Blog Classification : Organizing the Creative Thoughts

.

AS the creative mind observes the swift insurgence of blogs in today’s society, it seems that users are now presented with way too much content that one can never really comprehend in a given period of time. Boutie (1996) calls it the suffering from information overload.
.
Thus, with any other information, journals or archive, information in the blogsphere is in dire need of a classification system that will be able to group blog entries into appropriate categories, arranging it by class or category (Wordnet.princeton.edu, 2009) that are targeted at its intended public, making browsing an easier task for blog readers. In some ways, classification also play the role of genre as it provide readers with the necessary convention because no text is entirely free-floating or entirely subjected to the whim and imagination of its viewer to make meaning or to tell stories (Schirato & Webb, 2004).
.
The different types of blogs as listed by Geekpoint.net (2009) are:
.
Personal blog – This is the most famous type of blog used in some of the friendly hub in the net. A lot of people are using their personal blogs to generate income directly or drive traffic to another website.
.
Cultural blog – Discusses all about music, arts, theater and other popular culture.
.
Topic blog – Focuses on the function like some of the search engines present now.
.
Business blog – Talk about the stock markets and other business related topics.
.
Science blog – It is the mode used to disseminate information and data.
.
Collaborative blog – This kind of blog is written / managed by two or more authors.
.
Eclectic blog – It focuses on niches individually or collaboratively made.
.
Educational blog – Usually used by students to post articles, research papers or their findings.
.
Directory blog – Focuses on particular news and happenings.
.
Forum blog – Allows two or more bloggers to post discussion on the net.
.
In light of such classification, bloggers listed under the same genres started to create a community among themselves on the basis of similar interest and passion. Blog communities as defined by Lin et al (2006) are communities in the blogosphere that are important for sustaining and encouraging new blogger participation. Blog ommunites can be established by adding similar blogs to your blog roll or via the many pre-existing blog communities available online

.

Malaysia's number one blog community: Projectpetalingstreet.org

One of such blog communities that popularly used in Malaysia is Projectpetalingstreet.org which is also the top blog-ping aggregator in here. Projectpetalingstreet or PPS gives user (both Malaysian and non-malaysian) a chance to view recent blogpost of other members as well as enabling user to send ping which is a blog status updater on the blogpost that they wish to share with the rest of the blogsphere!

References

Boutie, P 1996, ‘Will this kill that’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 49 – 57.

Geekpoint.net 2009, Different types of blogs, viewed on 9th June 2009, < http://www.geekpoint.net/blogging/5019-different-types-blogs.html>

Lin, Y, Sundaram, H, Chi, Y, Tatemura, J & Tseng, BL 2006, Discovery of blog communities based on mutual awareness, Pennsylvania State University, US.

Schirato, T & Webb, J 2004, Understanding the visual, Sage Publications, California.

Wordnet 2009, Classifications, viewed on 9th June 2009, < http://www.google.com.my/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:classification&ei=CPo1StenJI6Y6wPooYjHDw&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title>