Week Five- Blogging & Citizen Journalism
With the rise of technology and social media, a burst of independency and freedom came about for many not just tech companies. Individuals all over the world found their voice and utilized social media platforms to be heard. With the World Wide Web now a common trend at work and school, for personal and professional needs, people are utilizing their technology and social media to share and inform others. Blogs have given newspaper editorials “wings" on the internet, giving writers and journalists an outlet, as well as, amateurs and naysayers a place to share and possibly connect with like-minded individuals. Without much knowledge necessary, journalism takes a backseat in most cases when it comes to blogging. In some situations, blogs are just an opinionated essay written by an individual and placed on a platform for their followers and subscribers. Many blogs have made positive contributions to society, adding to theories and providing information and insight from a grassroots level.
We The People Vow To Listen To Us….
Entertainment blogs, political blogs, beauty blogs, wellness blogs, lifestyle blogs and so many others have become popular among everyday people producing millions of site hits and views daily. This freedom and popularity has also given everyday people the opportunity to start and create blogs just from seeing so many others freely do it. Just like everything else, blogging comes with its share of ups and downs. One advantage is that people can be heard and anyone can share, but the disadvantage is that people can be heard and anyone can share, leading to a increase in citizen journalism.
Thanks to blogs, business news (good or bad) can now be distributed—instantly and globally—by millions of citizen journalists who do not face the same professional and ethical constraints as the mainstream media. Without journalistic reputations and established careers to protect, bloggers are free to (intentionally or unintentionally) publish unsubstantiated rumors, spread lies, defame individuals and organizations, beat the drum for any given issue or cause in which the blogger has a stake, and—in some cases—do irreparable harm to corporate credibility, executive reputations, and investor confidence (Flynn, 2006). Every blog is not a good blog and some content should be regulated in some form. With the openness of the internet, certain restrictions are placed on what can be posted online but some people get away with sharing negative
material.
The overwhelming growth of blogging has created new avenues of employment for some and /or more work for those that work for a company. Blogs can be used for personal or professional gain but often time the lines are blurred in regards to who’s responsible for what's shared, the company or the blogger.
Individuals that blog for a company have to be extremely careful to ensure that they are sharing the opinion of the company and not their personal views. Usually, when readers read information from a company they view the content as a statement from that establishment. Even though, everyone knows there has to be a particular person writing the article, many people do not separate the publication and the writer from the company and the content. This is important to ensure that professional bloggers are within the guidelines of their employer. Amateur bloggers on another hand are free to post whatever they choose and they usually do so. In media, credibility plays a huge role in most viewers eyes when deciding to follow or listen to someone. Blogs have pushed journalism to the black seat allowing accredited writers and first timers to share their opinions to the same audience at the same time, the internet.
So Necessary …
In a world where the #MeToo movement is just now happening due to the pressure that comes from speaking out, blogs are so necessary. The power of one's voice can very valuable when heard. Blogs have the power to take a message around the world and back. One can try to shape the message and content but ultimately, blogs have legs of their own. A targeted audience can be projected but the world is your playground when blogging. The accuracy of bloggers’ perceptions about their audience is questionable, due to the openly accessible nature of blogs—blogs may be read by Internet users other than those the bloggers had in mind (Stefanone & Jang, 2008). Whether you’re blogging for yourself or blogging for a company, your mind must be made up before you share your opinion. You can intend to only post for family and friends and find yourself in front of the world. Blogging is all fair game until you’re proven wrong.
The comment section on blogs has become a place of unity on the internet. It's where like-minded individuals and those that disagree with them meet for a even exchange of ideas. In this section the conversation on the topic at hand is either progressed by other contributors or contested by those who believe the information is false. Meanwhile, blogs are necessary for the sake of everyone's sanity but they can also produce clutter on the internet, as anyone is able to post anything. Many times, what appears to be negative comments are sometimes the actual truth to a wrong statement posted within a blog. All content must be reviewed before being considered right or wrong. The blog should be considered truthful before the comment is considered negative and false. Now granted, mean, vulgar, and nasty comments are never necessary in a disagreement and they aren't acceptable online as well.
My News Is Your News
Many say they started blogging to help others while others started to release stress. All the sharing that goes into blogging simply makes my news, your news. Whether a blogger is sharing their Insight on a company, restaurant, concept, or whatever, their opinion can be viewed by others and also accepted by others, ultimately becoming news. Citizens journalists are not only sharing amongst themselves they can also become suppliers of news to one another. Major corporations consider blogs for news but are very precautious when doing so. CNN reported they vet blog stories by doing the following...
This is a major step in the world of blogging, where citizen journalists and accredited journalists dwell on the same platform in peace. Yes, blogs, newspaper editorials, and online Ccolumns are still different entities, they possess the freedom of speech that is necessary for all mankind as technology and social media continues to grow.
Source:
1. Flynn, N. (2006). Blog rules : a business guide to managing policy, public relations, and legal issues. Retrieved from https://troyuniversity.on.worldcat.org/oclc/71213561?
