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Blogging:

A History and How-to

Jeremiah Hall Palmer

ENG101

Sullivan University

Everyone is getting connected these days. What used to be available to a few is now being brought to the masses; the digital divide is shrinking. As these new users to the Internet hop onto the web, they start discovering the world around them, and start discovering the electronic world that they never knew existed. In these trips into the unknown, they may discover a variety of social and networking websites, where they will sign up, and meet friends and even make a few new acquaintances. Many, flock to social networking sites such as MySpace. It is here that many of these new users discover a word that they have never seen or heard before – blog.

A recent newcomer to MySpace had found this portion of their Internet profile, and wondered what a blog was:

I wonder who thought up the word blog and what exactly is it? It sounds more like a creature from the Black Lagoon than a cute little message written on a personal internet space. (McClain, 2007)

As one can see, they unwittingly answered their own question through questioning the origin and definition as they posted their first entry. A blog is simply a place where a person can write, and share a multitude of ideas so that world may see and even comment on what one has to say. A blog is nothing more than an Internet journal.

History of Blogging

While there may be several electronic papers and publications on the term, there is no set defining point — no clear history of where blogging began. Sources of information on the topic, such as Wikipedia and the University of Essex, do not have a clue as to a particular point at which blogging came about; nor do they know when blogs developed into what they become today. While most of the history is speculative, it has been widely agreed upon that blogging stems from someone making use of the old Usenet and Bulletin Board Systems of yore, and posting a writing (Brady, 2005; Wikipedia, 2007).

The term blog comes from the word weblog, a word coined by a gentleman named Jorn Barger. Barger created the word to describe how he “logged onto the web” and journalized his trips, findings, and studies – the traditional definition of a weblog. Two years following the creation of weblog, Peter Merholz broke the word into two words on his web site, creating the phrase “we blog.” Soon after, the term blog was taken into its own, and became associated with the writing of online diaries or journals. (Wikipedia, 2007)

Reading (and Understanding) a Blog

            Before one sets out to write a blog, it would make sense for one to read a blog, in order to get a better understanding on how blogs function. John C. Dvorak  – a noted writer for technology magazines, blogger, and podcast host – wrote, in 2004, a primer for the newfound blog reader. An outline/summarization of Dvorak’s primer follows:

Blog Layout – Blogs are written chronologically, however they are typically displayed in reverse chronological order. This format is used so that the blog’s readers have the newest material available first.

 

The Post – The post consists of all the elements described below.

 

The Permalink – The permalink is a link available for the post, which will allow another person to retrieve that particular post, as opposed to returning to the page that the post lies on.

 

The Main Link – Available in the traditional weblog, this is the link to the story the blogger is writing about

Summary/Commentary – This is the section that the blogger actually writes. In the traditional weblog this may be at the top, end, or scattered throughout a quote from the original source. In the diary style blog, this is the main writing.

 

Blockquotes – Indented quotes of the original story being written about.

 

Comments Link – The comments link offers readers the ability to be sent to a form where they may provide their input.

           

Blogging for the Masses

Up until recent history, for anyone to blog, they had to buy and serve up their own sites. This was soon changed with the creation of blog hosts such as Xanga, Open Diary, LiveJournal and Blogger. Nowadays, one can find a blog just about anywhere, and find the resources to blog just as easily. In order to blog all one needs is a computer, access to the Internet, and a place to post. The process can be quite easy and painless, or can take on hours of research and coding; depending upon the type of blog one would want to create. The remainder of this paper will show how to get started in the world of blogging with no cost, and very little effort.

Choosing a Host

First, one must choose a place to blog. For ease of use I would suggest that a newcomer try a simple web-based service (meaning there is no software to download, and all posts are written directly through an Internet browser); such as Yahoo!’s 360°, MSN’s Live Spaces, or MySpace. These sites are social networking sites as well, and chances are great that a few friends or family may already be using these services; plus these sites have easy invitation options if one desires to bring someone else new into this world. Another advantage to starting with either Yahoo! or MSN is that chances are likely that the new user has an email account with one of the respective companies, so basic use will be similar, and usernames & passwords can be the same. An advantage to MySpace may be that the new user is an adult who has a child that uses MySpace – this will help the adult enter into the world that the child is walking in.

