4Th Assignment:Discuss The Uses and Implications of Blogging

Why do people blog? What is this that so fascinated people that they would spend hours staring at the computer typing blog entries? One would wonder what the uses of blogs are and the reasons as to why they have such a profound effect on the generation of this modern era. Well, in order to study this question, one need to also look into the main purpose on why people blog.

Blogs are conventionally used as a platform for the masses to express their feelings and ideas. In more colloquial terms, it means that people uses blogs to showcase the events that are happening around them, their feelings that they felt as these things unrolled before them, including the things and issues that they went through. In another sense, blogs are modern day, electronic diaries, one where people would be free to express anything they want, without limitations or restrictions of any sort, being a catalyst for the free-flow of ideas. No one can stop you even when one is saying something that the others don’t like (If one are wise enough to remain anonymous), and one can just relate one’s story without the fear of being prosecuted or ridiculed. Thus, in recent times, innumerable blogs had popped up in the web, propagating various issues that affect us as humans. From the ecstasy and heartbreaks of love relationships, to the complexities of life struggles and agonies, blogs have so far satisfy the desire of the millions of people who blogged: they want to be heard.

Nevertheless, there are also those who have other purposes in mind. These guys use blogs as a tool to advance businesses. In it, they showcase their products and service, utilising a whole multitude of advertising and marketing strategies and means. This kind of blogs, known more commonly as “corporate blog”, exist not as platform for showcasing personal frets or joys, but this serve only one aim: business. Corporate people use them primary for marketing, public relations or branding. Besides that, corporate blogs are also used internally to encourage communication and culture in a certain organisation.

Blogs are also used in more recent times to help spread a certain news or current issue. As a side effect, most of these blogs also promote discussions about the said issue, and sometimes even prompting educational and (often) heated debates. Even so, one must be careful in discerning between fact and mere fiction, as blogs sometimes include unverified rumours that only serve to discredit a certain personality or to “add fuel into an already raging fire”. Thus, one should excise caution and not be easily swayed by tales that are only designed to ignite emotions or fan up hatred and distrust, fulfilling the will of unscrupulous characters that create such a thing.

However,there is still advantage in blogging,the main disadvantage of blogging is that maintaining a successful blog requires skillful research, professional writing skills and a huge commitment of time and effort. There simply is no such thing as a perfect marketing tool, or an effortless way to build traffic to any site, including blogs.The hardwork in searching and writing is a complex and extremely time-consuming task. So, far from blogs being a cheap strategy, they are a very expensive one, in that they eat up time. As a result, many blogs are not updated, thus damaging rather than enhancing the reputation of the organization. A blog that isn't kept up to date quickly loses its luster and its audience.

Blogs are writing intensive. Most people would rather have root canal than write something coherent, pithy and provocative every day. It takes talent, skill and training to write down ideas clearly and make them interesting to read. Most people don't have very much to say that's interesting, and/or are unable to write down their ideas in a compelling and clear manner. We have often found that the people who have most time to write have least to say, and the people who have most to say don't have enough time to write it. Thus, the real expertise within the organization lays hidden, as you get drowned in trivia.

Blog software is cheap and easily configured. However, you need to have a designer customize the appearance and navigation of your blog and set up templates to make using it easy for you. It takes time, effort, and skillful promotion to build an audience for a blog. Just like a newsletter, report, Website or e-book, driving traffic to a blog requires marketing.

Blogging is a medium for people to express their own thought.However,the cons of blogging cannot be neglected.We have to use blog as a way that it should be.



By:Teoh Tian Ran
Tai Tzu Lee
Lim Eu Joon
Ng Teek Hun