The power and politics of blogs

8/8/2019 The power and politics of blogs

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The power and politics of blogs


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A blog (a blend of the term web log) is a type of

website or part of a website. Blogs are usually

maintained by an individual with regular entries of

commentary, descriptions of events, or othermaterial such as graphics or video. Entries are

commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.

Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to

maintain or add content to a blog.


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Great bloggers speak with informed, personal authoritythrough an honest, lively voice. Their posts often engagereaders in a productive conversation through commentsposted to the blog.

To write a great blog, write about what you know yourpassion, well researched and reported. Employ the skillsof a news columnist, crafting a personal, first-personvoice that readers will find engaging, comfortable andhonest.

When you don't know something, do not be afraid to admitit. Great bloggers see their posts as the firstcomment in a conversation, rather than the final word onthat particular topic.


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Link out. That is, link to other blog posts. Not justblogs, but individual posts. This makes you visible to

other bloggers and to other blog readers. Comment on other peoples blogs. Particularly blogs

with subject matter similar to yours. In thecomment form, always type your name and yourblogs URL in the boxes provided this allowsanyone who reads your comment to click your nameand go to your blog, bringing more readers to you.


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A weblog is defined here as a web page with minimal

to no external editing,

providing on-line commentary, periodically updated

and presented in reverse

chronological order, with hyperlinks to other online

sources.

Blogs can function as personal diaries, technicaladvice columns, sports chat, celebrity gossip,

political commentary, or all of the above


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Personal blogs

News blogs Entertainment blogs

Corporate blogs

Opinion blogs

Political blogs


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In 1999 the number of blogs was estimated at under

fifty

At the end of 2000, estimates ranged into the

thousands

Less than three years later, such estimates range

from 2.4 million to 4.1 million

One study estimates that by 2005, over ten millionblogs will have been created


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Web site

CNN

New York

USA Today

Washington Post

Wall Street Journal

MSNBC

Time

Daily Kos

Instapundit

Little Green Footbal

Power Line

Talking Points Memo

Andrew Sullivan

Wonkette

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Blog Average

Media Average

Alexa ranking

26

97

281

292

435783

1918

4066

8242

10015

10514

10808

10858

10285

-----------------------------

9255.4

547.4

Reach per million

users (3 monthaverage)

20,030

6,250

3,260

2,840

2,1501,600

587

254

205

135

153

156

155

146

------------------------------

172.0

5248.3

Google Page Rank

(out of 10)

8

7

7

8

68

8

7

7

6

6

7

7

6

-----------------------------

6.57

7.23

Sources: alexa.com; Google Toolbar (accessed 20 January 2005)


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In the United States, businesses are starting to use blogs as

tool for promotional campaigns

advocates in both Iran and Iraq have adopted blogging as atechnique for registering dissent.


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Things to think about:

Blogs should provide a critical perspective on issues in the news. In

some ways, the blog is similar to op-ed writing.

The blog has emerged as a powerful platform for journalists to

provide context, analysis and interpretation, often including behind-the-scenes information that does not fit into the structure of atraditional news story.

Blogs, just like magazines, radio or television, can contain

journalism, but they may not. The content, rather than the platform,

defines whether or not it is a work of journalism.

Blogging can be seen as a new form of real-time reporting that does

not have the filtering or editing associated with established journalisticpractices


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Blogs are networked phenomena that rely on

hyperlinks.

Some blogs include lengthy commentaries


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Weblogs occupy an increasingly important place in American

politics.

Their influence presents a puzzle


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1) Blogging is politically important in large part

because it affects mainstream media, and helps set

the terms of political debate.

(2) Incoming links in the political blogosphere are

systematically skewed, as Clay Shirky and others have

argued of the blogosphere as a whole.

Late entrants into the political blogosphere can do

well in the political blogosphere as long as they are

interesting and attracted.


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3) Because of the systematic skewedness of thepolitical blogosphere, a few sites can provide arough index of what is going on in theblogosphere - interesting points of view on othersites will often percolate up to them as smallerblogs try to get big blogs to link to them, byinforming them of interesting stories. Thus, wemay expect that journalists and other media

types who read blogs will tend to all gravitatetowards a few big name bloggers as their way ofkeeping up with what is going on in theblogosphere as a whole.


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Now a days blogs are working as a national

power or national voice of a nation for every

country. It is a fair and open place for any

people to comment on any decision of

government or can share any good or

innovative idea. This is the open place for the

civilization where they can console about anymatter with the country executives, authors,

scientists, artists, players.

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The power and politics of blogs