-TO JEAN BURGESS- -BLOGGING REFLECTION-

Ok..well I think I will make this my final post.

I've maintained my blog for 11 weeks and not just the minimum of 6. However, if you're not going to read all of my posts I recommend reading my posts from the first 6 weeks or so (starting back in the March archives). I put more effort into those. Haha, I have become a little lazy towards the end. Look at all of my pretty pictures though.

REFLECTION ON BLOGGING:
When I first heard about blogging in Virtual Cultures I didn’t really understand what a blog was and I didn’t think many blogs existed. But I soon discovered what blogging was all about and that blogs were everywhere on the Internet. People maintain blogs for all sorts of reasons. The ones I stumbled across ranged from personal online journals to academic commentary to online art galleries. Many blogs that I visited were far more impressive than mine. I think to have a successful blog you really need to dedicate a lot of time to it. However, how can a ‘successful blog’ really be defined? I think that if it serves your purpose then it is a successful blog. I think my blog was successful because it really helped me revise and understand the unit content. Having undertaken this blogging process will help me in the exam.

I think blogs are an impressive communication medium primarily because anyone who has access to the Internet can have one. They are also versatile; each individual can adapt and design their blog to serve their own desired purpose. Blogs are a unique communication medium in that they allow everyday people to have a public voice. Blogs allow people to present their opinions and ideas to a public forum where they can be shared and debated. Admittedly, a lot of information within blogs is unedited, bias or just plain wrong, however, readers can use their discretion and decide themselves what they want to believe. Aside from this, I just think it is significant that everyday people now have an outlet for expression and a forum for discussion through blogging.

My own blog is rather contrived in that I didn’t really have a choice in what I could discuss aside from the direction in which I wanted to take the unit content. My blog is very different to a traditional journal in that I didn’t share overly personal thoughts and events. I don’t think I would ever keep a blog as a personal journal. Aside from the fact that I’m not a ‘journal person’ I wouldn’t feel very comfortable making it public, however, keeping a blog that wasn’t publicly available could be an option that I guess many other people choose to take. I won’t continue to maintain this blog but I was thinking of starting a blog that all of my family could use. We are spread out across Australia, England and America. I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog where we could each post pictures and updates about what has been going on in our lives.

My blog is firmly based in academic work and reflections upon the content of Virtual Cultures. The ability to do this online is what makes blogs unique. If I had reflected upon the same content but written it down in a paper based log I think the outcome would have been different. I would have tired of it quickly and not have enjoyed it anywhere near as much. I think blogs are more successful than traditional journals because they are visually appealing, allow for easy editing and incorporation of images, and most importantly other people can view and comment.

Overall, my blogging experience has been positive. I enjoyed being able to incorporate pictures and create links to all of my other fellow bloggers in Virtual Cultures. Highlights: I actually had quite a few people comment on my posts, yay!