After making the choice of one of these services, or any for that matter, there is a process where the user can set-up his or her profile. Information provided by the user is wholly upon his/her discretion or preference. One can have the ability of telling his/her name, age, sex, orientation and so on. One only has to offer as little or as much information as he/she feels comfortable with. Somewhere during this process may also be a point where the user is asked about security permissions – whether the user wants certain aspects about his/her profile to be seen, as well as his/her blog. Typically these security settings are set as defaults, and can be over-ridden during the post of a blog entry; however this is not always the case. The user must make sure to read the security settings before committing if he/she has any fear of letting too much about themselves being shown.

Far more advanced security settings can be taken advantage of with other blog hosting services, such as LiveJournal, which shall be mentioned later. For someone wanting to get more in-depth blog usage, the USC Annenberg School for Communication offers a comparison chart of larger blogging services and software, at . For the time being, however, a complete novice might want to take heed of the recommendation for the simple models of Yahoo!, MSN, and MySpace.

Writing an Entry

After finding a place to write, the user must then decide upon what to write about. This can be anything imaginable. One can write a traditional weblog, and share thoughts or comments on various online materials he or she has encountered that day; or the writer may choose to go with the more common personal diary entry. The only limitations placed on the content of the blog entry would be any by the host (such as possible adult content, threats toward another life, etc.) or the writer. Many write about their day to day life. Others write blogs on a particular subject. At any rate, one may write whatever they would like.

Advanced Blogging

Another common feature among blogs is the ability to embed media – to copy into the post a picture, music, or even a video. With this capability the blog becomes even more of an informal journal or scrapbook. These abilities have also led way to the creation of other blog formats, such as vlogs (video blogs), photo-blogging, and podcasting (term named for “mp3 broadcasts”; where the creator records a talk-show of his/her own with the intent of it being played back on a computer or mp3-player, i.e.: iPod.)

One may go into the arts of vlogging, podcasting, and photo-blogging with little to no expense as well. These methods of blogging, however, are more time-consuming depending upon how in depth the creator of the material wishes to be. These forms thrive primarily using more advanced services that can handle all forms at once; or may require the use of multiple services. Before one dives into these forms, it may be advisable to finely tune the simpler blogging skills, and move up, or graduate from Yahoo, MSN or MySpace. (MySpace may still be used for certain aspects of the advanced, and is very much a good starting point before going farther. MySpace supports a video and photo sharing platform which is easy to use, and is advancing at a fairly rapid rate. MySpace will also continue to serve as a portal for people to find content elsewhere, seeing as the name is well-known.)

As mentioned previously, one blog (written) host available to the masses is LiveJournal. LiveJournal offers heightened security and customizable levels for viewers. One may set several levels of “friends” or readers within categories, and then give permission to only that level to read a particular post. LiveJournal also offers RSS (Real Simple Syndication) features (as do the aforementioned simpler sites – LiveJournal, however has been, in the author’s experience, more reliable than the other sites) where a person can read all public entries via an RSS reader or their email (web-based or client-side; i.e.: Outlook, Netscape, Thunderbird, etc.) LiveJournal also supports client-side applications that allow for a user to run a program locally in which to write a blog, and then posts to the site later, without the need of operating through an Internet browser. Other additional features are available through LiveJournal with purchase of membership. Similar services include DeadJournal, Greatest Journal, and Blurty.

Blogging without Fear

            Security and safety has become a concern for current bloggers and people who are wishing to delve into writing these public journals. Generally, these fears are related to the fact that the blog is personal in nature, and may reflect poorly upon one’s outward image. The Electronic Frontier Foundation states in regards to consequences of blogging;