Week 2: From 'Media Monopoly' to Participatory News?

I recently started my first blog, making this class my
second blogging experience. However, I think my blog may trespass on what has
come to be the 'accepted' notion of a blog's function - that of a public forum
for the sharing and discussion of ideas (because, though I publish content to
my blog, I have yet to share the link with anyone).

Personal anecdotes aside, Rebecca Blood's article 'Weblogs:
a History' proved very helpful in outlining the origins of blogs as well as how
they have not only exploded in popularity but how they have come to occupy, some would argue, a
very important place in the evolution of the media. We have gone, in a very short space of time (popular
blog birth circa 1999) from a long tradition of one-sided media relationships
(being told the news) to a state of being able to participate in the discussion
of news with those who report it and, perhaps more importantly, being able to
be a part of the news selection process by choosing what stories are
interesting/important/outrageous enough to share with the rest of humanity (or
at least those with internet connections – a point we resign ourselves to
accept, unfortunately).

This point is further reinforced by Blood's description of
the original blogs: generally maintained only by people with knowledge of html
coding, they still were most often collections of links - commonly to news
stories from various sources strewn across the internet - accompanied by the
blogger's own commentary.

The video "Blogs in Plain English" also highlights
how new blog tools like Blogger functioned to enable the virtual everyman to
compose a blog and, in doing so, managed to further evolve our relationship with
the news and media in general. I would have to agree that blogs (as well as the broader context of
the internet) have managed to change us from an 'audience,' or
passive receptors of news and information, to a 'public,' with power over the
creation and selection of news with a strong participatory role in the vital
dialogue that enables us to remain better informed of the current state of the
world.

As an interesting aside, and noting that our discussion of
social tagging is still on the horizon, I will put out there the idea that
perhaps social tagging tools like del.icio.us or Reddit are reminiscent of the
original blogs – collections of links we feel warrant sharing – minus the
commentary.

Moving these musings to the context of libraries and service
delivery, I think there are many benefits to be had by utilizing the
capabilities of a blog. Not only does a
blog tool present an easy way for library staff to post web content (such as
news and upcoming events) but it incorporates the dialogue and discussion
inherent with the use of blogs. The
possibilities are many and varied, as evidenced by the case studies this
week. Library staff could use patrons’
blog comments to gauge the success and popularity of events or the possible
success rate of implementing new electronic resources by asking for patron
feedback (e.g. Ann Arbor Public Library). Patrons could engage in book discussions
or make recommendations to other patrons (e.g. Madison-Jefferson County Public
Library YA Blog). The possibility even
exists for hosting subject-specific discussion (e.g. plethora of Georgia State
University Library blogs).

I maintain that blogs, as we have learned through this
week’s readings and case studies, have the potential to add a multitude of
dimensions not only to the functionality and service offerings of entities such
as libraries, but have changed the way we interact with media and the news by
transforming those ‘plugged-in’ from an audience to a public actively
participating in the creation, dissemination, and analysis of current events
and anything else we should choose to discuss. Just as web 2.0 technologies have continued to evolve over the years, I'm sure the virtual 'we' will continue to discover and implement new and innovative ways to use blogs and I wouldn't be surprised if librarians and information professionals are at the head of such innovative endeavours.