An American justice of the supreme court famously remarked, when asked to define obscenity, “I know it when I see it.”
There’s been the blogahaha on what is the definition of a blog, based on what blogpundits, online journalists, etc. say.
I suspect blogging has some essential elements to it:
1. it’s confessional, or to be more precise, personal, even if used as a soapbox or for posting pieces published elsewhere by the person whose blog it is;
2. it’s informal;
3. it’s free of charge, although advertising may be hosted to generate income for the blogger (income, however, not derived from direct solicitation and not as the reason for being of the blog).
A blog format might be used for an academic website (posting articles handily), a community website, etc. but I suppose it’s intent that counts. How do you judge intent? From content, obviously, or rather, the content that’s provided.
I’d suggest for a media practitioner, the difference between a blog and a website lies in formality and content. If you use the blog style but only post the articles that you wrote that came out elsewhere, and add nothing else, it’s a website and not a blog. Generally a media person will choose to have a blog in order to:
1. obviously, reach a wider circle of readers;
2. post stuff that otherwise wouldn’t find print elsewhere;
3. post comments and views unsuitable for placement elsewhere;
4. serve as a handy means for 2 and 3 by easily linking to readings of interest.
But it is the “online diary” format of a blog, that, I think, really defines a blog in the eyes of the public. Or perhaps I’m biased since my days reading Livejournals. A blog ranges from the online equivalent of scribbling “kilroy was here” on a wall, to posting the equivalent of the guerrilla tracts protesters and revolutionaries would have slapped on public walls in the past. It is this attitude that makes many readers resist the idea that aside from a personal entity, anyone or anything (including a corporation, whether in media or not) organized and formal, with its own heirarchy and rules it enforces on those associated with the company, can call what it has online a blog.
Still, it’s all rather fudgeable.
Thanks to an interesting blog, FriskoDude, there’s this:
I agree. It’s the informality and the “online personal site” format that makes ablog a blog. But I guess blogging has evolved in most recent times that blogging could be just mean everything what it wants to mean.
It’s even now a good source for income and a business endeavor.
The Press Freedom Law should be amended to protect bloggers!
“The Sotto Law, also known as the Press Freedom Law, is aimed precisely to protect press freedom and keep irate politicians from intimidating journalists and their sources if they do not like what they read,” the NUJP pointed out.
should there also be a law to protect what bloggers post in their blogs? but then again, it might be hard to control plagiarism in a medium like the net.
i could not educate somebody whose brain was frozen for a long time that it could never absorb any new information.
But the new Filams are still asking where the hell PI is.
A blog provides the freedom to write about anything anytime in the blogger’s own way/style. That makes it different from any other writing genre.
THE GREAT AND CHARMING BARACK OBAMA
OCTOBER 7, 2008
“THE GREAT AND CHARMING BARACK OBAMA”
Though his paternal roots came from a once-subjugated land,
Barack grew up with a staunch and stunning mind.
His adolescence never insulted his own intelligence;
He blossomed as a twinkling youth with notable achievements!
He dipped his hands into various causes and noble works
And, with courage, walked upon hungry streets and crawling parks.
He did win for himself the thunderous admiration
Of the world’s wise people who really despise oppression.
Obama’s slender, clear and soothing voice
Gives out so many charming and amusing notes
That can musically please his throngs and legions of fans!
Barack can seemingly perform a superb healing trance.
He tenaciously built terraces of hopes and visions where
Progress can really climb upon to reach greater heights and win
The glorious haven of success. Obama can rejoice
And work with the whole wide world for such stairs to flourish.
Obama’s righteous and wise ideas can securely dwell
In and upon the scholarly books that act as real
Banks for mental treasures of this world. Obama is
A great and charming man in a world that freely spins.
___________by Rummel Pinera
____________________________________________________________
I’m urging the Filipino people here in the Philippines to request and ask our relatives and friends in the U.S.A. to support, back up and rally for Barack’s bid to become the next US president to succeed GWB. We Filipinos should also urge our relatives and friends in the U.S.A. to vote for Obama and ensure that the Democrats will overwhelmingly win in the coming US general elections.
hey! a bit sensitive topic we have here. i hope you can still participate. here’s our coffee break this week http://labskiddies.blogspot.com/2008/10/coffee-break-ver-139.html
A blogger is who you are.
How you made yourself in the world of the world wide web.
You can have a heart of stone, sell stuff.
A blog can be your life or my life.
A place to create things that cannot be created in real life.
It can be you or a life that you created.
A blogger can be deceiving and forgiving.
You can be everything but with limited quantity with no investment.
popularized or just terrorized.
An online journal is a public trust and that acceptance of lesser service than the public service is a betrayal of this trust.
You’re right sir, Blog really is the platform for everyone who have something to say.
hi sir,
i am also very much into blogging. for me, it is the highest form of my freedom of expression. it is liberating knowing that i could freely criticize public acts and the excesses of our public officials without qualms.
blogging is therapeutic for me as well. at my lowest, i just grab my handy Asus and start giving life into my thoughts, and every composition becomes a masterpiece that gives so much sense of fulfillment.
and most importantly, blogging has also become a creative and inexpensive way to spark discussion and discourse on issues that matter to us as members of society. one’s blog could create waves of convergence and divergence of thoughts and standpoints.
indeed, the adage, the “pen is mightier than the sword” finds its highest relevance in a context where freedom is defined and respected.
“REGARDING THE RACIST STATEMENTS AGAINST THE FILIPINO PEOPLE MADE BY A FORUM-MANAGER FROM MSN..”
