Web 2,0 Technologies and Blogging - Essay Example

Web 2.0 and Blogging Customer Inserts His/her Name Customer Inserts Name of University (September 30, 2014) Introduction Web 2.0 technologies are composed of a number of applications that emphasize on web contents that are generated or reviewed by the user. The focus of Web 2.0 is promotion of content and data sharing; support of collaborative efforts in editing and coming up with Web content; promotion of new ways in which people can interact; and use of the World Wide Web (the Web) as a platform for consuming, repositioning and generating information (Harris & Rea, 2009). The characteristic nature of Web 2.0 as a platform discouraging passive sharing of information is the reason for its popularity because it has led to the emergence of numerous Web-sharing platforms like blogs, social networks, photo and video sharing platforms, and so forth (Anderson, 2007). Drawing from the properties of Web 2.0 that provides blogs with their sharing platform, blogs encourage active involvement of visitors by allowing comments on content and replies to other visitors. This paper is an in-depth analysis of blogs as Web 2.0 applications. Web 2.0 Web 2.0 simply refers to new online technologies that use the Web as a platform to allow user interaction and communication. One distinctive feature about Web 2.0 platforms is that they allow users to make changes on Web content. Additionally, users can influence or add the contents of Web 2.0 applications. Also referred to as participative Web, social computing or user-created content, Web 2.0 was coined in the year 2004 by Tim O’Reilly, and its main purpose was to describe the transformative Web that had emerged following the dot-com crash of 2001. Despite the controversy surrounding the appropriate use of Web 2.0, one thing is clear; that the contemporary Web offers a place where people can interact, and where users are capable of generating Web content (Gardner, 2009). Although Web 2.0 may appear to suggest that the Web has been transformed into something new, there are no changes in the specifications of the Web with regard to its technical aspect. Rather, Web 2.0 refers to a shift in the way that Web users utilize the capabilities of the Web. Web 2.0 is a receptacle that can describe a variety of Web applications, which share the Web 2.0 idea of allowing users to change, co-author or recommend changes to Web content (Stern, n.d.). Web 2.0 is fundamentally different from other websites because it does not need publishing and Web design skills to participate. This makes it easy for users to communicate with other users, create and publish content, and so forth (Thomson, 2008). Examples of Web 2.0 applications A number of applications are based on the Web 2.0 concept. These include Web logs, also known as blogs, photo and video sharing platforms, wikis, folksonomies, social networking sites, podcasts, RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, mashups, Web services, and virtual worlds (Thomson, 2008). It is however important to note that the classification of Web services as Web 2.0 is arguable because they are one-way. That is users are incapable of altering the content of Web services despite the fact that they can re-use it. The Web 2.0 based applications become more popular, the potential for their use by governments and organizations across the globe is being recognized (Gardner, 2009). Blogs as a web 2.0 application The word blog is derived from the phrase ‘web log’. Blogs normally give information on a given event, topic, or issue. Some blogs even talk about a particular person; giving a personal diary made public using the Web platform. Usually, a small group of people or one person maintains a blog. Blog visitors are allowed to comment on the content of the blog, or even respond to other visitors’ comments. Primarily, blogs are composed of text but they can also take the form of films, photos, or sounds (Thomson, 2008). From this background information about blogs, they allow interaction between and among visitors and thus they qualify as social software. The blogosphere is a common word used in relation with blogs. It refers to the collection of blogs, bloggers, and their visitors. The blogosphere is therefore an example of a Web 2.0 community because blogs are part of the Web 2.0 fraternity. Another common blogging jargon is the term micro-blogging that is used to refer to publication of brief messages using web-based services. Such services include social networks like Twitter, Tumblr and so forth. Blogging and micro-blogging qualify as Web 2.0 activities. Micro-blogging and blogging encourage the idea of UGC, an acronym that stands for User Generated Content, and which means that users can generate and share content on online platforms (Conquering Technophobia, 2009). The participatory approach of blogging and micro-blogging are the key features that qualify them as Web 2.0 applications. Why blogs are popular The popularity of blogs has been occasioned by their nature. Blogs are easy to create even for users who do not have knowledge in web design and publishing. To create a blog, all one needs is basic computing knowledge and skills in using the internet, particularly the Web. The popularity of blogs is also because of the fact that they are easy to use, which means that blog visitors can easily access them whenever they need to get the information provided by the blogs. To use a blog, all that a user needs to do is to click