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The term "blog" has become trendy in the last year or so, thanks to the presidential election and several high-profile cases where Internet weblogs have influenced public policy and led to major media controversies. But blogs are about so much more than red-and-blue-state bickering: they are a revolution in publishing and content delivery. Here's why you should care.
A blog, short for weblog, is an online site that is updated by an author using idiot-proof blogging software. Updates, usually in the form of posts, take place frequently, and are normally published in reverse-chronological order, with the most recent additions at the top.
"Anyone can post, and if it is worth reading, it will be read," right-wing radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt wrote in his new book, "Blog." "There is a vast audience of wisdom/entertainment seekers. Whether your product is economic analysis, NASCAR boosterism, sexual gossip, or political smack talk, the blogosphere will allow you a chance to peddle your text wares."
I disagreed with parts of Hewitt's book, so what did I do? I blogged about it. And that's the blessing and the curse of a blog: it's a limitless space to publish content, whatever that content may be. That's why you should have a blog.
TU President Robert Caret should start a blog today. He's a tech whiz, so he can update the blog straight from his e-mail account. He should post the names of each person who receives a BobBuck. He should respond to student requests and explain what he's doing to improve student advising and other top concerns. (He should have snapped photos while he was meeting with alums on the West Coast and posted them online for all to see.)
The Student Government Association should start a blog today. They should use it to update students on their constant efforts to revamp the University's grading policy. Make sure the comments feature is enabled, so students can offer feedback, rants and proposals. Senators can sit at a table in the University Union all day, but a blog will reach the students who actually care about the state of the campus.
Every active student organization on campus should start a blog today. College Democrats and College Republicans can debate big ideas; the University Residence Government can solicit feedback about dorm activities; the International Student Association can continue its discussions after meetings end. Publicize the blog address on fliers and group listservs. (Add a link on the Daily Digest.) And while we're at it, every fraternity and sorority on campus should start a blog today, too. They should post group photos and announcements about upcoming events. It would become a recruiting tool (and a must-read for every Greek).
The Office of Technology Services should start several blogs today. They should establish a blog version of the OTS Alerts forum, and publish TechTalk in a blog format. Posts about stopping spyware would be popular, since the network seems so prone to worms and viruses.
Deans, chairs, directors and faculty members should consider the power of blogging, as well. Departments on campus are increasingly hiring "communications specialists" who write newsletters and create brochures. Publishing a blog should be part of their job description.
By now, it should be clear: wherever there's a niche, there's a blog waiting to be born. Over winter break my freshman year, I was watching too much cable news so I decided to start blogging about it. CableNewser launched on Jan. 1 of last year, and it now averages 7,000 visitors a day (at tvnewser.com). Why do so many television news nerds read my blog? Because I update it constantly and there's no other site like it.
Anyone can apply that formula to a subject they're interested in: choose a niche subject and "own" it. But people don't have to become bloggers to participate in this so-called "blogging revolution." Reading blogs and reacting to them keeps the sites alive.
More importantly, citizens should think of themselves less as media listeners but as media participants. Jeff Jarvis, the founder of Entertainment Weekly and now a foremost blogger, puts it this way: "Now every witness can be a reporter and every citizen a pundit and that is good for news and the democracy."
In 10 years, the typical blog -- a frequently-updated log of rants and raves -- may have morphed into something completely different. But the true revolution that blogs have ushered in will remain: "Push-button publishing" will transform content as we know it. So why aren't you blogging?
Brian Stelter is a sophomore mass communication and social sciences major and The Towerlight's news editor.
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