It was only a matter of time until Common Craft Show tackled the topic of blogs. For the past few years, Lee and Sachi Lefever have been pumping out very short videos that explain the new world of the web simply, "in plain English."
Keen readers have seen my posts on their Web 2.0 in Plain English, Social Bookmarking in Plain English and so on. Go to Common Craft for the whole list.
Here's their latest. I love these folks. Transcript, original on their site, is on the jump page here.
Transcript: Blogs in Plain English
You’ve seen the word, you've seen the web sites and you may even have one. But have you ever wondered: What's the big deal about blogs?
This is blogs in plain English.
To make sense of blogs, you have to think about news and who makes it. We'll look at news in the 20th vs. the 21st century to make our point.
In the 20th century, the news was produced professionally. When news happened, reporters wrote the stories and a tiny group of people decided what appeared in a newspaper or broadcast. Professional news was mainstream: general and limited.
The 21st century marked the point where news became both professional and personal. A new kind of web site called a weblog or blog came onto the scene that let anyone be a reporter and publisher - often for free.
As blogs became popular, they created millions of news sources and gave everyone an audience for their own version of news.
Of course, we're using the word "news" loosely. But really - isn't everything news to someone? With a blog...
A business owner can share news about his business
A mother can share news about her family
A sport star can share news with fans
These people are all "bloggers"
How did this happen?
Well,
blogs made sharing news on the web easy. Anyone with an idea can start
a new blog with the click of a button and share news minutes later.
Here's how blogs work.
Blogs are websites that are organized by blog posts - these are individual news stories, like articles in the paper. Bloggers simply fill out a form like this to post a new story. With the click of a button, the blog post appears at the top of the web page, just above yesterday's news. Over time, the blog becomes a collection of these posts, all archived for easy reference.
Also, Each blog post can become a discussion through comments left by readers. Blogs make the news a two way street.
But really, the fuss is not about how blogs work - it's what people like you do with them that matters.
Let's say you have a blog about green living and outdoor photography. It reflects your unique perspective. This helps you build relationships with your readers and other bloggers with similar interests.
Speaking of relationships, bloggers often work together. In addition to comments,You'll read each other's blogs, quote each other and link your blogs together. This creates communities of bloggers that inspire and motivate each other.
Whether it's their ease of use or the opportunities they enable, blogs have been adopted in a very big way.
Since 2003, there have been over 70 million blogs created, each with it's own version of news. So, the big deal about blogs is that they gave people like you the power of the media and created a personal kind of news that appeals to a high number of small audiences.
So, it's up to you - what will you do with this new power? There is likely a group of people out there who want to hear what you have to say.
You can search for blogs at:
blogsearch.google.com
technorati.com
Or start your own blog for free at:
Blogger.com
Wordpress.com
I'm Lee LeFever and this has been Blogs in Plain English on the Common Craft Show.
