HW 3: "Toward a More Participatory Democracy"

In order for me to summarize “Toward a more Participatory Democracy” by Burstein and Kline in the book blog, I would need to understand it more. From what I got out of it was the fact that politics is starting to play a role in blogging. I would think that many people would assume blogging would start coming up in the conversation of politics. This is because blogging has become a much more accepted way of communicating over the web. As Burstein and Kline explained in blog, at first blogging was only used as online journals. Blogging wasn’t used for people to state judgemental opinions, or even strong opinions for that matter. It used to be that one had to be careful with how and what he or she would say on the internet. From what I grabbed from this chapter, however, was the fact that, “political blogs have become a vital source of news and opinion for millions of Americans and an alternative to traditional newspapers and television” (p 6, Kline) Blogging is how people get their information. Especially when it comes to politics. The title of the chapter summarizes the whole chapter, we’re participating more in politics through blogging.

HW: 2 Blogging Going Corporate? Does Money Have to do With it?

After reading about the twelve key ideas in the book blog by David Kline and Dan Burstein, the fifth “key idea,” Blogging is Going Corporate, grabbed my attention. This interests me because technology today has become the number one source of communication everyone relies on. It does not surprise me that blogging is going corporate. I find anything “new on the market” or “in” tends to go corporate. One might ask “Why does this happen?” The answer is simple, Business’s need to stay caught up with the world and its communication. Corporations must be involved with their target group, otherwise known as the consumer. Without the latest technological ideas one can not stay caught up in such a cutthroat industry based around money. I find it interesting how corporations, business’s, and the work field need to stay caught up in today’s world. Considering we the people are their main target, they (the companies) need us in order to stay a thriving industry. Blogging going corporate? I find they really don’t have a choice if they want to stay in business, “blogs will change your business…your customers and rivals are figuring blogs out. Our Advice: Catch up…Or catch you Later” (Business Week, May 2005)