My introduction:
My name is Melissa and this is my first blog post on this site. I am taking a
Media and Society class on-line this year. I think I will find this to be a very interesting and fun class. As well as a demanding and different experience.
One of the first assignments I had for this class was to do some research on a few topics and share what I found out.
The first topic is whether blogging is a credible source of information.
Honestly, I am using my own personal experiences for this answer. It has a lot to do with the source. Say you come across my blogs. One of them states that the sky is in fact green. And I list my reasons for this. The next one says that humans can breathe in outer space, and so on, and so on. Reason would say that nobody would consider my blog a credible source.
Now say that you come across a scientist’s blog talking about proven theorems. He lists what each theorem is and how it came to be. Plus he sites references. That would be a credible source.
Every person who reads blogs, need to take this into consideration. With the Internet being as mainstream and easy to use that everybody and their dog is on it, we have to remember that not everything is truth. And we need to be able to use our common sense.
The second topic is how effective blogging is at reaching an audience.
Once again, I am going to use personal experience as my research. I have been a MySpace user for over a year and write blogs, as well as subscribe to numerous other blogs. One of the blogs I subscribe to points out what makes a successful blogger and how to build a bigger audience that I agree with and think others who are interested in this subject should check out. (
http://www.buzznetworker.com/how-to-build-a-large-blog-audience-on-myspace-part-1/))
Blogging can be extremely effective at reaching an audience. If you post regularly and make it an open forum, then you can reach a bigger audience.
I used to blog most every day. I had a decent number of readers, and have been listed in the top twenty read blogs in myspace’s daily top blogger list.
Now I mostly post just once and again, and my readers have gone down. I still have my loyal readers, but since I am not always posting, the interest in me has gone down.
Being a credible blogger can help you reach a bigger audience. If others know that you write accurate information, then you will be more likely to build a fan base.
The third topic is how blogging has influenced journalism.
I think one of the biggest ways blogging has influenced journalism is the fact that they are recognized sources of getting your story out and into the public.
Go to
msnbc.com and look up any news article. At the bottom of the story what do you see? A spot to blog the story!
Now say I blog that story. And I have a readership of fifty. Even just having that small amount means that there is a potential for fifty more people to read your story. And then they can pass it on or talk about it with their friends.
In closing, here is my Thesis statement:I believe blogging has significantly impacted the print journalism industry. Journalists are aware of the audience they have on the Internet and utilizing the potential. I think it would be remiss of the journalist community to ignore this market.
