloggers need to be part of a blogging community because it is a way to unite people of similar interests and it will promote the exchange of ideas.
Designing for online vs. print.
It is very important to consider the dynamics in document design while creating text for the readers (Schriver, 1997). Different principles apply when designing for online publications compared to print. Designing for online publications is all about interactivity through the use of elements such as hyperlinks, graphics and sounds to enhance the document. Print document can only use elements of color, text and images in order to achieve a desired layout.
Online documents can be archived for future references and this allows users easy access to it just by clicking on the links. This should be considered when designing a document because the links to a site could expire within a certain period and it will be troublesome for the readers.
For both online and print document, the key thing to remember is that all design elements used does not distract reader’s attention from the actual text and content presented (Wheildon, 1990).
