BY ISA TRAVERSO-BURGER
Ever wonder what a blog is? After reading this, you’ll be a pro! Best of all, you’ll understand clearly because I’m only using nontech words; at least I’ll try. The original word, coined by Jorn Barger in 1997, is ‘weblog’; then, about two years later, Peter Merholz shortened it to ‘blog’ by jokingly posting on his web, ‘we blog’. Now, ‘blog’ serves as a noun and a verb.
Blogs are similar to diaries or journals, only that you can choose the whole world to view it, make it private for friends only, post anything you want because you are the creator, editor, promoter of your own little world in the internet planet. If you have a desire to say something and don’t care who listens, then you wouldn’t mind writing it to have someone in South Africa read it, right? In a blog, you can do that and much more.
Most places I visit are related to green stuff but the variety is immense, surely there’s a blog out there for your unique perception or taste, and if not, make it happen! Food, politics, local news, pregnancy, religion, art, music, travel, you name it, it’s there; in the web, awaiting comments, inviting any kind of feedback.
The 90’s, era of BBS (bulletin board system) is gone. If writing is not your forte, and video or audio, or photography is, then move straight ahead to the more evolved part of the communications world: photoblogs, vlogs, linklogs and podcasts.
To start your own blog all you need is a host (the kind online), or a blog software (even free) like Blogger, LiveJournal, Flickr, or Blogdrive. The procedure is not that hard; you only need a bit of patience, a theme (unless you want to write about your life), and an accessible made-up name, i.e. isaburger.blogdrive.com.
The importance of blogs is gigantic! Did you know Doctors Without Borders com- municated via SMS text messaging from Sri Lanka and India during the Tsunami in 2004? Most news sources are now avid in the blog empire, for example The BBC and The Guardian in the UK. The system is used to spread culture, enhance com- munication, and even for marketing and PR.
In many cases, people who care about a great cause also use the blogging method to create awareness or teach lessons or create a community of individuals who believe in the power of change. So is the case of zaadz.com.
There is also a corny -but huge- place called MySpace, which is used as a self promotional tool or a semiporn dating site. Then, there’s youtube.com, which is a public site mainly for video seekers and uploaders, --a great place to find specific videos from anywhere in the world.
Now that you’re ready to begin your own blog, -or help someone start theirs, here’s a few terms to allure you into doing the research for more modern-tech words.
Plog
Political blog
Podcasting
Posting audio and video material and its RSS ( Really Simple Syndication) feed.
Milblog
Written by members or veterans of any branch of service Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines.
Blooger
A user that has adolescent tendencies and lacks good manners.
Boreblogging
Personal stuff that is barely interesting -even to the writer, but still is fun because of the way it’s written.
www.distriktmag.com is always following the latest interesting trends in technology, we welcome you to blog with us; you write, we all read and that’s how ideas emerge. Log on to our website often and say what you feel !
Thanks for reading and see you online !
