Blogging Tasks

Blog
Full Name - Weblog.
"A journal written on-line and accessible to users of the internet."
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blog)

How are they different?
Blogs are written by people on particular subjects. These are normally interactive, by the use of comments and sending messgaes via widget. These make blogs stand out from common static websites.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/blog)

Why use them?
Blogs can be used to speak your mind in a powerful way to the world. They are very interactive (E.g. Embedded Youtube videos, Image Slideshows, Music, Lots of Gadgets etc.) and can be updated easily without having to worry about programing codes and without having to worry about the design. Blogs can be used for:

• As a way to express personal opinions.
• As a marketing tool.
• As a communication tool.
• A an educational medium.
• As a campaign strategy for presidential candidates.
• Blogging establishes you as an expert in your field.
• Blogging moves your site up in the search engines if you update your site regularly.
• Blogging gives you an easy way to interact with customers and potential customers.
• Blogging is an easy way to give more value to your customers and let them know more about you and your products before they buy.

http://www.webbriefcase.net/2008-01/blogs-what-are-they-why-use-them/

What are the Advantages of Blogs?

1. The consumer of the blog can be more informed than others, which can help with the long term health of our economies and societies.
2. Blogs can help the organization develop stronger relationships and brand loyalty to customers.
3. Blogs, in an Intranet enviroment, can be an excellent way to share infomation within an organization.
4. Blogs, due to the interactive qualities with comments, can give you feed back and help keep your finger on the pulse as readers react to certain pieces and story ideas etc.
5. Blogs can build the profile of the writer, showcasing that the organization has talent and expertise.

http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/nt/2004/nt_2004_08_23_blogging.htm

What are the Disadvantages of Blogs?

1. Most people don't have much interesting things to say, and usually fail to organize their blogs to be compeling and clear mannered.
2. Many people who have alot of free time to write these blogs, often have nothing to say and drown you in trvia. And the people who do have interesting and compeling infomation, often don';t have enought time to blog their ideas, meaing that the expertise of an organization is often hidden.
3. Blogs may be easy to start, they are hard to maintain. Writing coherently is very time consuming aswell as difficult for humans. Blogs are cheap, but very expensive as they eat up time. As a result, many blogs are often left not updated, thus damaging rather than enhancing the reputation of the organization.

http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/nt/2004/nt_2004_08_23_blogging.htm

How Blogs can Affect Lives
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3074658/Charlie-bit-my-finger-boys-get-their-own-hit-blog.html
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/usa/2204073/Michael-Lohan-Lindsays-dad-stops-writing-his-blog.html
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3086912/Dr-Karen-Woos-joy-and-fear-in-blogs.html

How are Comments Useful on Blogs?
Comments on blogs add a new dimention of interacive qualites. These often give feed back to the blog askling additional questions or correcting the blogger. These can also be recomendations for future blogs aswell as to help find out what the target audience would like in the blogs from the critical comments.