I am sitting in a noisy pub which offers wireless – on a Saturday night (sad!) – and am thinking about the context of where we are using our blog also in physical life – or does this not matter? Obviously, for me it does as it has been a different place every time so far, which is why I am thinking about it..

Should I mention guilt of writing such quickies?? Or should I just make it my rule to be inconsistent, all over the place, not following any thread and not saying anything deep and meaningful following hours of research which I would do in an ideal world?  I am quite conscious of my relationship with a potential audience now…

As a blogging virgin, I was interested to read in Stephen Downes’ article “Educational Blogging” (Downes, 2004) that one of the original definitions – and use – of blogging (by Barger) was linked to the idea of ‘logging’ webpages – and this appear to have now evolved into a combination of logging and keeping a journal. Blogging seems to me to be like a personal diary - a special interest diary where one’s experience of the web culture does seem to play a large part. I share Richard Long’s concern that blogging is a rather informal tool which may be contrived in an educational setting. In listing the use and benefits of blogging in an educational setting, what Downes doesn’t mention though is the creativity that it may bring – blogging is so much more than writing! I can say share my favourite album cover

or let you know where to find more http://porktornado.diaryland.com/albumcover.html

 and it makes me want to explore all sorts of possibilities – I would expect children and younger people would come up with so many new and creative ideas!

In Anne Bartlett-Bragg’s reading (Blogging to Learn, 2003), I was interested in the relationship between creator and audience in the stages he presents which I would summarise as such:

Stage 1 – blogger writes for the teacher

Stage 2 – blogger writes to an anonymous reader in cyberspace

Stage 3 – blogger writes for him/herself – no direct audience

Stage 4: Specific audience which is reflected upon

Stage 5: the audience can almsot become a new learner?

Now – which stage am I at? Well, at the moment, I do feel mostly like I am writing for myself which would put me at stage 3 according to Barlett-Bragg’s definition – audience? what audience? But it keeps it fun and light !

C

I have found it interesting talking about the use of internet with people and in the last couple of weeks two points have grabbed my attention:

I was reading this article titled “Ethnography on the move”  www.qualitative-research.net/fqs-texte/1-00/1-00wittel-e.htm - and was particularly interested in Andreas Wittel’s comment: “Clearly the Internet is a network. It consists of nodes and links. But what kind of connections do we have to deal with? We deal with hyperlinks, not with real ones. Hyperlinks are purely abstract, they don’t inform about the quality of connections, about strong or weak ties, about the amount of flow that moves from one node/site to another one. ” (Wittel, 2000). Now, many things have moved on in the world of internet since 2000 but I am interested in the idea of network and what would constitute a “real” network and why would an hyperlink make the network “weak” or somehow I feel what Wittel is referring to really is a pastiche of network..? We found that in the programme and I have met a few people recently who have made what one may call “real” friends having met them virtually first… Are internet networks of people not real until these people physically meet? Would the people using discussion forum on IMDB consider themselves a network at all? I must look up network definitions.

Another point which I have been thinking of was relating to the right to publish other people’s pictures, comments, sayings, personalities … how is the ethic of this managed? Or is it managed at all? What do children think about it? Doing internet research, what right have I got to create links and publish other people’s ideas in my blog? Or if I found it on the internet anyway, does that make it a public good already which I can pick and dispose of at will?

No answers today - just questions and more exploring to do! I just wanted to tell myself (and others maybe) that I am here! Now, I shall go and visit other people’s blogs!

C

How much role and freedom do we really have in creating the web? Who creates all these quizzes, games, scrabulous, superwalls and the likes in Facebook? Is this really agency or are we just consumers who are sold the pretence of freedom of choice and creation and production?