Disclaimer: I did not read Evan's blog before I wrote my own entry on the article. However, we wrote on the same subject and even used some of the same language. This is purely coincidental. I guess great minds really do think alike. (Added November 1, 2004.)
Ah blogging. My latest adventure. Yet, when I started blogging, I did not give what I am doing much thought. Sure, I write something personal here, a little bit of info there, with some links scattered throughout. But could these posts be something more? Yet after reading “Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog” by Carolyn R. Miller and Dawn Shepherd, I see that my ramblings are contributing to something larger. Blogging as a genre. Imagine that.
Blogging is a recent creation for people to express their ideas, feelings, ideas, whatever. However, unlike books or articles, blogging lets anyone (yes, even people like myself) share their ideas with large amounts of people. Now all those weird thoughts you’ve been having can be shared with everyone- from your brother, to the guy down the street, and a man in a hut. However, blogging was not always this way. Originally, it was more a place to organize information that to share anything personal. Yet as the blog’s popularity began to rise, and people started using them as a tool of self-expression, the whole concept changed. These changes allowed weblogs to become its own genre.
Yet how is weblog a genre? It is not as easy to define as other genres. In mysteries, there are certain things that make it a mystery- the audience, the format of the story, the expected elements. However, blogs do not have one specific audience, a certain format, and certainly do not have any expected elements. In a blog, anything goes. So if a blog lacks a specific audience, format, and other elements, it can’t be a genre, right? Not exactly.
There are so many different types of weblogs. Some are personal, others political, the list goes on. And for each type of weblog, there is a certain audience to read them. A person looking for political information won’t read a fashion blog, and vice versa.
Although there isn’t one set format for a weblog that all bloggers must adhere to, there is a common setup. As mentioned, blogs are organized chronologically, with the most recent showing up on top.
Technology has impacted almost every aspect of our lives. It is constantly changing the world. So why wouldn’t something that comes from technology, the weblog, change the idea of a genre? It just has.
Yeah! I'm with you on the disclaimer. We did not collaborate at all. This was just the weirdest coincidence I have ever experienced!
0': <--(an expression of shock)
You might want to rethink the statement about no one specific audience. We covered a lot in class about Pundit blogs and Edu blogs - the content on these blogs is clearly geared towards people who understand the workings of the political and academic worlds. Now other readers coming across and latching on to them might just be a happy coincidence, but building a readership is one of the goals of any writing. After all, why would you write (and in this case, publicly) if you didn't want anyone to read your work?
Posted by: Neha at November 5, 2004 10:16 AMI agree Neha, I must have forgotten about the other blogs we discussed when I wrote this entry (How quickly we forget, huh?). Yes, there are blogs aimed to certain audiences, as with other writings. Thank you for pointing out my mistake.
Posted by: Vanessa at November 5, 2004 10:47 AM