Blogging and YOU!

Blogging is a unique and interesting experience. It allows a person to provide their own personal opinion on a subject that they feel strongly about. This blogging experience for me was one of great interest. It gave me all the skills I would need to create my own blog about anything I want.

Starting out, to be totally honest, I didn't have the slightest idea of what I was doing. Oh sure, I knew what a blog was and how they work, but I didn't know how to make it work for me. Every blog that I had looked at had something unique to it, something that no other blog had. I felt that I had to try and replicate that, create something unique and totally different to what anyone else had done. However this is not the case, a blog does not neccessarily need to be totally different and unique to convey the points that its creator intended. I feel that the way in which my blog is set out, and worded, it is in its own way unique. Though there is nothing super special about it, it doesn't have the flare of some blogs out there, it has something that no other blog has on it. It is the thing that, in my opinion matters most, and that is actually my opinion. No other blog out there can say that they have my opinion in it. That is what makes it unique.

So why should you get a blog? To be totally honest there are a number of reasons that I could go through to explain why blogging is such a great thing. But I feel you would not care, you cannot use someone elses reasoning for creating a blog, each person who does create one creates it for their own reasons. This too is what you must think about if you want to create a blog. I can recommend it to you, and say that it is indeed a very useful tool, but that is all I can do. The rest my friends is up to you.

Happy blogging :P

Web shines bright

Global advertising is slowing down. Yet out of this darkness shines a bright light in online advertising. Figures show that spending for online advertising has jumped up over 100 million dollars. This leap of over 29% was marred, however, by the results showing that online classified advertising has slowed dramatically. Of course search and directories remain the strongest part of the online sector, these account for almost 50% of all advertising spending.

It would seem that the advertising audience is broadening, yet is this all a good thing for the advertising industry? Many reports have it that, while online advertising is surely growing at a rapid rate, the rest of the advertising industry is slowing down. Could this possibly have to do with the fact that the online advertising market is increasing? It is my personal opinion that the online advertising market is growing so fast because people are investing more time and money on it, and hence taking away the resources of the rest of the advertising industry. This is surely not a good thing, people cannot put all their eggs into one basket, in this case online advertising. Oh sure, it is a main player, and it is indeed an important part of any business' advertising, yet it should not, indeed cannot be the only way in which to advertise. If we let global advertising slow down to a halt how long will it be before the online advertising slows down too?

Article: Web a bright spot in a world of dwindling ads

Yahoo open to Microsoft takeover

After hearing about the collapse of the deal between Google and Yahoo regarding the online advertising, Yahoo has admitted that it is open to a deal with Microsoft. In May Yahoo resisted efforts by Microsoft to take it over. Yet after the collapse of the deal with Google, Yahoo's chief executive said 'the best thing for Microsoft to do would be to buy Yahoo'. This indeed makes sense seeing as at the time of the proposed takeover Yahoo was more expensive than it is at present, thus meaning that Microsoft could buy the company for a fraction of the May price.
However, it is speculated that Microsoft may not even purchase the entire Yahoo entity, but only the search engine itself. This of course just a possibility and it is not sure whether this will go ahead or not.

Now in comparison with the Google and Yahoo deal, I find this would be a very very good thing to happen. It is well known that at present Yahoo cannot compete with Google effectivley, it is just too small to even try. Yet with the possibility of a Microsoft takeover looming, it could now be possible that the combined organisation would be able to at last put up a good fight to the search engine superpower. Now it is probably this blogger's dream that Google will have some competition, and it is most likely a far off dream at that. But there is a possibility for this to happen.

Image: http://www.topnews.in/usa/files/microsoft_yahoo.jpg
Article: Yahoo open to new Microsoft bid

Google backs down

Internet search engine giant Google has backed out of its advertising agreement with Yahoo after the Department of Justice said that it would sue to halt the deal. The Justice Department argued that this deal would make the two giants 'collaborators rather than competitors'. It was also argued that this deal would have given Google too much control over the online advertising market.

Now it is understandable that this would not have been a good thing, one company controlling pretty much all online advertising would never be good. However, is it right for the Justice Department to step in and try to stop this deal? Would this deal have not had some good advantages for the many users of these search engines?

OK, it is probably for the best that the Justice Department did step in and take action, it did prevent Google from having a major portion of the online advertising. Yet it can be argued that one of the main points that the Justice Department made, the fact that the two companies would be 'collaborators rather than competitors', is wrong in some cases. Google is light-years ahead of Yahoo in every way, shape and form. One could really not call them competitors because Yahoo is no real competition for Google.

Image: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u46168/google-yahoo.jpg
Article: Google withdraws from Yahoo deal

Web TV versus Net Publishers

An online TV channel being launched by AdConion, an Internet advertising network. Competing for online video advertising revenue with Fairfax Digital and Ninemsn. According to many reports, and indeed the chief executive of AdConion, the advertising and the content will be matched to the user. This project will allow AdConion to compete with big name video sites such as YouTube for online video advertising revenues. The chief executive of AdConion hopes to make it the biggest digital TV network in the world by 2010.

Now this all sounds very good, it seems that one will be able to watch what they are interested in without actually being on that sort of website. However, does this mean that, if I am inclined to watch sports more than anything else, the only things that I will be see is sports shows? Does this mean that if I wanted to watch a comedy I would have to go elsewhere to find my fix? In theory of course this idea sounds very good, however when put into practice it is this blogger's opinion that this will not be as good as it sounds.

