What is blogging communities and how to build one?

A blogging community refers to those who share the same blogging platform such as Xanga. Otherwise it is also used to describe group blogs where several people contribute to one particular blog.

How to create ONE?

According to Crowe,P. 2011, there a several tips in creating a blogging community which are:

• Reach Out to Professional Bloggers
• Respond to Commenters
• Write Posts in reaction to Others
• Create a Local Blogger Meet Up
• Share Link Love

According to White 2006, she defined three different kinds of blogging communities:

Figure 1: Blog Based Communities

Image source: The Knowledge Tree- ThreeForms.jpg

-       Single Blog/ Blogger Centric Community – one blog owned by single owner or organization, multiple bloggers. Example: The Knowledge Tree.

Figure 2: Single Blog/Blogger Centric Community

Image source: The Knowledge Tree -blogcentricsmaller.jpg

This is the original blog based community to develop whereby readers comment and get to know the blogger and community the commenters. These communities depend on one platform and only one blog, which hold features that available for the members. The blog’s main identity is the author whom sets the rules and regulations. Democracy would not have any role to play here, as there would be still ‘censorship’ playing its part. The central blogger decides the topic to be discussed whereby commenters can respond or ignore. 

•          Central Connecting Topic Community – Community that arise through common interest. Example: Global Voices Community

Figure 3: Topic Centric Community

Image source: The Knowledge Tree - TopicCentricCommunity.jpg

• Boudaried Communities – individuals register and join the community and given a chance to create a blog. Example: MySpace.com

Figure 4: Boundaried Communities

Image Source: The Knowledge boundariedsmallerfixed.jpg

Reference

• White, N., 2006, ‘Blogs and Community – launching a new paradigm for online community?’,The Knowledge Tree [online] Available at <http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/tkt2006/edition-11-editorial/blogs-and-community-–-launching-a-new-paradigm-for-online-community> [Accessed 24 April 2011]
• Crow, P., 2009, ‘How to Create a Blogging Community’, Spice Up Your Blog [blog] 29 March 2011, Avalable at <http://www.spiceupyourblog.com/2011/03/how-to-create-blogging-community.html>  [Accessed 25 April 2011]
• Kinkeldei, B., 2007, ‘Forging Connections and Promoting Growth Through Blog Communities’, Whitepaper Blog Communities [online] Available at <http://www.21publish.com/pub/21publish/blogging-whitepaper.pdf> [Accessed 24 April 2011]

Maheswari Ganga Gangaya 
UniSA ID: 110070877

What is inside a Blog?

According to About.com, a blog is a website that contains various posts that arranged in reverse chronological order.  Various subject matters such as personal issues, political, fashion, history, law, technology, food, travel and etc can classify a Blog.

Most blogs are accompanied with aid of different media types, which are vlog, a blog that contains video post; linklog, website that contains a list of links in weblog format; sketchlog, blogs that contains images in sketch version and tublelogs, a blog that contains article with media types (audio, video, photo, text, link)

Now the latest trend for blogging is using Moblog, using a mobile device such as PDA (personal digital assistant) or cellphone. 

Image source:www.google.com

Strobist is an example of The Popular Mechanics Blog whereby in-depth explanation is given about a topic. (Simons 2008)

For instance Strobist discuss things that are related to photography. It offers thorough explanation about lighting which helps as a guide for those who are interested in photography.  It contains Youtube videos that act as a tutorial lesson for readers.

Image source: www.google.com

In my opinion, blogs serve as a platform in providing different information and with the help of the latest technology; it is easy to attract readers to the topics that favor them.

Reference

Simons, M., 2008, Australian Policy Online, ‘Towards a taxonomy of blogs’. [online] Available at <http://www.apo.org.au/commentary/towards-taxonomy-blogs-0> [Accessed 23 April 2011]

About.com, Gunelius,S., n.d., ‘What is a Blog?’ [online] Avaialable at <http://weblogs.about.com/od/startingablog/p/WhatIsABlog.htm> [Accessed 23 April 2011]

wiseGEEK, 2008-2011, ‘What is a Linklog?’ [online] Avaialable at <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-linklog.htm> [Accessed 23 April 2011]

About.com, Gunelius, S. n.d., ‘What is a Vlog?’ [online] Avaialable at <http://weblogs.about.com/od/bloggingfaqs/f/WhatIsaVlog.htm> [Accessed 23 April 2011]

A Thousand Torches, 2008-2011, ‘What is a Tumblelog?’ [online] Available at <http://den.athousandtorches.com/about/what-is-a-tumblelog/> [Accessed 23 April 2011]

Whatis?com, 2008, ‘Moblog (mobile log)’ [online] Avaialable at <http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci1180174,00.html>   [Accessed on 24 April 2011]

Maheswari Ganga Gangaya 
UniSA ID: 110070877

Blogs as current phenomenon & Benefits to the community

  First and foremost what is blogosphere? According to wiseGEEK 2003, it is often used to describe million interconnected blogs on in the Internet.  On 2007, Technorati have already tracked 70 million weblogs with an estimation of 120, 000 new weblogs created all around the world daily. This means about 1.4 blogs are created every second everyday (Sifry, 2007).

  The graph below shows the amount of blogs tracked by Technorati from March 2003 to March 2007. 

Image source:  www.sifry.com

  Based on the survey, about 12% of worldwide bloggers comes from Asia Pacific (APAC)

Image source: www.technorati.com

  The trend today is mobile blogging through smartphones, which is expected to grow very much larger.  About 40 % of bloggers, have concluded that mobile blogging have changed the way of blogging by encouraging shorter and spontaneous posts. (Technorati, 2010)

  Blogs are dominant source of infomation. In Malaysia blogs has been used to influence readers by spreading news and information. According to Nadzri.A, Selamat.A, Selamat.H & Rozan.M n.d, during Malaysia’s budget 2009, bloggers played an important role to publish their opinions, rumors and information about Malaysia budget 2009 in their own blog through cyberspace.

  In Iran, blogs are news sources whereby it reports latest headlines and current affairs about Iran. For example Iran News Blog.

  Blogs have been a vital source of information that is useful to the community. As the increase rate of blogs created, people would have instant access to latest happening in one click. 

Reference

• Sifry, D 2007, ‘The State of the Live Web, April 2007’. [online] Available at <http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000493.html> [Accessed 21 April 2011]

• Sobel, J., 2010, 'State of the Blogosphere 2010 Introduction'. [online] Available at <http://technorati.com/blogging/article/state-of-the-blogosphere-2010-introduction/> [Accessed 21 April 2011]

• wiseGEEK, 2003-2011, 'What is the Blogosphere?'. [online] Available at <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-blogosphere.htm> [Accessed 21 April 2011]

• Mostofi, A., 2005, 'Iran News Blog'. [blog] March 2011, Available at <http://irannewsblog.blogspot.com/> [Accessed 21 April 2011]

• Nadzri, A., Selamat, A., Selamat, H. & Rozan, M., n.d, 'The dominant of bloggers in Malaysian Politics through Social Networks'. [online] Available at <http://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/foreign_students/pdf/seatuc_3rd/04_info_04.pdf> [Accessed 21 April 2011]

Maheswari Ganga Gangaya

UniSA ID:110070877