I have never been a technology buff, and thus probably the wrong person to ask about internet trends. Although I am taking a Communications class with a focus on blogs, and have found it quite interesting. In this post, I will talk about what value a blog has to consumers over other forms of media, internet, and television. I will use examples from blog links on my class blog. The class blog is at http://www.smuccpaclass.blogspot.com/.
The act of purchasing a newspaper or cable TV is a relatively simple act of equivalent exchange; you gain something (i.e., a product) for losing something of equal value (the money you spent on that product). Now with blogs you have a different exchange. You can dig for information for hours without a clear idea of how much the effort will pay off in the end. Both situations require time, effort, and concentration – but not money.
Consumers can create their own blog for free. Just check out http://www.blogger.com/. I myself was surprised to have my own blog for free. The only thing required (i.e., cost) is the work spent on it.
So where did this idea virus start? I did not find the exact date, but according to a particular weblog, there were “just a handful of (that type of) sites” in 1998. In 1999, more people gradually had their own weblogs. In addition, the software and knowledge to make a weblog expanded. For more information on the history of weblogs, click on this link: http://www.rebeccablood.net/essays/weblog history.html.
Since that time frame, numerous groups have benefited from blogs. They include businesses, the media, and everyday people. The search engine knownas Google has utilized its blog to give “Googler(s) insights into products and technology news and our culture.” The media outlets of BBC News and CNN have utilized blogs so that their employees can post opinions on news topics. Third-party individuals can then comment on those posts. The links for this information are: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/index.html; http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/; http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/ and http://www.cnn.com/?eref=rss topstories/.
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3 comments:
Michael- I like your post! I agree, blogs are some what "foreign " it takes some getting used to. Do you think blogs will surpass as a "trend" and become a main staple in the PR industry?
Hey! I like the treasure hunting metaphor, haha. Mostly because it's true! Blogging is becoming so valuable in our industry and I think you really get at that in your blog!
Michael,
Lots of information here and much of it is useful. Make sure to stick closely to the assigned topic: Blogging as a tool for PR. Also, trim down your wording. Most readers will not want to go through this much copy. Avoid lengthy blocks of copy. Break it. Briefly discuss ideas and refer readers to look more in depth by clicking on the links provided in your copy. Good links here.
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