Explaining and using a specialist IT communication channel effectively

1. Explaining and using a specialist IT communication channel effectively Unit 1 – Task 8 Ashley Clews

2. Blogs • A blog is a personal website/page where an author records information about a topic that interests them • A blog is organized in reverse-chronological order, from most recent entry to least recent.

3. Brief History • The modern blog evolved from the online diary, where people would keep a running account of their personal lives • Usage spread during 1999 and the years following, being further popularized by the near-simultaneous arrival of the first hosted blog tools such as ‘Open Diary’ and ‘LiveJournal’ • By 2001, blogging was enough of a phenomenon that how-to manuals began to appear, primarily focusing on technique. • In 2004, the role of blogs became increasingly mainstream, news services and politicians began using them as tools for outreach and opinion forming. Even those not actively campaigning blogged to bond with constituents. • Microblogging is the practice of posting small pieces of digital content the Internet and this became popular in the last 4 years. Social networks such as Twitter, Tumblr and WeiBo have been key in popularising it.

4. Where are blogs used? • Websites dedicated to blogs are where most blogs are based. Tumblr, Twitter, Weebly and WordPress are just a few examples of the numerous providers of online software to create and maintain a blog

5. Why are they used? • They enable a communication worldwide and requires little effort to reach a wide audience. They enable large user expression and provide the ability to interact with like-minded people • Companies use blogs to keep track of work done, update the workforce on things happening within the business or to work collaboratively • Educators are using blogs in many ways including online portfolios, for student personal reflective journals, as a record of field notes, or as a space for student dialogue and for class administration.

6. Advantages/disadvantages • You can write down thoughts • They are quick and easy set up and update • You can get comments from readers which can be feedback or lead to a wider discussion on the topic • There are millions of blogs worldwide and therefore no shortage of choice if you are looking to read one. However • The posts are public and therefore anybody could read it. This could cause offence or minors could be exposed to indecent content. • Posts can be biased or inaccurate and therefore should not be taken as complete fact unless evidence is provided • Not all feedback will be positive/constructive. As with all internet comments, some can be rude. • Some blogs will just not be interesting/not updated, therefore some blogs can be dull and a waste of time.

7. My blog • I created a blog based on my history coursework project of Abraham Lincoln. • I used Weebly as I already ha expectance using this website from the creation of my e-portfolio • I began by selecting the ‘blog’ option when creating a new site

8. Designing my blog • I then chose a template for the blog, which I later edited to suit my blog by give it a title and edited the ‘Author’ section to be about me • I then selected the domain for the site. I chose to make it clear what my blog was about and chose ashleyclewslincolnblog.weebly.com

9. My first post • I then wrote my first post using the sites’ word processing functions and then published the post. I then when ahead and published the whole site and am now awaiting feedback on the post