New Forms of Media Publishing

In the current state where the world is constantly changing and information travels faster than ever, there are new forms of media publishing that we can see nowadays. Examples of these new media are Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and many more. People can access information freely nowadays and they don't depend on one source of media publishing. By using Facebook, people can build a social network among friends. Twitter, a new media of microblogging, allows fast information exchanging between individuals. And lastly Youtube allows people to upload a video log so that it can be shared and viewed  by others from around the world.

However, as appealing as it looks. There are issues in several countries that limits user to actually publish articles in certain medias. The government of the country might view the articles as threat to the nation. For example, in Cuba where media publishing is strictly monitored by government. Any form of publishing that contains misleading thoughts will not be published. In China, media publishing is used to express concern on society benefits rather than political critics.

Like many kinds of media publishing, Twitter has become the rising media in the world nowadays. Because Twitter can be used with ease on both PCs and mobile devices, and because it limits users to very short messages of 140 characters or fewer, it has become one of the largest platforms in the world for sharing real-time data. As Twitter grows, it will increasingly become a place where companies build brands, do research, send information to customers, conduct e-commerce and create communities for their users.

References:

Loewenstein, A 2008, 'The Blogging Revolution', The Media Report, viewed 30 September 2010 http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2351985.htm

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1901188_1901207_1901196,00.html

Blogging Communities

As stated in Wikipedia, blogging community can be defined as several online communities which exist that connect people to blogs and bloggers to other bloggers.

A blogging community is essential to being a successful blogger. Not only are you showing off yourself, your product or services to the world but you are also creating a name and reputation for who you are and what you have to say. Having a community of your peers who enjoy what your blog has to say and respect you as part of the blogosphere goes a long way. (Nikki, 2008)

Below are steps on how to build a blogging community:

1. Start by reading other blogs, we can get a feel for what we like in a blog. We might also discover blogs that we share common interests with. 

2. Leave comments on other blogs. By leaving comments, it shows that we pay more attention that just reading the blog. If you include your URL, others will find it easy to locate you.

3. Reply comments on your blog. People wanted to be heard when they post a comment in your blog. The reply doesn't have to be lengthy. A simple "Thank you for visiting my blog" is sometimes enough. It shows that we engage with our readers.

4. List your blog in internet directories. By using search engine such as Google, it may bring many results.

5. Write as often as possible. This way it will keep your readers at your blog longer and at the same time providing them with variety of topics in your blog.

6. Make your posts entertaining. We don't want our readers to be bored of our posts. Keeping them entertained is one thing, but we also should develop our skill in writing over time.

7. Market your blog. Link your blog to forums, discussion rooms, message boards, or even place signature link at your email.

According to Arren(2009), there are several blogging communities provided by the internet for enthusiastic bloggers. Most blogging communities have similar features, and it provides benefits if you choose the right one and it should bring pleasure in your blogging. Some examples of blogging communities are Livejournal, Xanga, BlogFeast, Revenews, BlogCatalog, Freelance writing job and Greatest journal.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

Nikki, 2008 'How to Build Blogging Community' eHow.com viewed on 30 September 2010 http://www.ehow.com/how_2152382_build-blogging-community.html

Arren 2009, 'Blogging Communities for the Blogging Enthusiast', Web Business Wiz, viewed 30 September 2009, http://www.webbusinesswiz.com/blogging/blogging-communities-for-the-blogging-enthusiast/.

Classification of Blogs

There are many kinds of blogs that we can find on the web these days. According to Misty Belardo in her article in Ink Rebels, there are 5 types of blogs.

1. Collaborative Blogs

Collaborative blogs are those blogs which have multiple authors. Example of these blogs are Ink Rebels, Raster Rebels and many more. The concept behind this type of blog is to pull together resources from several writers. The blog follows a theme. The articles are scheduled at agreed upon intervals.

2. How To/Tutorial Blogs

This type of blog contains information on how something is made or how something works. This type of blog is usually time consuming in making, but if the content is relevant or inspiring the result is that the post will get a lot of traffic and comments. Example of this blog is Photoshop Tutorial Blog

3. Travel and Cultural Blogs

This blog is ideal for people who love to chronicle their journeys. Some sites offer user to upload photos of their journeys, map their trips as well as meeting other travelers. Example of this blog is Travel Blogs

4. Fashion and Lifestyle Blogs

Nowadays people want to look good and follow lifestyle trends. One way to follow all these is via the fashion and lifestyle blogs. Some people tend to get recommendations from blogs before they start buying new fashion items or indulge in new lifestyle trends. Example of this blog is I am Fashion, Lifehack, last100, and many more.

5. Personal Blogs

Personal blogs are the most used blogs by people in the web. It is the most common and popular type of blog. The contents are basically based on personal experience and most people really don't care if there were any readers or not because it is one of the greatest form of self expressions. The main important thing is that the content must include personal ideas, thoughts and know how. Examples of personal blogs are Psykotha, another HELLO for last GOODBYE, and many more.

References:
Belardo, M 'The 5 Types of Blogs, Which One Suits You Best?' Ink Rebels viewed on 30 September 2010 http://www.inkrebels.com/insp/the-5-types-of-blogs-which-one-suits-you-best/

Blogging Phenomenon

In today's world that is constantly changing, blogging has become such a phenomenon. Almost everyone has a blog. In Technorati State of The Blogosphere 2009 report states that the growth of the blogosphere's influence on subjects ranging from business to politics to the way information travels through communities continues to flourish. As people blogs more nowadays, the size of the current blogosphere is increasing.  The number of people who are involved in blogging also varies. In Technorati report, 72% of the respondents are those who take blogging as a hobby, 15% of them consider blogging as part time jobs, 9% are self employed who uses blogs for their own company or organization, and the 4% of the respondents are the pros who claims to blog for a company or organization.

There are many kinds of blogs in the web today and each blog differs from one to another. For example during the 2008 US Presidential Election, there was a blog made for it, http://www.danielpipes.org

Also in Malaysia itself, there is a political blogs that discuss many aspects of Malaysian political condition http://gila.sarawho.com. Another example of political blog outside Malaysia is http://www.thememriblog.org/iran. This blog focuses on the situation that arises in the Middle East.

All examples of these prevalent blogs benefits the society in many ways. The people who view these blogs will benefit by knowing what is happening on the globe, locally as well as internationally. These blogs also give the society the chance to comment on any posts that the blogs have. By commenting the posts, people will have the benefits to interact with others and exchange thoughts as well as forming a society within the blogs.

References:

McLean, J 2009 'State of The Blogosphere 2009 Introduction' Technorati Blogging viewed 30 September 2010 http://technorati.com/blogging/article/state-of-the-blogosphere-2009-introduction/