This is my first time writing a blog. Hooray!!
As it turns out, I picked Blogger out of the three blogs I could have chosen because it was the most simple.
To me, at least.
WordPress's 10-step walk-through guide was, suffice it to say, rather intimidating. Though virtually all of the information in it was useful (for me, without the availability of the internet on my cellular phone, mobile blogging has no meaning), the sheer immensity of it being given to me right from the get-go forced me to shy away from it. One thing I really liked about WordPress was the amount of options that could be customized and the degree to which they could be customized. The attention to detail and step-by-step instruction would definitely have made it a good choice to start off however. I think I'll use it to help me edit this one. Really, I didn't pick WordPress because it was too professional for my taste; I'm just making a blog for my class. But if there ever comes a time when I do need a blog for the workplace, WordPress is the place I'll go. Especially because of its attempts at humor, even though they are surrounded by commands.
On the other hand, LiveJournal barely gave me anything to do before the creation of an account. One thing I did like about it was the 'Surprise me!' button on the Homepage; clicking it would send me to a random journal, akin to StumbleUpon in that aspect. On one page I was led to I watched a video about a penalty kick, initially saved by the keeper, that then rolled itself into the goal. What else is cool about LiveJournal is the fact that it is global; visiting around eight random journals, I can recall at least four of them were written in characters I couldn't interpret (Russian?). The main reason I decided against LiveJournal, though, other than the lack of a tour before sign up, was that it reminded me of the aol page that always opened up when I would sign onto AIM. I really didn't care for it.
As terrible as it sounds, Blogger reminds me of Facebook. By itself, a very basic thing that's easy enough to use. However, unlike Facebook, or at least in my experience with Blogger so far, it does not have bothersome advertisements on every side of the web page. One more bonus of LiveJournal was the fact that it had popular stories and such that you could look up. Blogger doesn't have such a thing; rather, it is just a blog. And for all intents and purposes, that's all I need for right now. It may not have all the bells and whistles of LiveJournal, but Blogger gets the job done. Nothing too crazy to have to worry about here, other than the annoying, constant automatic saving of this post.
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Now then, on to the second topic, eh?
I'm supposed to be talking about "some topic related to the phenomenon of blogging", though all the good ones were already taken by Wikipedia. So I'll just settle for one I can talk about, which happens to be the negative social aspects of having a blog.
Certainly not from personal, first-hand experience can I speak on the subject, but after attending my FYCARE workshop, I feel more sensitive to the issue of privacy intrusion. With things like blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc., out there on the web that can be accessed by nearly anyone, posting snippets of one's personal life can be dangerous. Without thinking, people (especially the younger users) may post personal information such as a street address or a phone number that others of ill-will may use for their own aims. Often times it is the group of users ages 13-19 (a guess-timate) who find themselves in the most trouble as victims of the not-so-nice people in the world.
Not only from older users may they be predated on, but may also be "turned in" by others of their same peer group; I had heard stories in high school of student athletes who, after pictures of them at a party drinking underage were released by their enemies, were ejected from the team. Such instances only motivate others to give up their virtual lives; if only the networking and communication aspect weren't so powerful.
The reason I have a Facebook is so I can keep in touch with my friends. It's great for doing so - the ability to leave something on their wall to have a conversation, to upload pictures to share experiences, and to write notes to share thoughts - it all seems so great. Until the threat of some malignant force turns from a threat to an action. Basically, don't be stupid. Say what you want to whoever you want on the internet, but look before you leap. Consider who else you may be making yourself available to and what about you you are practically handing them. That last second before you hit that 'Submit' button, take the moment to think to yourself, "Will this come back to bite me in the butt?"
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Now then, on to the second topic, eh?
I'm supposed to be talking about "some topic related to the phenomenon of blogging", though all the good ones were already taken by Wikipedia. So I'll just settle for one I can talk about, which happens to be the negative social aspects of having a blog.
Certainly not from personal, first-hand experience can I speak on the subject, but after attending my FYCARE workshop, I feel more sensitive to the issue of privacy intrusion. With things like blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc., out there on the web that can be accessed by nearly anyone, posting snippets of one's personal life can be dangerous. Without thinking, people (especially the younger users) may post personal information such as a street address or a phone number that others of ill-will may use for their own aims. Often times it is the group of users ages 13-19 (a guess-timate) who find themselves in the most trouble as victims of the not-so-nice people in the world.
Not only from older users may they be predated on, but may also be "turned in" by others of their same peer group; I had heard stories in high school of student athletes who, after pictures of them at a party drinking underage were released by their enemies, were ejected from the team. Such instances only motivate others to give up their virtual lives; if only the networking and communication aspect weren't so powerful.
The reason I have a Facebook is so I can keep in touch with my friends. It's great for doing so - the ability to leave something on their wall to have a conversation, to upload pictures to share experiences, and to write notes to share thoughts - it all seems so great. Until the threat of some malignant force turns from a threat to an action. Basically, don't be stupid. Say what you want to whoever you want on the internet, but look before you leap. Consider who else you may be making yourself available to and what about you you are practically handing them. That last second before you hit that 'Submit' button, take the moment to think to yourself, "Will this come back to bite me in the butt?"
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