I’m a Filipino blogger for righteous causes. I hope you can help me on this issue!
This is about some ‘racist statements’ that have been issued by a forum manager of Israel.place- -an active MSN forum–against the Filipino nation. This is a voice of protest against such racist statements issued by supposed-to-be a Jewish American who hates anti-Semitic slurs.
Here is the link to those ‘racist statements’ against the Filipino nation: http://groups.msn.com/Israelplace/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=93036&LastModified=4675699832188211443 .
These are sample messages:
The message was a response to this post of mine:
Message 5 of 9 in Discussion
From: SERGIOMO7_RUMMEL_PINERA
Sent: 11/25/2008 11:48 AM
Tzipora Livni is the woman for Israel! If the USA has a Barack now, Israel should have a Deborah in Tzipora Livni! Livni is intelligent, wise and a peace-loving woman….. Israel needs Livni as its new leader! The Israeli nation deserves Livni!
Henry, remember that Obama won! You lost because Obama won!
LIVNI SHALL WIN! THE ISRAELI NATION NEEDS LIVNI!
And the racist statement that was made in response to that post was this one:
Message 6 of 9 in Discussion
From: Henry-the8th
Sent: 11/25/2008 3:17 PM
I wasn’t the only person that lost. America lost because Obama won.
Much like the Filipinos will always be losers because all you have to select from are other Filipinos.
Message 11 of 22 in Discussion
From: SERGIOMO7_RUMMEL_PINERA Sent: 12/1/2008 12:05 PM
Oh my…. Henry, you didn’t know that racism is idiocy?!! You should have the courage to make a public apology to the Filipino people for your blatantly-racist comment on post # 6 of this thread! Such comment is racist to all the Filipinos of this globe! Racism is idiocy! No to racism!
YES TO RACIAL EQUALITY IN THE WHOLE GLOBE! AMEN.
Reply
Recommend Message 12 of 22 in Discussion
From: Henry-the8th Sent: 12/1/2008 8:54 PM
keep thinking you’ll get an apology and /or racial equality because you pray to your statue Jesus.
and I’ll continue knowing what an imbecile you are.
I have a question. Japan manufactures good quality cars that Americans buy.
Koreans manufacture good quality cars for Americans to buy.
filipinos produce drugs, muslims and prostitutes – why is your country so stupid?
I hope that your news bureau can bring this issue to the management of MSN. The one who issued such racist post is supposed-to-be one of the main managers of the Israel.place forum. I hope you can bring up this issue to the national press, so that racist statements will not be legitimately- tolerated by MSN and all the other internet-service providers of the world. The MSN should urge such forum-manager of the Israel.place to issue a public apology to the Filipino nation! Please help me on this issue.. Please contact me at this cp number: 0927-3127011. Or you can call me at tel. number: 847-2166. Thanks.
From: Rummel Pinera
And best of all it’s free
Blogging is a freedom of expression. But then again, akilez is right – you are what you blog. As for me, I blog from the heart and most likely, I also support sincere bloggers like I do. Just my 2 cents here. ^_^
What separates a blog from a website? I agree that it is the content and the informality of its structure. Blogs are online diaries. How big a part of you that you want to get exposed to the public is the blogger’s decision.
Somebody has brought up plagiarism in the internet. I wonder if the authorities are doing something on this matter, or are laws enough to persecute plagiarists. Well, that’s a different topic altogether.
Hi Mr. Manuel L. Quezon,
Let me introduce myself:
I am Noel Engracia, a former student of Don Bosco Technical College in Mandaluyong. I am now an Interior Designer/Contractor by career, but a Computer Engineer by profession.
You, as I can recall, have been my classmate in Grade 1 (i think). You are a fine sketch artist at that time and I used to admire your work.
In this regard, in behalf of our batchmates in DBTC, we would like to invite you to join our forum at http://www.buskohs87.com/forum. It would be an honor to have you there and we will assure you that you will be welcomed by all of us with a warm heart.
Hope to see you there.
Regards,
NOEL “Coke” ENGRACIA
Batch 87
DBTC Mandaluyong
Thank you for joining us. Looking forward to the interactions.
I think,politicians find the blog a major hinder to their ambitions and greed of power.
Kung gusto nilang mag react sa blog against them,why not create their own blog and answer the issue?
Hindi yung,gagamitin na naman nila ang power nila to block the press freedom! We all have the right to voice out our reactions!
Kelangan ko po ng help… Pwd nyo ba akong bigyan ng mga list of Filipinos whom we can contact coz my company is planning to try a business in the Phils.. Pls send it to my ID [email protected]..
thnx po
blog is an instant reach out. malungkot mag-isa eh…
Hi! please sign the petition urging Noynoy to run for president! thanks! here’s the link: http://www.petitiononline.com/noy2010/petition.html
It’s a blog so long as your opinion is expressed.
Rummel, lighten up. There are more horrible jews than this guy, henry, you complain about. Life is a bitch!
It’s just the place where i can post what’s in my mind.
It can also be an avenue to cry out against the injustices that ravage our land, how the powerful are manipulating the ones who should be serving the people. Not hiding from them the truth!
Aye, a blog is really powerful and in this time, a necessary tool so that everyone will have a chance to express themselves.
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. 🙂 Cheers! Sandra. R.
BLOG is the medium or facility to express one’s idle thoughts. It can also be a market of intellectual discourse among learned men..
sir manual
Please try out this site http://abs-cbnnews.commentary.blogspot.com
Its a commentary on the way abs-cbn does its news. You might find it
useful in your blogging. More power!
the president is gay