Article: Web TV group takes on net publishers

Online Blitz!

Ever woken up, gone to the store and found that they had run out of newspapers or your favourite magazine? Found that your family takes the bits they wanted to read from the paper, leaving you with the scraps? Well in recent times this is no longer a problem. So long as you have a computer, access to the Internet and a brain, you can access all your favourite newspapers/magazines, and many more, online.

However many people have found that, though the possibility of being able to access newspapers online is a good thing, they do not all provide the same selection of articles that the printed version does. Seldom is it found that all the articles in the print version are placed on the online one. It has also been found that, while you do not have to actually pay for the paper, the reading experience of the online source is not what you would get with the printed version.

So in light of all this, why are online newspapers and magazines becoming so popular? One important factor in this battle is most probably the possibility to read back over past issues. Cause we all know that the printed version does not stay in the house too long. Basically if you miss an issue, or need to get an article for an assignment at school, uni or even need it for work, you can with the online version.

So which one is going to win this battle? To be honest it seems that both will be here to stay for a while, people still like going to get the newspaper from the store. Until no one wants the printed version of these materials they will be here to stay, both of them.

Reference: 'Online--The Future of Newspapers? Germany's Dailies on the World Wide Web'

What blog suits you?

There are a wide range of different types of blogs out there on the Internet. So how can you choose which blog is the one that will suit your needs?

Firstly one must take a look at the different types to determine what each one is for:

There are personal blogs, which includes topics about personal issues and also subjects from an individuals point of view.

Business blogs are used to share expertise, communicate to consumers and to inform about updates to the company

Schools blogs are used by teachers and students who want to write about anything to do with their schooling experience, be it their classes or the assignments.

Non-profit blogs are used by foundations and charities to raise awareness and money for their foundation/charity

Politics blogs are used by political figures to connect with their supporters

An example of a politics blog is the one created for Barack Obama's campaign

Military blogs are used by both people in the military as well as their families to report on what they have seen in their duties or to just support each other

Here is an example of a place where you can create a Military blog, a site called Milblogging.com

Private blogs are used to share different forms of information with an organisation or loved ones

Sporting blogs are used by sports personalities and teams to express their passion for the sport in which they are involved

How-to, tips and reviews blogs are mainly used to share information about many different things from cooking to games, music and many more

So of all these blogs how could you determine which one is the blog for you? To be honest, it is quite simple. It all depends on what you want your blog to be about. For instance if you wanted it to be about why you like the music you like, then you would probably create a How-to, tips and reviews blog because that is the blog that best suits it.

Which do you prefer?

Let us pose a hypothetical question to you. Say you are a writer, you have an idea for a book, or some other publication. How do you pose to get this published? Will you go through the normal means and get it published in print form, or will you in fact go and publish it online? Note however that whichever option you choose, there are different ways in which you need to design your piece of work. There are also things that need to be taken into consideration, as in realising that your work, if placed online, is now public.

One of the first things that many people will notice about the differences between designing for print versus online is that designing for print is a lot more expensive than designing for the online arena. Another key factor in this decision would of course be the fact that a publication made in print is final, it cannot be changed unless another edition is published, thus adding to the cost of the project as a whole. This contrasts with designing for the online arena in that it can be changed at any time. It would seem then that the online arena is the way to go right?

Yet there are a lot of good things about designing for print as well. For example, having a printed version of a text gives the reader the ability to read it at their own pace, they do not have to read it all in one go, this could be the same of the online version as well, but the printed version provides a more leisurely feel to the reading, it is harder to read online texts than it is to read printed texts. Another thing to consider is that many people prefer having books, its that simple. Some people want to have the printed version so they can display it in their bookcase, the online version does not allow this to happen. A person could come into your house, see an empty bookcase and think you are illiterate. Of course this is not the case but having the printed version lets you show off your reading capabilities.

Blogging Revolution

The modern day blog evolved from the online diary, basically people keeping an account of their daily lives on the Internet. The modern blog basically started gaining momentum in about the mid 90's. As it is, blogs have become more mainstream, being used by TV personalities, political figures and sports stars. One very recent notable blogging personality is Barack Obama. It is interesting to note that, even before his speech at Grant Park in Chicago, Obama wrote on his own blog to thank everyone for their support. This shows just how important he feels the people who read his blog are.

As of 2007 it was estimated that there were over 184 million people who had started up a blog. It is also estimated that a new blog is created every second. It is astounding to think that this blog is adding to the millions of blogs already out there. Imagine how many blogs are actually out there, imagine that there are approximately 1 million blog posts everyday, with at least 2 million blogs being updated weekly. (Richardson, 2005)

How then, knowing all this information above, has blogging affected society as we know it? People blog for a number of reasons. Some blog to get attention, some blog for money, while some others blog to get influence. Yet of all these reasons there is one that is more paramount than the rest, one that could be argued is the reason it all started. That is sharing. People blog to share. They want to share their ideas, opinions, values and interests with people from all over the world.

Welcome to blogging

Finally my first blog is up and running. This blog will take a look at many of the latest and greatest media issues as well as providing an in depth analysis of the different mediums in which people are able to communicate i.e. TV, newspaper etc.

This blog will be using many different sources including the ABC Media Report, The Australian's media section, as well as The Guardian's online media supplement. These sources will provide a useful supplement to my thoughts and opinions on the subjects at hand.
Thanks for reading and feel free to leave some love :D