Blogs in many ways will and do affect our community as everyday people are using them in a way to express themselves with either their real identities or a fake ones. Although blogging does consist within the online world it may in fact also influence our offline communities in many ways, as will be further discussed, this can have many advantages but also many disadvantages to our communities.
Advantages: When you are online you are what may be known to be as in a part of a large global community (Caslon 2008), this community may be seen as not only great for communication purposes but also a great resource. When the community are contributing to blogs they are in many ways expressing themselves with their own creativity and opening up to their community in a way they feel comfortable in. Whilst blogging you don’t need to write a massive piece it can simply be quite short but yet it would still be getting a point out to the mass community (Caslon 2008). Blogging can help people to feel less isolated, as though they belong to a community and more satisfied with their friendships (Caslon 2008). Research from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne found that “after two months of regular blogging, people felt they had better social support and friendship networks than those who did not
blog” (Ryan 2008). This is because people felt as though they were a part of something, this helps to strengthen the community in many ways as people are beginning to feel a part of one. Because they are being introduced into a community in which they feel that they can be themselves they are likely to ask for help when needed, because the people who are around them are similar people to themselves (Ryan 2008). After being a part of a social network people may tend to feel less anxious, depressed and stressed (Ryan 2008), this in fact is helping to build a better community not only online, but also offline as people are feeling happier about themselves and more comfortable in their communities.
Disadvantages: Blog entrepreneur Jason Calacanis is someone who does not have high hopes for blogging as he states “The hype comes from unemployed or partially employed marketing professionals and people who never made it as journalists wanting to believe. They want to believe there's going to be this new revolution and their lives are going to be changed” (Caslon 2008), Calacanis is categorising bloggers into certain groups; these groups consist of people who need some sort of inspirational help. When you create a blog on your website you are in fact giving people the option to post their own personal remarks, this in turn gives people to opportunity to attack your blog, and especially if you are in a business then this is a chance for your competition to degrade yours (Huber 2006). This may cause bad feelings between the communities as little things like this may start to create something larger, such as the community dividing up into teams. In pointing this out, companies may also be at risk by having a blog, as many disgruntled employees may take their chance at this to say their opinion about their company’s product or management (Enderle 2008). Bloggers may also use a false name when doing this; this may harm the company as they are unable to identify the blogger or stop them from doing this. Blogging may have many advantages for teenagers however their can also be much harm to them as well as 70 % of the teenagers state their first name, 67 % expose their age, and 61 percent give out their contact details with 59 percent of those who gave contact details stating the city or state of where they live (Davies 2006). This may harm the community as sexual predation may occur as they can take advantage of younger adolescence that may seem to feel lonely or become attached.
As discussed there are many positives and negatives when it comes to blogging and how it may affect our offline communities. However, mostly anything today has a positive in which is also tagged along with the many negatives; therefore you may just have to take advantage of the positives and take the negatives as they come. As the online world in something that is also considered to not only be a community, but also a great resource for those who need help or to find out what they are searching for.
Sources:
Caslon 2008, Blogging: Community, Caslon Analytics Blogging, viewed 20 October 2008,<http://www.caslon.com.au/weblogprofile4.htm>
Ryan, C 2008, Blogging boosts your social life: research, ABC science online, viewed 20 October 2008,<http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/03/2178512.htm>
Huber, J 2006, Huberspace, Huberspace, viewed 20 October 2008, < http://www.huberspace.net/news.php?id=2283>
Enderle, R 2008, Protecting against blog fraud: what people say can hurt you, IT business Edge, viewed 20 October 2008,<http://www.itbusinessedge.com/blogs/rob/?p=242>
Davies, G 2006, Positives and Negatives of Blogging, Advisory Matters, viewed October 2008,<http://advisorymatters.naaceblogs.org/2006/02/21/positives-and-negatives-of-blogging/>
Advantages: When you are online you are what may be known to be as in a part of a large global community (Caslon 2008), this community may be seen as not only great for communication purposes but also a great resource. When the community are contributing to blogs they are in many ways expressing themselves with their own creativity and opening up to their community in a way they feel comfortable in. Whilst blogging you don’t need to write a massive piece it can simply be quite short but yet it would still be getting a point out to the mass community (Caslon 2008). Blogging can help people to feel less isolated, as though they belong to a community and more satisfied with their friendships (Caslon 2008). Research from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne found that “after two months of regular blogging, people felt they had better social support and friendship networks than those who did not
blog” (Ryan 2008). This is because people felt as though they were a part of something, this helps to strengthen the community in many ways as people are beginning to feel a part of one. Because they are being introduced into a community in which they feel that they can be themselves they are likely to ask for help when needed, because the people who are around them are similar people to themselves (Ryan 2008). After being a part of a social network people may tend to feel less anxious, depressed and stressed (Ryan 2008), this in fact is helping to build a better community not only online, but also offline as people are feeling happier about themselves and more comfortable in their communities.Disadvantages: Blog entrepreneur Jason Calacanis is someone who does not have high hopes for blogging as he states “The hype comes from unemployed or partially employed marketing professionals and people who never made it as journalists wanting to believe. They want to believe there's going to be this new revolution and their lives are going to be changed” (Caslon 2008), Calacanis is categorising bloggers into certain groups; these groups consist of people who need some sort of inspirational help. When you create a blog on your website you are in fact giving people the option to post their own personal remarks, this in turn gives people to opportunity to attack your blog, and especially if you are in a business then this is a chance for your competition to degrade yours (Huber 2006). This may cause bad feelings between the communities as little things like this may start to create something larger, such as the community dividing up into teams. In pointing this out, companies may also be at risk by having a blog, as many disgruntled employees may take their chance at this to say their opinion about their company’s product or management (Enderle 2008). Bloggers may also use a false name when doing this; this may harm the company as they are unable to identify the blogger or stop them from doing this. Blogging may have many advantages for teenagers however their can also be much harm to them as well as 70 % of the teenagers state their first name, 67 % expose their age, and 61 percent give out their contact details with 59 percent of those who gave contact details stating the city or state of where they live (Davies 2006). This may harm the community as sexual predation may occur as they can take advantage of younger adolescence that may seem to feel lonely or become attached.
As discussed there are many positives and negatives when it comes to blogging and how it may affect our offline communities. However, mostly anything today has a positive in which is also tagged along with the many negatives; therefore you may just have to take advantage of the positives and take the negatives as they come. As the online world in something that is also considered to not only be a community, but also a great resource for those who need help or to find out what they are searching for.
Sources:
Caslon 2008, Blogging: Community, Caslon Analytics Blogging, viewed 20 October 2008,<http://www.caslon.com.au/weblogprofile4.htm>
Ryan, C 2008, Blogging boosts your social life: research, ABC science online, viewed 20 October 2008,<http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/03/2178512.htm>
Huber, J 2006, Huberspace, Huberspace, viewed 20 October 2008, < http://www.huberspace.net/news.php?id=2283>
Enderle, R 2008, Protecting against blog fraud: what people say can hurt you, IT business Edge, viewed 20 October 2008,<http://www.itbusinessedge.com/blogs/rob/?p=242>
Davies, G 2006, Positives and Negatives of Blogging, Advisory Matters, viewed October 2008,<http://advisorymatters.naaceblogs.org/2006/02/21/positives-and-negatives-of-blogging/>
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