Blogging

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,650732-1,00.html

I did not realize how important blogs had become until I started reading articles about them. I may still be a bit old fashioned. I didn’t have an email address until I was 19, I never made a MySpace account and I was the last of my friends to create a Facebook. My first blog was created last year, and that was because it was a requirement for my class. Taking a class on social media has really helped me realize how out of date I am.

It is hard for me to understand how influential blogs have become because I don’t really follow anyone’s. But apparently bloggers have become a valued and trusted source of news and other information. They have become the Rottweiler of current media watchdogs. It is a little scary to think that an average ordinary person can have the power that they do through their online presence.

The reason why blogs are so effective is because they are free. People see them while they are going about their everyday lives. Blogs are a way that people can find others with similar interests that relate to their problems. It’s an interesting phenomenon that people will take time out of their days to read about a stranger. I obviously need to start reading blogs to fully understand the potential that they have.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/fashion/07blogs.html

This article was also very interesting; it followed the story of a mommy blogger who had developed a large following, then because of one post lost her entire following. I can’t imagine how many incredible journalists or writers there are out there. It is nice that everyone has a chance to be heard. Blogs make it easy to get started; the trouble is developing a following. They say that the people that do have a large audience do so out of sheer luck. It is just nice to know that dreams can still be reached for all those people who want to reach out through their writing.