Since Jorn Barger logged the first blog in December 1997, the evolution of the weblog has made an impact on the way people communicate and collaborate. Blogs have been labeled “the easiest, cheapest, fastest publishing tool ever invented” by Jeff Jarvis, Director of City University of New York's Graduate School of Journalism. (Wortham, 2007). With the ease of publishing your own “news” and relaying the “experience” of current affairs, a journalist is no longer the main centre of knowledge on a subject, the audience now knows more than the reporter. (Glaser, 2006). Blogs have made it possible to become famous or to create a career out of writing on topics that contain interesting, well written content, which is evident in the case of celebrity gossip blogger, Perez Hilton. But with so many blogs out there and new technologies and social networking sites launched everyday, what does the future have in-store for the blog?
"Businesses have blogs. Children have blogs. Seniors have blogs. Got a hobby? Blog about it. Got a passion, blog about it." (VanFossen, 2007) Blogs are "collections of website links and written commentary, typically on a single web page and sorted chronologically." (Baer, 2006) As blogs have evolved over the past 13 years, they have moved from digital online journals to corporate websites, individual’s subjects of interest, and news portals, creating a channel that has totally remodeled the flow of information. (Zimmer, 2006) Blogs are unfiltered, which allows individuals to have their say on a topic, without being censored and are also welcome for the public to comment on the content. "This instant and open sharing of information and opinion is transformative and ties communities of like-minded people together in virtual tribes that can wield substantial real world influence." (Baer, 2006) Getting involved online through blogs gives companies, politicians and industry experts a personal touch, showing that they care about their consumers and the public’s opinions. "Corporate executives, journalists, marketers, freelancers, advertisers, politicians, and citizens of the world have taken to publishing blogs, moving them from personal journals to a modern influential media form." (Zimmer, 2006) Jeff Jarvis, BuzzMachine, points out that blogging is “a tool that you can use to do anything. Change the world or put up your restaurant's daily menu, and anything in between." (Wortham, 2007)
As blogs have grown in popularity, it has allowed the average citizen to make their own news and distribute it globally, an act that was once the sole role of journalists and media companies. (Glaser, 2006) Bloggers can publish their experiences online through a variety of portals, be it a news network, their own personal blogs, or the use of micro Blogs like Twitter and Facebook. The term “citizen journalism” has many explanations, but it simply is amateur writers, distributing their thoughts and options on a particular topic or events. But this term can be blurred with professional journalists too. “Many journalists working within the media have turned to blogging as a way to disseminate their writing.” (Leaver, 2010) Professional news media groups use citizen journalists as “sources” for particular breaking news stories. “Blogs have become important news sources in their own right. Behind-the-scenes footage and reports emerged during crises like the South Asian tsunami, the Hurricane Katrina aftermath and the recent Burmese uprising, when coverage from traditional outlets was scarce.” (Wortham, 2007) This is called Network Journalism where “professionals and amateurs [are] working together to get the real story, linking to each other across brands and old boundaries to share facts, questions, answers, ideas, perspectives. It recognizes the complex relationships that will make news." (Jarvis, 2006) Stories, photos, and videos are broadcast on the news from citizen journalist who were there when an event unfolds. The recent Queensland floods are also an example of network journalism at work. Arianna Huffington, editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, calls “bloggers the "pit bulls of journalism" and credits their persistent nature with reviving stories that would otherwise fade from newspapers' front pages. Bloggers' openness helps break through the media clutter to illuminate important issues, and is changing the way traditional journalism engages readers." (Wortham, 2007)
Celebrity gossip is a huge industry. When Perez Hilton launched his celebrity gossip website www.perezhilton.com in 2004, originally named PageSixSixSix.com, it “has become one of the leading go-to sites for celebrity news garnering over 300 million hits a month.” (Hilton, 2011) Hilton started his first blog site because “he had a lot of free time and started a website because it seemed easy. His new site takes full advantage of the immediacy of the Internet, consistently scooping even the daily publications." (Boardman, 2006) Hilton’s success is simple. He has never been motivated by money, he just wants to get as many people he could to visit his blog. The vindictive content of his posts on perezhilton.com, and the heavy web traffic that visit his site daily, has made Hilton a major player in Hollywood's star-making factory. (Caesar, 2007) But this fame does take it’s toll on Hilton who can work up to 18 hour days to keep his website as one of the most visited celebrity gossip website, currently ranked 123 most hit site. (technorati.com) Hilton does admit that "A lot of agencies actually send me their pictures, because they realise that one dude with a website who is doing it for fun, is being read by four million viewers. So having their photo on the site helps them to sell it.” (Caeser, 2006) If a blog has great content and interest, it can become a money making venture and generate massive web traffic and be one of the top ranked website for celebrity gossip, or any topic of interest.