2. Stefanone, M., & Jang, C. (2008). Writing for Friends and Family: The Interpersonal Nature of Blogs. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 123-140. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00389.x/pdf
3. King, L. (2012, July). Vetting Citizen Journalism. Retrieved from http://niemanreports.org/articles/vetting-citizen-journalism/
We The People Vow To Listen To Us….
Entertainment blogs, political blogs, beauty blogs, wellness blogs, lifestyle blogs and so many others have become popular among everyday people producing millions of site hits and views daily. This freedom and popularity has also given everyday people the opportunity to start and create blogs just from seeing so many others freely do it. Just like everything else, blogging comes with its share of ups and downs. One advantage is that people can be heard and anyone can share, but the disadvantage is that people can be heard and anyone can share, leading to a increase in citizen journalism.
Thanks to blogs, business news (good or bad) can now be distributed—instantly and globally—by millions of citizen journalists who do not face the same professional and ethical constraints as the mainstream media. Without journalistic reputations and established careers to protect, bloggers are free to (intentionally or unintentionally) publish unsubstantiated rumors, spread lies, defame individuals and organizations, beat the drum for any given issue or cause in which the blogger has a stake, and—in some cases—do irreparable harm to corporate credibility, executive reputations, and investor confidence (Flynn, 2006). Every blog is not a good blog and some content should be regulated in some form. With the openness of the internet, certain restrictions are placed on what can be posted online but some people get away with sharing negative
material.
The overwhelming growth of blogging has created new avenues of employment for some and /or more work for those that work for a company. Blogs can be used for personal or professional gain but often time the lines are blurred in regards to who’s responsible for what's shared, the company or the blogger.
Individuals that blog for a company have to be extremely careful to ensure that they are sharing the opinion of the company and not their personal views. Usually, when readers read information from a company they view the content as a statement from that establishment. Even though, everyone knows there has to be a particular person writing the article, many people do not separate the publication and the writer from the company and the content. This is important to ensure that professional bloggers are within the guidelines of their employer. Amateur bloggers on another hand are free to post whatever they choose and they usually do so. In media, credibility plays a huge role in most viewers eyes when deciding to follow or listen to someone. Blogs have pushed journalism to the black seat allowing accredited writers and first timers to share their opinions to the same audience at the same time, the internet.
So Necessary …
In a world where the #MeToo movement is just now happening due to the pressure that comes from speaking out, blogs are so necessary. The power of one's voice can very valuable when heard. Blogs have the power to take a message around the world and back. One can try to shape the message and content but ultimately, blogs have legs of their own. A targeted audience can be projected but the world is your playground when blogging. The accuracy of bloggers’ perceptions about their audience is questionable, due to the openly accessible nature of blogs—blogs may be read by Internet users other than those the bloggers had in mind (Stefanone & Jang, 2008). Whether you’re blogging for yourself or blogging for a company, your mind must be made up before you share your opinion. You can intend to only post for family and friends and find yourself in front of the world. Blogging is all fair game until you’re proven wrong.
The comment section on blogs has become a place of unity on the internet. It's where like-minded individuals and those that disagree with them meet for a even exchange of ideas. In this section the conversation on the topic at hand is either progressed by other contributors or contested by those who believe the information is false. Meanwhile, blogs are necessary for the sake of everyone's sanity but they can also produce clutter on the internet, as anyone is able to post anything. Many times, what appears to be negative comments are sometimes the actual truth to a wrong statement posted within a blog. All content must be reviewed before being considered right or wrong. The blog should be considered truthful before the comment is considered negative and false. Now granted, mean, vulgar, and nasty comments are never necessary in a disagreement and they aren't acceptable online as well.
My News Is Your News
Many say they started blogging to help others while others started to release stress. All the sharing that goes into blogging simply makes my news, your news. Whether a blogger is sharing their Insight on a company, restaurant, concept, or whatever, their opinion can be viewed by others and also accepted by others, ultimately becoming news. Citizens journalists are not only sharing amongst themselves they can also become suppliers of news to one another. Major corporations consider blogs for news but are very precautious when doing so. CNN reported they vet blog stories by doing the following...
“We cross-check what we learn from citizen journalists with other social media reports. We also use technology, which can’t prove if a story is reliable but offers helpful clues. For example, we often check photo metadata to find timestamps and sometimes location data about the source photo or ask a photographer to share the previous or next 10 images from her camera. We also occasionally send an image through a service like “TinEye” to help determine whether it shows signs of alteration.” (King, 2012)
Source:
1. Flynn, N. (2006). Blog rules : a business guide to managing policy, public relations, and legal issues. Retrieved from https://troyuniversity.on.worldcat.org/oclc/71213561?
2. Stefanone, M., & Jang, C. (2008). Writing for Friends and Family: The Interpersonal Nature of Blogs. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 123-140. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00389.x/pdf
3. King, L. (2012, July). Vetting Citizen Journalism. Retrieved from http://niemanreports.org/articles/vetting-citizen-journalism/
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