Aimee Morrison’s Article on Blogging:

I have only recently read this article, and I regret not doing so sooner due to the volume of information presented.

   The article, in its entirety, can be found here:  http://www.digitalhumanities.org/companion/view?docId=blackwell/9781405148641/9781405148641.xml&chunk.id=ss1-6-1&toc.depth=1&toc.id=ss1-6-1&brand=9781405148641_brand 

 I realise that the general opinion is that this is a very disorganised article, and I can appreciate this viewpoint. However, to me, this seems  to be the case only due to its length. Once I took the time to read through it in detail, I found it to be a very informative article, even for those who consider themselves knowledgeable in the subject. On the other hand, it is an article to which I wouldn’t hasten to refer anyone who knows little about such facets of modern technology. It seems that Aimee Morrison has placed an emphasis on ensuring that her article is easily understandable for anyone who should choose to read it.

As I have briefly mentioned earlier, I think that Morrison’s use of relatively simple language should be commended, as it makes an understanding of the world of blogging a little bit more accessible to the average person. I also like the manner in which she takes us step by step through each section of the article. This, however, is a minimum requirement, given that otherwise, we would be faced with an almost insurmountable text, which can look quite intimidating on first glance. That said, I personally don’t think she could have made it as engaging if she had skipped some of the detail. 

 I think that the statistics she uses, though useless to those looking to learn about blogging, are quite interesting for those who are looking to read this piece of writing in a more relaxed manner, and they contribute greatly towards giving the article a feel of being complete, which of course is essential if it is to be taken as an authoritative source of information on the subject. For example, the fact that there were only 23 blogs present anywhere on the internet by 1997, just shows how recent a phenomenon blogging – and of course the internet itself – really  is. The tag “phenomenon” is one that is emphatically placed upon the entirety of the alternate universe known as the internet. However, when you see the astounding rate of growth of the online community, it becomes clear that it truly is a phenomenon. Since those modest beginnings in 1997, the popularity of blogging has rocketed. According to Morrison’s article, as of the end of 2006, there were 54 million blogs online. However, I have yet to mention  the really amazing statistic: it has been estimated that a new blog is created every second. This mind boggling nugget of information prompted me to take out my calculator. I eventually worked out that at the rate of one blog per second, assuming that the creation of these blogs began from scratch, it would take around three years and 143 days for every single person on the planet to eventually have a blog. Yes, that’s what I do with my spare time....

                          

 Morrison continues on to describe in detail the many different types and genres of blog,  highlighting “blogging in literary studies” as holding a significant proportion of the blogging "market". I don’t find it at all difficult to believe this statement; after all, that is exactly the purpose of this blog, isn’t it?

                                          

Even if it is slightly long, I found Aimee Morrison’s blog to be quite an entertaining read, packed full of interesting facts and figures. It is a fantastic article for those who take an interest in such matters. However, if you are not already familiar with the world of blogging and are looking for advice and instruction, I would advise you to look elsewhere.