Communication Breakdown
Conveying your point of view over the Internet is simpler than ever. With the abundance of web sites out there that offer social networking capabilities and blogging scripts, it is no surprise that the Internet has revolutionized the way that we communicate - for the good and the bad.
By definition, a blog is a frequent chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links. Blog is actually derived from the term web log. Jorn Barger was the first person to come up with the word, which originated in December of 1997. Peter Merholz has been accredited with the creation of the word blog, which found its way into the Internet world sometime in the first quarter of 1999.
Just how has blogging become so popular? One of the reasons is its simplicity. Certain web programs, such as WordPress, provide an acceptable layout as well as all of the necessary tools to get started. After that, it is simply a matter of click and post. What’s fascinating about WordPress is the fact that it is an open-source script. Web writers have been utilizing it since 2003, and there is no question that it has evolved into one of the most user-friendly programs on the net today.
Blogs can be written about any topic, whether it is sports, finance, relationships, politics, or current news. Modern technology has revolutionized the blogging industry, as bloggers are now able to “ping” web servers whenever new content is written. In other words, once there is a new post on a blog site, the Internet becomes “aware” of this, making it more likely that a web browser will stumble upon a given page.
But blogging isn’t the only way that Internet users can express their ideas. Certain social networking programs, such as MySpace and Facebook, have witnessed extreme success in the few years that they have been around. Facebook, which started in February of 2004, was founded by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg. At first, it was only accessible to Ivy League students. Today, there are roughly 55 million active users from colleges all across the country. While it was once required to have a valid college e-mail address, anyone is now able to create a Facebook account.
MySpace, on the other hand, was founded in 2003 and attracts a much larger crowd. There are approximately 200 million current MySpace accounts, and it is estimated that over 200,000 are added each day. While it was once independent, the company is currently owned by Fox Interactive Media. To date, it is the sixth most popular site on the web.
Both of these networking giants have revolutionized the way the Internet is utilized. Through advanced applications, users are able to blog, add pictures, send messages, discuss interests, and basically express their own points of view. However, problems have arisen with both sites. Facebook has become a resource for potential employers, and given the pictures that are being uploaded, college students are losing job opportunities because of their senseless behavior. In addition, MySpace has served as a wonderful tool for sexual predators. Whatever way you look at it, there is no debate that the capabilities of the Internet have had a significant impact on the way that people are now able to communicate.
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