Blah Blog

Good evening class, our lesson for today is about blogging. Ano ba ang blog? Paano nga ba mag-blog? Ano ba ang katuturan nito sa ating buhay? Makakain ko ba ito? Let's answer these questions one by one. If you have any questions, simply raise your hand. There is no need to rise from your seats.

First, let's talk about the term. Blog, as most of you already know, came from the word "weblog" from which we might deduce as a log of events published in the web. Hence, it is an open journal of whatever you want to record. Depending on where you publish it, other people may be able to view your entries as they wish.

There are many popular places where you can write your blog, aside from your own website, if you have any. There is Friendster for one thing, which wasn't really meant to be a blogging website. (You might have noticed that Friendster, lately, has given more focus on its user's blogs, which is a very good thing for bloggers like me.) There is also the quite popular LiveJournal (I have an account there, too, but those who I want to view my entries are here in Friendster so I don't post there as often), Blogspot (the original blog site), and similar friend-connection-centered sites such as MySpace, YouTube, and others. (Actually, I'm not that sure about the latter two.)

So, how do you blog? Well, anyone can write a blog. There are no rules. Just type whatever you want to type. However, there is an unwritten distinction about good blogs and bad blogs. We should remember that, when you blog, you are doing it for a purpose. It isn't simply a blank page where you can tell whatever you want to tell - not as crude as that. Take note that the reader is a part of this. So in essence, your blog must produce an effect to your readers.

It's just like having a column in the newspaper. You put things in there, but you are not sure whether people will actually read your entry. But once they do, you have to keep your audience. You have to make sure that whenever you post another entry, somebody will read it. Otherwise, your blog will just become a private diary.

How do you keep your audience? Well, you have to keep their interest. You might write about something funny, something weird, or something informative. After reading your blog, the reader should get something out of it. A lesson or a laugh are best, but you can also make your readers have a headache or a heavy heart if you want to. You might make them think or be more open-minded about stuff. The key is - it should have an effect.

There are various ways for you to know that your readers responded to your entry. They might tell you something about it verbally, they might post a comment now and then, or they might even start their own blog, inspired by your own.

As in all forms of communication, it should be important that your reader clearly understood what you wanted to tell them. Language is a primary concern. make sure that whatever language you choose, you must be fluent enough in it. Also, the language you use depends on the purpose of your blog. I could have written this in Filipino if I wanted to, but since this is more of an informative blog - quite formal in a way - English serves better since most of us are used to reading information in English (as in our textbooks.)

Form is another factor, and needless to say, it depends on the purpose of your blog. Prose is the more common form since it is more flexible and can be applied to many types of entries. You can also write poems if you want to, especially those who have a touch of being an artist in them. There are also other forms - you can write a dialogue for instance.

My opinion is that you have to be more careful with poems. For one, it should be nice enough. Others tend to use overly flowery words in poems. Those poems if not executed properly tend to fail to reach their readers, even if they look appealing and intellectual. Myself, I prefer to use simple words if they suit the thoughts I want to convey best.

A blog should have a purpose. Or at the least, it should have an underlying objective, if you want your readers to really appreciate what you've written. You might tell a story about what happened to your day, but in the end, it should have a certain degree of significance. You might share what life's lesson you've learned after your long day, for example.

But other blogs are good to read on their own, even if they don't have a "moral lesson" as some would say. These blogs have an innate "interest" factor in them. A traveler might share about the places he has been to, or a clown might tell a story about this party he's entertained. It's just like telling a story to your friend. If you're going to write about "Hey, this morning, I woke up. I dressed, got out of bed. I took a shower..." then your readers might not want to finish reading your blog. Write about something new. Write about something your readers would like to hear.

Now, let's proceed to the person writing the blog. The "blogger" has a purpose in publishing his entries. For instance, class, I blog because I want to make my thoughts about matters more coherent. I want to share these thoughts that I have to my friends and hopefully, they would make a comment or two. My blog is my emotional outlet when a friend who might listen is not at hand.

In Friendster, class, those who will read your blog are most likely your friends so you are quite ensured that they are somewhat interested in what you want to say. If you post a blog shouting "I'm devirginized!", your friends (if they are really your friends) will definitely read it, while other people might not be interested enough whether you are really devirginized or not.

Blah blah... blah blah blah. Just blog your ass off dammit!

This entry is getting too long even for me, and I'm not sure if I could write like this any longer. All I know is that tomorrow, something will happen to me. Something pivotal. Dizizit! But I'm not going to rave about it like I did. I'm going to take it coolly, and just hope that I'll still be walking straightly on my way home...

Wink!