The Web Log or "Blog"
Some of our
assignments will call for a web log, for which the "in" term is "blog."
What is this thing called a blog,
some of you will ask, and how does it differ from a discussion board post
that you all are probably familiar with?
In point of fact, we will probably use the terms "post" and "blog" almost
synonymously, and both will be done on the discussion board.
Here are two definitions/descriptions of a blog from blog sites on the web:
- Blog . . . an online journal
of personal thoughts and web links, usually published frequently and presented in chronological
order and often allowing others to
attach their own thoughts and opinions for further discussion. Blogs
are usually a mix of what is happening in a person's life and on the web, although they come
in all flavors just like the people
who create them.
- Blog . . .a short form
of weblog, is a personal journal that is frequently
updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of
the author. Topics include brief
philosophical musings, commentary on the Internet
and other social issues, and links to other sites the author favors. The essential characteristics
of the blog are its journal form, typically
a new entry each day, and its informal, spontaneous style.
For our purposes, the
distinguishing characteristics of a blog might be thought of in these ways:
- it functions as a record
(a "log") of web sites visited
- it contains links to other
web sites (a blog virtually always will have these, whereas a discussion
board post need not necessarily have these and perhaps virtually never has
these)
- it thrives on a mix of
autobiography and "business": what might seem personal digressions in normal
academic assignments on a discussion board are given a longer leash
- it may often be longer
than the normal discussion board post
In other respects, blog and post
are similar, at least in the way the discussion board is described in the
"Discussion
Board Guidelines" document.
"Post" is the more general term, "blog" the more specific.
A blog is always a post, but not every post is a blog.
So, you might find us using the words "blog" and "post" interchangeably.
But when we say "blog," we are probably looking for:
- responses to web pages
you visited
- with a distinctly personal
favor
- at a length only limited
by the flow of your ideas