Cynthia Sistek-Chandler, Ed D School of Media and Communication, EDT

600AOriginally created by M. Ribble

College of Education, Kansas State UniversityOffice of Mediated Education

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines a blog as a “website that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.

Wikipedia goes on to talk about the range of blogs from “individual diaries to arms of political campaigns, media programs, and corporations”.

http://davidwarlick.com/2cents

Term “weblog” coined in 1997 by Jorn Barger then shortened to “blog” by Peter Merholz in 1999.

Its precursors were AP Wire, Ham radio “glogs”, Usenet, e-mail lists and bulletin boards.

Source - Wikipedia.com, accessed: 8/26/2005

http://www.httoday.blogspot.com/

Political Influence - 2001-2002, fall of Trent Lott, rise of Howard Dean and Wesley Clark

2003, Iraq War - “Baghdad Blogger” 2004, “Rathergate” - bloggers exposed

documents as forgeries

Source: Wikipedia.com, Accessed 8/26/2005

http://www.weblogg-ed.com

27% of American Internet Users visited a blog in 2005, up 58% from 2004

Blog readers tend to be young, male, well-educated, internet veterans

12% of American internet users have posted comments on others blogs up from 4% in 2003.

See additional research in PDF in course resources.

Source: pewinternet.org, The State of Blogging Report (January 2005)

http://powerlineblog.com

http://wizbangblog.com

Instructors - posting content related information, networking or knowledge sharing, instructional tips, announcements, annotated links

Students - reflective journals, assignment submission, dialog for groups, share resources

Students/people can write just about anything - and sometimes do

Things written today may be held against you in the future

Where is the boundary between freedom of speech and my rights?