on links provided in social media or on other blogs. Additionally, blogs are normally organized well, and thus the user can easily comment on the content of the blog. Further, blogs are mostly free or accessible at a low cost. This means that the information that they carry is available to all, hence their popularity. Most blogs are created free of charge and thus anyone can create his/her own blog, a factor that has also contributed to the popularity of blogs. Lastly, blogs are search friendly and thus typing the keywords of a given blog on a browser brings a link to the blog on the screen, which takes the user directly to the blog when clicked. Relationship between journalism and blogs Blogs are fundamentally different from traditional media. The latter tend to pursue editorial objectivity while the former are more niche-focused, partisan and opinionated. They also encourage communication between readers and content creators and thus many traditional journalists have embraced blogging in their trade. Journalism has a symbiotic, rather than competitive relationship, with blogging. Bloggers are sometimes the source of information reported by journalists, and numerous blogs have commentaries on the news of the day as reported by traditional journalists. Sometimes, newsmakers use blogs to give their views on the information reported about them by journalists. By linking blogs with traditional media, the former can bring the latter new audience. Sometimes blogging leads to citizen journalism. For instance, during the Iraq war, the Baghdad blogger provided invaluable information to news outlets all over the world. The aforementioned symbiotic relationship between blogging and journalism is also fed by other web 2.0 social networking. Social networks are interactive sites in which users create profiles and interact with their friends online. Examples of social networks include Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and so forth. Blogs use social networks to promote and advertise their content. Depending on the strength of ties between visitors of a particular blogs and influential social networking site users, a blog may get high visitor traffic (Easley & Kleinberg, 2010). That is, if enthusiastic users of a particular blog have strong ties with influential Twitter users, they may influence more people on Twitter to visit the blog. Uses of blogs Blogs can be applied in a variety of fields. Firstly, they are valuable communication and knowledge management tools in organizations. Blogs enable such companies to communicate industry and product news, project updates, and related information to people within the organization and outside the organization (Understanding Web 2.0, 2011). Additionally, academic institutions can use blogs to share course materials and assignments with students. The use of blogs for academic purposes is particularly useful because students can comment on the suitability of course materials and propose changes to course outlines, and related information. Further, research institutions can use blogs to study various aspects of the population. For instance, research institutions can study blog traffic and establish the dynamics of interest in particular issues. Such information can be invaluable in provision of goods and advertising targeting. Medical institutions can use blogs to provide life-saving information, like when to visit a doctor when a patient experiences certain symptoms. Blogs can be applied in any profession and thus their uses are limitless. Conclusion From the discussion above, it is apparent that the idea of Web 2.0 and blogging has revolutionized human interactions. Blogging is a Web 2.0 application because it allows users to share their thoughts on the contents of blogs. Additionally, blogs allows interaction between users, whereby users can comment on other users’ comments. Micro-blogging sites like Twitter allow connections among users and thus users are capable of sharing information both publicly and privately. Blogging finds use in all professions because of its interactive nature. It enabled organizations to communicate within themselves and to the wider public, promoting sharing of information and knowledge management. Reference List Anderson, P. (2007). What is Web 2.0? JISC Technology and Standards Watch. Retrieved from http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/techwatch/tsw0701b.pdf Conquering Technophobia: Web 2.0 Explained. (2009). Retrieved from http://cdwg.discoveryeducation.com/web2.0/Web2.0.pdf Easley, D & Kleinberg, J. (2010). Strong and Weak Ties. Retrieved from http://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/kleinber/networks-book/networks-book-ch03.pdf Gardner, J. (2009). Blogs, Wikis and Official Statistics: New perspectives on the use of Web 2.0 by statistical offices. Retrieved from http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/oes/nutshell/2009/11_Stats.pdf Harris, A & Rea, A. (2009). Web 2.0 and Virtual World Technologies: A Growing Impact on IS Education. Journal of Information Systems Education, 20(2), 137 - 144 Stern, J. (n.d.). Introduction to Web 2.0 Technologies. Retrieved from http://www.wlac.edu/online/documents/Web_2.0%20v.02.pdf Thomson, H. (2008). Wikis, Blogs & Web 2.0 technology. Retrieved from http://www.unimelb.edu.au/copyright/information/guides/wikisblogsweb2blue.pdf Understanding Web 2.0. (2011). Retrieved from https://www.bluecoat.com/sites/default/files/documents/files/bcs_tp_Web20_v3b.pdf Read More