Blogger

Abstract

Blogging (indeed social networking) has recently become a powerful force in the media; however blogging in some form has existed prior to 1990 when people used to post on Usenet news services. Blogging, in its current form, began emerging as a phenomenon in the mid-90s with online journals. Online blogging started as a way for people to share details of their lives, but expanded to people using blogs to post reviews of items, political commentary, and many other topics. The web site Blogger.com was created in 1999 and bought by Google in 2003. The term “blog” came about by combining the words “web log” and is used to describe both the web sites and the action of creating content on these web sites. After 2004, several blogs have been created by people wishing to get their views on an issue accessible to the public ultimately providing an unprecedented amount of connectivity for the general public. In an example, a government minister can easily look for blogs relating to an issue and discern the public’s view. Previously this type of communication (usually letters to the editor, which were extremely restricted because they could always be censored) was largely ignored by newspapers or other media, while a blog allows a user to express what they want to say in their own words uncensored for everyone to see. However, as with all communication methods, there are inherent risks. If a blogger posts something that can be determined as defamatory, they can be subject to a defamation lawsuit.