As technologies are introduced to help enhance the Internet experience, the future of the blog is mixed. "There was a time when casual, personal blogging was your way to communicate with your friends on the web. Via posts, commenting, and blogrolls, bloggers formed niche communities on the web to socialize with each other.” (Perez, 2008) There is currently “a trend that clearly shows that blogging is losing its luster with today’s younger generation.” (Carta, 2010) As new communication platforms have emerged over the past few years, the blog has become dull and unappealing to the younger generation. As viewer’s attention spans shrink, new life needs to be infused into blogs to make them more dynamic. With the growing popularity Tablets and Smartphones like Apples iPad and iPhones, many professional bloggers have made their blogs available as applications (Apps) for these devices, allowing their blogs to be readily accessible and available to as many people as possible. (Carta, 2010)
Another new platform that has recently become popular in social networking is “Lifestreaming”. "A “lifestream” is a time-ordered stream of documents that functions as a diary of your electronic life; every document you create and every document other people send you is stored in your lifestream.” (Freeman, Gelernter, 1997) Thought Lifestreams are an old idea, they have recently come to light with the ever-expanding social networking websites. Users can collaborate all their social networking information into one spot, be it their Tweets from Twitter, blogs, photo uploads to Flickr, or video content on YouTube. Social aggregation services “like FriendFeed provide today's new discussion boards where conversation occurs surrounding the items posted and shared, leading to even more of a community feel, and one that's drawing more users every day. What's amazing about this site is that the elements of traditional blogging are mirrored here. Instead of posts, there's a stream. Instead of "Recent Comments," there are the "Recent Discussions." And instead of an "About Me" page, there's a link to the blogger's Facebook profile. Could this be the future of blogging?” (Perez, 2008)
Over the past 13 years, Blogs have changed the way in which people communicate and collaborate with each other. The blog has evolved from a personal online journal and a way to converse between friends, to a way to break news stories, share experiences and ideas on any topic or event and welcoming comments from the general public. Blogs have opened up a new avenue for people to use to voice their opinions to the world and a way to make a career as a professional blogger. Perez Hilton is an example of one man with a passion on a topic and turning his blog into an online money making venture just by posting his opinions online. But as technologies change, the way in which Blogs are used and accessed will change from a single chronologically ordered website into applications for Tablets and Smartphones, letting people access them whenever they want and wherever they are. Blogs need to become more dynamic to keep the younger generation interested in them, and to continue to use them as a way of online communication and collaboration.
REFERENCES
REFERENCES
Wortham, J. (2007) After 10 Years of Blogs, the Future's Brighter Than Ever. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/news/2007/12/blog_anniversary
Glaser, M. (2006) Your Guide to Citizen Journalism. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/09/your-guide-to-citizen-journalism270.html
VanFossen, L (2007) Blog Challenge: Have Blogs Changed the World? Retrieved from http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2007/01/16/blog-challenge-have-blogs-changed-the-world/
Baer, J. (2006) Blogs and the new transparency of communication. Retrieved from http://www.convinceandconvert.com/web-site-strategy/blogs-and-the-new-transparency-of-communication/
Zimmer, L. (2006) Blogs: Changing the Communications Conversation. Retrieved from http://weblog.modernmediasphere.com/2006/02/blogs_changing_.html
Javis, J. (2006) Networked journalism. Retrieved from http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/07/05/networked-journalism/#comment-86195
Hilton, P. (2011) Bio - Who is Perez Hilton? Retrieved from http://perezhilton.com/?page_id=38
Broadman, M. (2006) Beautiful People 2006: Perez Hilton. Retrieved from http://www.papermag.com/arts_and_style/2006/04/beautiful-people-2006-perez-hilton.php
Caeser, E. (2007) The Star-Spangled Blogger: Rise and rise of a showbiz superbitch. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-starspangled-blogger-rise-and-rise-of-a-showbiz-superbitch-442545.html
technorati.com (2011) Retrieved from http://technorati.com/search?return=sites&authority=all&q=perez+hilton&x=13&y=13 on 27th January 2011
Perez, S. (2008) The Future of Blogging Revealed. Retrieved from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_future_of_blogging_reveale.php
Carta, D. (2010) The Future of Blogging. Retrieved from http://gigaom.com/collaboration/the-future-of-blogging/
Freeman, E., Gelernter, D. (1997) Lifestreams, Organizing Your Electronic Life. Retrieved from http://cs-www.cs.yale.edu/homes/freeman/lifestreams.html
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