The term “blog” is short for web log.
Although this sounds like a public diary, it can include more. Blogs not only provide a place for the author to write, they invite readers to COMMENT on what has been said. They can also include LINKS to web sites, other blogs, news articles, or even pictures. Some blogs have the capability of showing pictures as part of the blog itself.

Blog writers can also “tag” their entries with keywords. For example, if I write a blog entry about the book I am reading, The Cat in the Hat, I could “tag” it with the following tags: Suess, Cat in the Hat, reading. These are a kind of category for my entries, so I can view them by category as well as by date.

Blogs allow people to “share” in unique ways. Instead of simply using the internet for reading information to “look something up” on the web, blogs let people WRITE, REACT, and SHARE, using the internet as a place to do it.

Who Blogs? (yes, it is a verb, too.)
Blogs are very popular with younger people (as of the end of 2004, 48% of bloggers were under 30) and have been using the internet for over 8 years (2006 PEW Survey). Blogging especially appeals to people as an avenue for individual expression.

More details: Some blogs are narrowly-focused on a specific topic, such as music or politics. More are strictly personal, such as blogs shared with families or groups of friends to express opinions, tell about trips, or share a wedding, for example. Some blogs are more like op-ed columns in the newspaper, with commentary on events in the news, such as the war in Iraq or environmental issues. A select few bloggers even are paid for their blogs as part of an online magazine or newspaper. News sources are routinely using blogs to collect information about the goings-on in different parts of the world or, more likely, among a certain interest-group.

 

So, what’s a blog, and what do I do with it?
Roll over your questions at left to read the details.

I know the basics. Take me to some ideas for how to use a blog in my teaching.

What kind of writing do you see in blogs?

Blogs are generally written in a quick, informal style. Many include links to other web sites and blogs, instead of reiterating what has already been said. Bloggers, like any writers, need to know their audience. Successful bloggers aim their writing at that target audience, even though other “lurkers” out there may be reading them.