I've received a message that my article about blogging and eating disorders will be published in a Scandinavian journal. At the same time I received a message from the journal's language expert about my use of the term weblog. They are questioning the use and asks why I don't use the term blog. For some reason I have imagined that the term weblog is being used more often in research. Now I'm not so sure about it. What is your impression? Does it matter if I use the term weblog or blog? Ann-Charlotte Palmgren doctoral student Åbo Akademi University Finland
I believe it does matter, and I would opt for "blog" over "weblog." To me the latter has a deliberately antiquated feel to it and so should be used for historical insights, but not to address contemporary acting of blogging. Also, ask yourself which verb form you're using: is the subject "blogging" or "weblogging"? You should get a definite answer out of that and then stick to it for consistency's sake when picking your noun form. On Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 10:05 AM, Ann-Charlotte Palmgren <apalmgre@abo.fi>wrote:
I've received a message that my article about blogging and eating disorders will be published in a Scandinavian journal. At the same time I received a message from the journal's language expert about my use of the term weblog. They are questioning the use and asks why I don't use the term blog. For some reason I have imagined that the term weblog is being used more often in research. Now I'm not so sure about it. What is your impression? Does it matter if I use the term weblog or blog?
Ann-Charlotte Palmgren doctoral student Åbo Akademi University Finland
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Personally, I would prefer to use the term 'blog' over 'weblog'. As Conor has already mentioned, the term 'weblog' might be interesting to use while doing a history of blogging or the emergence of the blogosphere, but it feels outdated and doesn't role off the tongue too easily. However, there is also another reason why I would choose to use 'blog' over 'weblog'. Blogging refers to a particular cultural phenomenon which has significantly affected the information societies around us. Blogging is now accepted in dictionaries of urban slang as well as standard usage as a noun and a verb and specifically refers to the larger politics and mechanics of blogging. Also, in technical language, especially within computer sceinces, weblog is still an expression that refers to logs maintained by machines, artificial intelligence and processes about different systems and transactions. An emphasis on using the term 'weblog' might be confusing for an audience because it might suggest that the arguments you are making are also about these kinds of logs rather than the (presumably) social networking sites and digital platforms of expressions that you are refering to. regards Nishant On Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 10:05 PM, Ann-Charlotte Palmgren <apalmgre@abo.fi>wrote:
I've received a message that my article about blogging and eating disorders will be published in a Scandinavian journal. At the same time I received a message from the journal's language expert about my use of the term weblog. They are questioning the use and asks why I don't use the term blog. For some reason I have imagined that the term weblog is being used more often in research. Now I'm not so sure about it. What is your impression? Does it matter if I use the term weblog or blog?
Ann-Charlotte Palmgren doctoral student Åbo Akademi University Finland
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-- Nishant Shah Doctoral Candidate, CSCS, Bangalore. Director (Research), Centre for Internet and Society,( www.cis-india.org ) Asia Awards Fellow, 2008-09 # 00-86-21-66130376
The responses to Ann-Charlotte original query present good arguments based on personal preference. The scholarly literature to date is mixed with everything from blog to web log being used in recent publications. In my qualifying paper/literature review "Diary Weblogs as Genre" I used both after properly setting the stage of course. In fact the definition of weblogs I adopted (Walker, 2003) uses both terms. Ann-Charlotte, pick which ever term you want to use--or use most often--just know why you make that decision and how it links you to the literature...and you should be fine. Of course this is just good academic writing, no matter the topic. A weblog, or blog, is a frequently updated website consisting of dated entries arranged in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first. Typically, weblogs are published by individuals and their style is personal and informal.. Examples of genre exist on a continuum from confessional online diaries to logs tracking specific topics or activities through links and commentary (Walker, 2003). Walker, J. (2003). Final version of weblog definition. jill/tx. Retrieved August 30, 2004 from http://huminf.uib.no/~jill/archives/blog_theorising/final_version_of_weblog_ definition.html ____________________ Lois Ann Scheidt Doctoral Student - School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University, Bloomington IN USA Webpage: http://www.loisscheidt.com CV: http://www.loisscheidt.com/cv.html Blog: http://www.professional-lurker.com
participants (4)
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Ann-Charlotte Palmgren -
Conor Schaefer -
Lois Ann Scheidt -
Nishant Shah