Have you ever wanted to write about fashion? Let people know what you thought of this weekend's new movie release? Or maybe find out what are some new summer recipes are? Look no further than the world of blogging. Blogs are essentially your words put online, typically very easy to set up as well as keep track of. Blogs are not limited to celebrities, sports stars, professional chefs and politicians (although they do have them!) but anyone can create their very own blog. With the increasing popularity and some surveys even show that people trust blogs over more professional and classic media such as the news or papers, is this a good thing? We'll examine the idea of a blog and learn about what you need to know about the blogosphere.
Blogs can cover any area or any subject you like, the material is all up to you! I for instance, love distance running events such as half-marathons and marathons. When I first started running about three years ago, I searched for training plans as well as races I would like to do (and of course medal designs!) as well as reviews of races and running materials. Looking back, it's amazing to see how far some of my favorite bloggers have come, some reached their goal weight, ran a personal record, and even some work for various athletic/race organizations all thanks to their blog. That's right, you can have a career in blogging. When watching news media outlets such as Good Morning America, The Today Show, as well as FOX News and CNN, many times you will see professional bloggers in for interview or panelist for roundtable type discussions. Look in magazines, especially if the focus is fashion and/or pop culture, you are bound to see bloggers offer their input, there are even job positions that offer blogging as part of the job especially when dealing with journalism and media. When blogs begin to gain national attention, it can be quite the lucrative career if you are fortunate enough to "make it big". For example, blogger Jenny Lawson, whose blog goes by the name of "The Bloggess" found a following with her witty stories and experiences so much so she wrote a book titled Let's Pretend This Never Happened...A Mostly True Memoir. The book was a hit and her blog became even more popular after the release as well as more publicity for the blog itself.
But, are there some downsides to a world of blogs and what about using them as an official source? As stated earlier, blogs are mostly composed of normal individuals who happen to be knowledgeable or some even what to gain more knowledge about a certain subject/subjects. People may feel like a blog is more truthful since it is just (usually) a regular person, they aren't trying to "sell" you something or their motives seem more pure and harmless. Some bloggers absolutely have the education, expertise, training, etc. to back up what they are talking about, others can just be someone who decided to write down ideas online. Blog advice can be very good and insightful, but as people say you can't believe everything you read on the Internet. Fake news is often leaked online and often stems from rumors and spreads quickly.
As it was mentioned earlier, a blog can be made up of anything you like, it's similar to having complete creative control, you can virtually talk and write about anything you please. While most is innocent, conspiracy theorists often run rampant and some information is so well written, it could be scary how many people could believe certain rumors to be true. It's crucial to examine facts and as always when dealing with matters online to use your head, if something sounds to good to be true..it probably is. Sometimes blogs can be an escape for certain individuals and alarmingly can lead into their true thoughts. Back in 1998, before there was Facebook, Twitter, or the common use of the word blog, AOL was known for having easily created websites. Essentially these websites were blogs, used for writing thoughts, ideas, pictures, basically anything you wanted to share with the world. Eventual Columbine High School killer Eric Harris took to AOL to write about his distain for his school and classmates as well as detailed plans for the shooting a full year before the event took place. The website was eventually taken down after it was made public, the website was relatively unknown until the shooting in April 1999, but similar scenarios exist today. Blog and message board postings were found by Aurora Theater suspect James Holmes as well as Newtown shooter Adam Lanza. It was rumored that Boston Marathon Bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had a personal blog discussing plans for a potential terrorist attack as well as offensive tweets regarding the actual event, of course all accounts have since been removed or blocked due to the situation. If you do happen to come across any accounts you perceive as harmful then it is important to notify someone immediately. Many potential tragedies have been stopped due to those who notice something odd or off-putting about something written online, use your best judgment and remember to think and be smart about all situations involved online.
Now that we've discussed the precautions with blogs, lets get back to the positives! Blogs provide a great way to learn more about areas that interest you and most are just fun to read. There are even Blogger Meet-Up Events that let you meet your favorite blogger in person, you might be so inspired that you go home and start your own blog! You never know what your own blog could lead to...a new job? New friends? A move deal? Go ahead and get blogging today!
Question: Do you follow any blogs just for fun? What's your favorite? Do you ever get your news from a blog?
Leave your thoughts and let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
LT
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