I am completely new to the culture of weblogs. I have, however, spent a decent amount of time posting regularly on traditional forums. They typically allowed a wide variety of topics; anything from computer gaming to philosophical pursuits.
Although I have only just begun to seek out and review weblogs, I have already discovered that they are also geared towards nearly all audiences and all interests.
Two types of weblogs that particularly receive a great deal of attention and are increasingly useful in our world today are pundit blogs and edu-blogs.
So what exactly are they?
Pundit blogs typically deal with the realm of politics (in fact, the word pundit often refers to a person who has authority over others, much like how political figures have power over their communities or states or how more “professional” bloggers can have a profound effect on the opinions of those less-versed in politics).
Edu-blogs typically deal with the realm of education (meaning, their purpose is to aid in education, not simply discuss the topic of education itself).
And why are these types of blogs so important?
Pundit blogs provide an easy-to-use and easily-accessed means of sorting out the facts in the world of politics, which is often fraught with deception and misunderstanding. They also allow those people who have a lot of experience with and knowledge of politics to inform the generally ill-informed public. One of the most popular pundit blogs, Instapundit, belongs to Glenn Reynolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee. One visit to his site will show just how dedicated he is to the topic; the frequency of his comments is incredible.
If you are interested in learning more about how to write like a pundit for weblogs, check out O’Reilly Net’s list of tips.
Edu-blogs, on the other hand, are extremely effective at giving students, teachers, or even just curious and inquisitive folks a similar way to communicate their ideas and knowledge. Weblogg-ed is an excellent example of how useful edu-blogs can be, and the link provided leads to a page which explains in further detail just how helpful weblogs can be for the purpose of education. Edu-blogs also make education in the classroom supported by online activities a snap. A good example of this is Dr. Jerz’s weblog for this class, which simplifies and streamlines the “administrative” portion of the course and packs it all into a location which we can reach from home or dorm rooms, at any time of the day.
Altogether, pundit blogs and edu-blogs continue to have a growing impact upon our lives, both online and offline. It can only be expected that their impact upon politics and education will extend far beyond just blogging.
You were so composed during your speech today. I learned a lot from you.
I have come across pundit and edu-blogs before, but no one has ever explained them. Thank you for presenting. Wonderful job, Chris.
Posted by: Amanda at September 8, 2004 09:47 PM