Hi, Tech is a gentle introduction to current technology for those of us who don’t have the time, or perhaps the interest, to be a “geek” but still want to know what the new technology is all about. Whether it’s to understand conversations at work, or just the “techie” in your home, Hi, Tech aims to give you the overview you need.
Each article will describe what a new technology is, help you decide whether it’s for you, and talk about basic safety issues. Chances are, eventually some gadget will catch your fancy and when it does, you’ll find ideas on how to learn more at the end of the article.
Today’s Technology: Blogs
What is a blog? This is. How’s that for a short answer? A more complete answer is that a blog is like a newspaper article mainly, with one big difference: you can answer back and people can hear you. Ever yell at the TV or rant over an article in the paper? Wish you could ask — or answer — a question? Just want to talk about it? A blog lets you do it. At the end of a blog, you will find a place where you can type in your own comment or question. When you post (save) it, it will be visible on the website at the end of the blog. Other readers, including the author, can read your comments and post their own. Comments are usually about the original article, but sometimes also in response to another person’s comment instead, especially if the other person posted a question.
How can I try it out? Post a response to this blog! At the very end of this blog, you will find a note that there are ‘x Comments.’ Click on that and you will be given a box to enter your comment. Let me know if you liked it (or didn’t) when the initial definition of blog was “this is.” Add a note about technology you’d like to see in later blogs. Let me know if this is too long, too short, too tech, not tech enough, or any other comment. Or just post an entry to say ‘Hi’ to your new friends here at Hi, Tech. After your comment is processed, it will be visible to anyone who visits our website, and the number of comments (the ‘x’ in ‘x comments’) will go up by 1.
Do I want one?
Yes, if: you have a topic you really want to talk about often and also the time to write more on a regular basis. Many bloggers (authors) will post once a week or daily or even more.
No, if: you really only want to talk about something short term. If you want to let people know about the great game your team had or the sports car that blew you off the road this morning, an editorial is a better outlet. On the other hand, if you want to post about your team every week or talk about new sports cars as they are announced or rally to change traffic laws, a blog may be for you.
Not sure? Consider it from the other side. If you were to go around and ask people if they’d like to see a web site on your topic, how many would you expect to get on the internet and look? If a lot would, go for it. If it’s more of an acquired taste, perhaps a fan/users/aficionado group would be an easier way to find others with the same interests.
Be warned, though… If your topic is in any way inflammatory, and sometimes even if it’s not, you may get comments back that are negative or unpleasant. As the blogger, you have the ability to delete comments posted to your blog, but it may not erase the sting of nasty words. It will happen to everyone sometimes, so try not to take it too personally.
Is it safe to blog, or to comment? Mostly. Never assume, in any Internet usage of blogs or anything else, that your identity cannot be found. A person must have both the skill and the will to find out who you are, though, and the combination is relatively rare. The simple use of a pen name, signing your posts “Tech Fan” instead of “Kelly Jones,” for example, is your first defense. This is not meant to worry you unduly, just to be honest. The greatest risk of blogging and commenting is your own emotional response to reading what others have written, whether it’s angry or sad or poignant or anything else.
I’m intrigued — where can I find out more?
To learn more about blogs, try Wikipedia.org, which is a good source of information on many topics.
To find blogs you might like to read or respond to, try blogsearch.google.com or technorati.com or blogsearch.ask.com.
To try out your own blog, try Wordpress.org or Blogger.com, for detailed articles about blogging and even software to create your blog.