Some of us can’t get enough of the antics on
“Rock of Love,” Poison frontman Bret Michaels’
reality dating show on VH1 and my new guilty
pleasure. The show is the ‘80s hair band version
of “Flavor of Love” and the contestants are just as
certifiably insane. Thank goodness, then, for VH1’s
Celebreality blog, which contains Michaels’ video
posts as well as posts for other VH1 shows.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when blogging
became such a seminal part of our society. Was it
Sept. 11? The 2004 presidential election? Hurricane
Katrina? Virginia Tech? In any case, it’s safe to
assume that most major news events inspire blog
entries around the world.
Many people have one, although finding a
particular person’s blog depends on how much
detective work you feel like doing. The vast
territories of cyberspace make it possible to find
posts from about anyone, from your favorite
musician-turned-television-personality to your
local comptroller candidate. You can follow
presidential candidates on the campaign trail and
uncover the special effects secrets of your favorite
television show.
The evolution of the blog is a continual
process that doesn’t stop at visual presentation
or topical range. A decade ago, some of the first
blogs read more like frequently updated news or
troubleshooting bulletins. Today, blogs can be as
basically or as elaborately designed as we please.
We have the capability to watch video blogs and
listen to podcasts.
As with blogs, Internet technology has come a
long way since it first began attracting major attention
in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. It seemed like
such a revolutionary and efficient way to conduct
and promote business, do research (both in-depth
and cursory) and of course, communicate.
Some skepticism and criticism emerged, however,
concerning legal ramifications of the Web. Those
arguments are equally applicable to the blogosphere
and in some ways are easier to understand.
For instance, the standard employee background
check might include not only investigating a
criminal background, but also an Internet presence.
Any content on Johnny Jobhunter’s profile or blog
could be used against him.
Then, of course, there’s the trusty “information
overload” complaint. So many blog sites and
services exist, so you’re extremely lucky if you
have to weed through tens and not hundreds of
search engine results.
During the past few years, blogs have been
increasingly integrated into the classroom. More and
more professors are assigning and experimenting
with blog projects. These classroom exercises may
be encouraging and useful to the less technologically-
savvy, but they seem like an overload for those
of us who are already faithful readers or bloggers.
Students who keep personal blogs are familiar with
the creative and technical processes, so blogging
for class isn’t too much of a stretch. The annoying
part is remembering to maintain separate content
and style.
And blogs shouldn’t be annoying. For the most
part, we’re all just there to kill time and have
fun, whether we’re reading arcane Washington
Post editorials or simply catching up with Perez
Hilton.
Heck, I just want to find out what the executive
producers of “Battlestar Galactica” have in store for
the series’ final season.