Web Logs and Social Networking

WEBLOGS

PURPOSE

A weblog is a website for providing commentary, personal thoughts on news or a particular subject. Blogs can be stored on a server with a to the internet or more usually on a server owned by someone else

FACTS

• Blogs enable other people to comment on the material posted 
• Blogs can be created quickly by anyone with an internet connection
• Blogs can be considered as journals. 

USE

Blogs can be used by anyone who wants to get a message across. There are blogs about a lot of things. These are the most popular:

• Personal Online Diaries - lets you know what people are up to
• News - this can be the news from ordinary people or professional journalists
• Entertainment - you can post information about good and bad concerts, films, books
• Food - people can let others know about good and bad restaurants and exchange recipes 
• Politics - many politicians have their own blogs in which you can let them know whether they're doing a good job or not 

Examples Of Blogs 

SOCIAL NETWORKING

PURPOSE

Social networking sites are the use of computers connected to the internet to keep in touch with friends, exchange photos, post status' etc. 

ADVANTAGES 

• Helps build online communities 
• Allows you to make friends 
• Useful place for expressing your opinion on matters
• Allows you to find out what your friends and family are up to
• Useful place to exchange photographs 
• Students can access blogs so they can chat about their learning and help each other

DISADVANTAGES

• Your image might be posted on an inappropriate website
• Pedophiles use blogs and social networking sites to obtain images 
• You may be identified from your image even though there are no contact details
• Employers sometimes look at profiles of job applicants on social networking sites to see if they are suitable for a job
• Addiction to social networking sites as some people cannot go for more than a few minutes before the need to check the sites
• You may encounter stalkers or be pestered by e-mail, or worse still they may find out where you live and your phone numbers 

FACEBOOK

This can be used as a way to keep up to date with friends online. Facebook offers a great way of getting in touch with people you have not kept in contact with. 

MYSPACE 

Myspace is a site that is held together through the connection of music. Many people put personal details on this website and although some settings allow you to see this, you can set your profile to private.