Classifying blogs

According to Simons(2008),the word 'blogging' is too general to be used to describe different internet based publications from different groups and people.That is why a classification system is needed in order to differentiate the blogs,the subjects, the device used, and the state of the publishers.

By classifying blogs by the subject matter that is talked about in the blog's content,it will help the readers to choose which blogs interests them more and it will save time. Jagalla(2010) states that the subject matter should not be too 'broad' or else the best search results will not be easily found.

Examples of classifying blogs by subject matter:
-Politics. Example, Malaysia Today. Which is created by Raja Petra bin Raja Kamaruddin as a website where anyone can give their opinions on Malaysian politics and this is a news blog where there is a 'no censorship' policy (Wikipedia 2011).
-Fashion. Example, Fashion Toast. Rumi Neely is a well-known fashion blogger and she posts pictures of her outfits and her experiences in the fashion industry.
-History. Example, The History Blog. Livius blogs mostly about European History and medieval times but
-Law. Example, Discourse.net . Michael Froomkin is a Professor of Law from the University of Miami School of Law and he blogs about his teachings of law.

Referring to Simons (2008),Malaysia Today can be classified as a Pamphleteering Blog because it is a news blog that criticizes the Malaysian politics and how it is portrayed in the media.

While the Fashion Toast blog can be classified as a Diary Blog and The Advertisement (Simons 2008) because she blogs about her daily adventures and her blog is filled with advertisements at the sidebar and sometimes she blogs about the brands being advertised in her blog.

Moreover, The History Blog can be classified as a Exhibition Blog (Simons 2008) because Livius is blogging about her interests and knowledge about European History.

Lastly, Discourse.net can be classified as a Exhibition Blog (Simons 2008) because Michael Froomkin is blogging about his profession as a Professor of Law.


References:

•  Simons, M 2008, Towards a Taxonomy of Blogs, Australian Policy Online, Swinburne University of Technology, viewed on 28 April 2011, <http://www.apo.org.au/commentary/towards-taxonomy-blogs-0> .
• Jagalla, C 2010, Classified Information: Patent Searching by Classification Part 1, Intellogist, viewed on 28 April 2011, <http://intellogist.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/classified-information-patent-searching-by-classification-part-1/> .
• 'Malaysia Today' 2011, Wikipedia, viewed on 28 April 2011, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Today> .

Blogging and its advantages

Source:http://technorati.com/blogging/article/state-of-the-blogosphere-2010-introduction

The size of the current blogosphere in the world based on Technorati report in 2010 has increased compared to the previous years with 7200 bloggers participating in their survey and thanks to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

According to Microsoft Advertising(2007), Malaysians are blogging more often now because of the internet accessibility and 41% households are found to have broadband internet access which increases the blogging trend.The blogging trend is also increasing thanks to technology such as smartphones and tablets and social networking sites such as Twitter which can be known as micro-blogging.Twitter is known as the micro-blogging phenomenon because it has a word limit of 140 characters only and the short blog posts known as a 'tweet' is much easier to be posted online thanks to mobile phones according to Jacob and Wu(2008).

The type of blogs that are most commonly found in Malaysia are political blogs,lifestyle blogs, and food blogs based on the Top 100 Malaysian blogs according to Rice Blogger(2009).

The benefit of political blogs such as the Anwar Ibrahim's blog is that it provides a platform for him as a politician and his supporters to get to know more on his whereabouts and his vision on how he will make Malaysia a better place if he was the Prime Minister.

The benefit of lifestyle blogs such as Cheeserland is that the blogger is able to share her experiences and her daily routine as a full-time blogger to the readers who are interested.

Food blogs such as Pure Glutton only focuses on blogging about food so it will help its readers to get reviews on places to eat and the food quality before the reader tries out the restaurant themselves.




References:

• Sobel, Jon 2010, State of the Blogosphere 2010 Introduction, Technorati, viewed on 27 April 2011, <http://technorati.com/blogging/article/state-of-the-blogosphere-2010-introduction/> .
•  Research confirms boom in Malaysia's blogging scene 2007, Microsoft Advertising, viewed on 27 April 2011, <http://advertising.microsoft.com/asia/NewsAndEvents/Article.aspx?pageid=890&Adv_Articleid=5337> .
• Wong, A 2009, Top 100 Malaysian Blogs, Rice Blogger, viewed on 27 April 2011, <http://www.riceblogger.com/top-100-malaysian-blogs/> .
• Jacob, R and Wu, S 2008, Twitter: an Analysis on the Microblogging Phenomenon in Relation with Community and Identity, Scribd, viewed on 27 April 2011, <http://www.scribd.com/doc/16825839/Twitter-an-Analysis-on-the-Microblogging-Phenomenon-in-Relation-with-Community-and-Identity> .
• State of Blogosphere 2010 Dissected 2010, YetAnotherStudio, viewed on 27 April 2011, <http://www.yetanotherstudio.com/2010/11/08/state-of-blogosphere-2010-dissected/> .