Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Guardian: In praise of the 'blogosphere'
In praise of ... the blogosphere
The number of bloggers - people who write online journals - topped 30m this week, according to technorati.com, the search engine that monitors activity of this kind. This may give an exaggerated idea of the size of the global blogosphere because a lot of people have more than one website and others are inactive. But it does suggest that a milestone may have been passed and that blogging is graduating from being a minority sport to a mainstream activity.
Three factors are likely to ensure a continued surge in popularity. First, it is becoming ever easier to establish a blog, especially for those with broadband internet access. It takes barely two minutes to set one up if you decide on a unique password in advance. Second, the number of things you can do with them is growing fast because of the easy way photos, video clips and audio files can now be uploaded at the click of a mouse. It is possible to send a photo straight from a mobile phone to a blog with a single button press, adding text if necessary. Third, and most important, they are becoming politically and socially important as like-minded people around the world share thoughts and pictures and call decision-makers to task.
The more people join in the more powerful, and empowering, the network will become. Anyone with broadband can publish their own music, films, voice or words as well as being a passive participant. Suddenly the global village has its own continuous conversation.
I am a mere one of 30 million. A very small fish in a very big cyber sea.
Along with "podcast", "blogosphere" (these words always encased in quotation marks to pin their stupidity) is a word that should never be used. Not clever. "Look lots of blogs, like the atmosphere, vast etc, lets call it a blogosphere". Lets fuck off.
I agree with the Guardians sentiments, although the vanity of 30 million people is perhaps a greater point, than blog's social and political uses.
The number of bloggers - people who write online journals - topped 30m this week, according to technorati.com, the search engine that monitors activity of this kind. This may give an exaggerated idea of the size of the global blogosphere because a lot of people have more than one website and others are inactive. But it does suggest that a milestone may have been passed and that blogging is graduating from being a minority sport to a mainstream activity.
Three factors are likely to ensure a continued surge in popularity. First, it is becoming ever easier to establish a blog, especially for those with broadband internet access. It takes barely two minutes to set one up if you decide on a unique password in advance. Second, the number of things you can do with them is growing fast because of the easy way photos, video clips and audio files can now be uploaded at the click of a mouse. It is possible to send a photo straight from a mobile phone to a blog with a single button press, adding text if necessary. Third, and most important, they are becoming politically and socially important as like-minded people around the world share thoughts and pictures and call decision-makers to task.
The more people join in the more powerful, and empowering, the network will become. Anyone with broadband can publish their own music, films, voice or words as well as being a passive participant. Suddenly the global village has its own continuous conversation.
I am a mere one of 30 million. A very small fish in a very big cyber sea.
Along with "podcast", "blogosphere" (these words always encased in quotation marks to pin their stupidity) is a word that should never be used. Not clever. "Look lots of blogs, like the atmosphere, vast etc, lets call it a blogosphere". Lets fuck off.
I agree with the Guardians sentiments, although the vanity of 30 million people is perhaps a greater point, than blog's social and political uses.
