Here comes the first topic of 2007 that is capable of making the blogosphere dusty. Unsurprisingly it is nothing new. Zoli’s Blog wonders whether Google’s Official Blog can be considered as a blog because it does not allow comments and this has kicked the dust. Michael Arrington’s question turns into a possible twister. I think blog is a thing that can be defined only for self. I cannot define it for someone else, I think it is so personal. I consider blogs to be more about opinions, whether they allow comments. Of course, allowing comments indicates ability to listen and take in the feedback, but that is for me to decide whether my blog should allow comments or not.
The thing unique with blogs is that it is written by individuals, and that it is their personal opinion, even if they are part of a bigger group. Whether it is written as an online journal or as active conversations is a personal choice. And I think this aspect of being personal is what makes it unique, from the main stream media, and from the corporate world. And this is what has taken me to different blogs and I have discovered some excellent content.
I would like to question the question for defining a blog. Is there a need to generically define a blog? As I see it, it is required only in competitions and comparisons. And it is the responsibility of those in charge to define what qualifies as a blog. No one person can claim to create blogs, so no one person can define it. There are many involved, and it is essentially a community exercise that is as widely inclusive as possible, to encourage as many as possible. I am most comfortable with blogs without having the need to define them, or if required, define them for myself.
Whether to write it as a online journal, whether to allow comments, whether to put articles or short posts, whether to write everyday or once a month or even whether to make the blog public or not should be left to the author. There can only be suggestions and recommendations, not definitions. The one thing I associate with blogs is personal opinion. And of course this is only for me, not for others.
