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Explore the origins of blogging, its development into a social media powerhouse, and its impact on news dissemination. Learn about RSS feeds and how they have revolutionized content delivery on websites. Delve into the dangers of blogging and the rise of influential bloggers.
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ITIS 1210Introduction to Web-Based Information Systems Chapter 16 How Blogging and RSS Work
Blogging • Portemanteau of “Web” and “Log” – Blog • Traditionally a carrying case of two compartments • Lewis Carroll used it to mean: • Two words combined into one idea • Two meanings combined into one word • Pen name for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson • Words he invented for Jabberwocky
Blogging • Brillig – 4:00 PM when you start broiling things for dinner • Slithy – Lithe & Slimy • Toves - A combination of a badger, a lizard, and a corkscrew, nests under sundials and live on cheese • Gimble – Make holes like a Gimlet • Wabe – Grass plot around a sundial
Blogging • Guesstimate – Guess & Estimate • Cyborg – Cybernetic & Organism • Smog – Smoke & Fog • Brunch – Breakfast & Lunch • Spork – Spoon & Fork • Motel – Motor & Hotel
Blogging • Part of the larger social media including • MySpace & Facebook • Blogs come in many forms: • Photoblogs: Flickr or Fotolog • Videoblogs (vlog): YouTube or lonelygirl15 • Music: Fluxblog or Stereogum • Audio (podcasting)
Blogging • Typical blog consists of • A single page containing • Multiple entries • Usually from the same person or a small group • Diary-like format • Oriented towards specific topics like politics, art, issues
Blogging • Website where entries are written in chronological order but displayed in reverse chronological order • Latest entry is at the top • Also the verb – “to maintain or add content to a blog”
Blogging • Evolved from Usenet • Postings in a newsgroup under control of a moderator • Early weblogs were manually updated & consisted of parts of common Websites • Tool development & increasing popularity lead to browser-based blogging we see today
Blogging • In early 2001 a number of popular American blogs emerged: • Andrew Sullivan's AndrewSullivan.com • Glenn Reynolds' Instapundit • Charles Johnson's Little Green Footballs • 2002 produced • Markos Moulitsas Zúniga Daily Kos
Blogging • Blogging has emerged as a legitimate source for news • Although often partisan • They have the advantage of being • Self-motivated • Long-term institutional memory • Somewhere there’s someone who knows something • Traditional media (MSM) hampered by lack of resources
Blogging • Popularity measured by • Citations • Affiliation (i.e. blogroll) • A list of the bloggers favorite blogs, usually on a sidebar
Blogging Contributions to the Language • Blogstorm (or blogswarm) • Unusual amount of activity around a topic • Fisking • To refute a posting, usually in great detail • Hat Tip • Acknowledgment of a source where the blogger found a noteworthy item • Instalanche • Overwhelming increase in traffic after being linked to by Instapundit
Blogging • Permalink • A URL to a specific blog entry • Troll • Commenter whose only purpose is to incite a flamewar
Blogging • Special software or Websites needed to create and maintain a blog • www.blogger.com • Movable Type • Can be read in traditional way • Go to site, navigate • Alternate method: RSS feed
Blogging • Technorati • Internet search engine • Searches blogs • Portmanteau of Technological & Literati • As of August 2007 had indexed 94 million weblogs • Digg • Lets users contribute to determining the quality of Web sites
Blogging Can be Dangerous • Ellen Simonetti • Fired by Delta Air Lines • Mark Cuban • Fined by NBA after 2006 finals for criticizing referees on court and in his blog • Mark Jen • Fired by Google after only 10 days on the job for posting commercial secrets
Blogging Can be Dangerous • Jessica Cutler • Posted about her sex life in Washington, D.C. • Staff assistant for a Senator • Jan Pronk • Dutch politician • UN Special Representative for the Sudan • Posted about the state of the armed forces • Three days to leave the country
How RSS Works • How do you get visitors to your site? • Can you convince even loyal readers to check out your site two or three times a day for new posts? • Solution – the RSS feed • RSS – Really Simple Syndication • Allows new posts to be fed automatically to subscribers
How RSS Works • 1st, content is placed on the Web site • RSS normally associated with blogs • But could be any kind of Web-based content • Content is created as usual • Feed placed in XML format • Includes headline, description, content, link to the original post, more
How RSS Works • Link placed on the Web page • Links to the XML page • Page often includes an icon that lets visitors know an RSS feed is available • Visitors to a blog click the icon • Or copy & paste the link • Into software called a news reader • Example is www.google.com/reader
How RSS Works • RSS readers constantly check URLs and grab any new XML pages • Reader displays the RSS feed • User clicks on the information to get the full versions • Updated feeds “ping” RSS syndication servers to alert them to a new feed