By now I’m sure most people who are online have discovered Google Video.

I know I have watched the following dozens of times:

“Funny EDS Commercial – Cat Herding”

Ghostly Car Ad… Do you believe in ghost????

jana gana mana……National Song of India

Octopus Eats Shark

Lipa Shmeltzer – Abi Meleibt!

Blonde antelope

Is this Deja Vu–and I do mean “vu” as in view– all over again?

In July 1999 the Pitas company started distributing software tools to build personal Web sites or “blogs.” A month later Pyra Labs (now owned by google) released the program Blogger to the public which made blogs user-friendly, generally accessible, and particularly personal, as bloggers could name the sites themselves (and after themselves). Bloggers started reaching out–finding other bloggers–to attack or to ally with or just to reference or seek help from. It was accumulative knowledge building about technology, from how to type html to what to blog about. In other words, what made blogs was not just personalization but affiliations–the voluntary associations of the democratic experiment. Many additional programs, like Typepad, MovableType, Squarespace, and others simplified the blogging experience even further, helping the phenomenon to become ubiquitous.

Perhaps what the original program “Blogger” did to facilitate the popularization of blogging, Google is now doing to make video-logs or vlogs a mass medium.

 

Originally posted January 13, 2006 at PolicyByBlog

One Comment

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    Original Reader Comments (3)

    Oddly enough, until about a few short months ago, I did not even know what a blog was. The word itself is short for Web log implying it’s uses as an online journal or diary; basically a chronology of thoughts. This new wave of communication seemed at first a little odd to me. It almost seems to me like a poor man’s publication system, giving anyone the ability to make their thoughts known on a global level, with the option of feedback and response to those thoughts or ideas. I came across my first blog on a website called Myspace.com, which is very popular among today’s youth. It is a site where mostly college kids (some older, some younger) create a webpage/profile of themselves, and interact with other users by looking at their profiles and becoming “friends” therefore creating a network of people who interact through messaging, commenting, posting bulletins, and of course, blogs. These blogs contain anything from graphic designs created by the user, to their daily thoughts, videos and pictures, even their poetry, or short stories. I thought it was amazing how simple it was for these people to express themselves, and get responses with no fee of any kind, and in such a monumental manner. This type of blogging is the only I have ever come into contact with, however, this site has made me realize how powerful this tool can be in relation to politics, journalism, mass media, and publications of any type.
    January 22, 2006 | Unregistered Commenterbetbeze

    While I was scrolling through this reading trying to complete this assignment, I kept asking myself if I even knew what exactly a “blog” was or what “blogging” was. It wasn’t until I found this article that I began to gain somewhat of a concept of what this really is. From this reading I gathered that a blog is basically a personal website and can be used by the public to post their thoughts and feelings for other people to read. I obviously have never been one to write these journal type things but it seems that many people do. It also seems to me that it has a very strong effect on mass media and also in other areas in today’s society.
    January 24, 2006 | Unregistered Commenterbebrke

    I am in the same boat as bebrke. Before this assignment, I really did not know what a blog was or where it was found I just knew it had to do with the internet. I’ve come to realize how popular and well known blogs really are right now, and it surprises me. My little sister has myspace, and I always thought it was kind of weird. When I was home over Christmas she was showing me her page, or whatever it would be called, and it seemed like something middle schoolers were really into. I had no idea blogging and myspace and all that kind of stuff was normal and not just for computer nerds and 7th graders. It seems like a great way for people to say what they think and be heard. I’m not sure if I will every participate in a blog, I guess besides this one, because I’m not much for communicating with strangers over the internet. But if it works for some people, I am very happy for them. It is a fast and easy way to communicate and I think it will make information and personal knowledge even that much more available.
    January 25, 2006 | Unregistered CommenterEClaire

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