WHY BLOG?

Blog. Sounds funny, doesn’t it? Blog. Go on, say it. BLOG.

Every time I hear the word, I imagine a blob of slime; that glossy, apple-green thing my school building’s capped with. Ok let’s not get carried away with the tacky choices, pun intended.

Have you ever wondered where the word comes from? (You may roll your eyes here) Good ol’ Google explains, (cos obviously) it’s derived from the phrase “web log”, coined by John Barger, who created the RobotWisdom Weblog in 1995. (Ha! Bet you didn’t know that) Gradually, “web log” caught on as “blog” – because we love to make short things even shorter.

Back to the topic, why blog?

Firstly, let’s figure out how a blog is used.

Brian opened a discussion based on why Adrian Miles thought it important to use Blogs in Media Education. Brian posed two questions: 1)Why/How is a blog different from a personal journal or diary? 2)What does the article say about the style/tone of blogs/student blogs?

A blog is a public site created with the aim to share content with an audience, compared to the more private affair of writing a personal journal. Blog authors or bloggers take advantage of the site’s public and accessible nature on the worldwide web, to communicate ideas. Nowadays, blogs are also useful in increasing business reputation and personal branding, albeit less professional and trustworthy than a website.

What’s the difference between a blog and a website, then? Well, blogs allow two-way communication between author and readers whereas websites are static and lack interaction. Websites are a better tool in selling products and strictly inform. (But hey, things are always changing, right?)

In response to Brian’s questions, the tone of the blog is usually more informal than say, an essay or news article, to sound more engaging and attract a larger readership. The type of content and language used can vary; from the serious political blogs to the light-hearted graphic blogs.

With these properties in mind, to blog has become an empowering action while educating a student – or what I prefer to call, “an explorer”. As a student, I am constantly looking around to put my learning points into context. It is always smart to document and reflect on the learning journey to understand better, to remember better. Repetition helps. Repetition using different forms of media, helps. Repetition using different forms of media, helps us explore different contexts and expand our creativity.

Specifically, as a media student (who has no technical knowledge prior to entering RMIT), blogging serves as a platform to display and a stepping stone to better understand, how various forms of media affect its audience.

This understanding brings us to another advantage: blogging helps emerging media practitioners hone sensitivity and a sense of responsibility to how/what they publicise. At the same time, we are disciplined; pushed to constantly explore, produce new works and practise generosity by exchanging feedback and ideas.

So here we are, on the first page of my quest. Let the expedition begin!