Module 5

Vanity Blog: http://willysr.blogspot.com
For the vanity blog I selected My Personal Blog which is written by Willy Sudiarto Raharjo who lives in Jogja, Indonesia. He updates his blog just about every day with his various activities and hobbies. I found it to be very much like an online journal with a breakdown of the major events of each day. I actually found it somewhat unsettling that someone would post what they do every single day but it also gave insight into the life of someone who lived in a different country.

Information Blog: http://www.themovieblog.com
For the Information blog I selected The Movie Blog which has three contributors who are John Campea, Rodney Brazeau, and Dan Crook. They are based in Hamilton, Ontario Canada and have been running the blog since 2003. I found this blog to be much more professional and more aesthetically pleasing which I’m sure is the result of a larger reader base and the ad revenue from it. I read a few of their movie reviews and their commentary on recent movie news and found it to be quite entertaining. It is evident that these are just a couple of guys informing people about movies and sharing their opinions.

After thoroughly reading through both blogs I have discovered they are both two very different forms of blogging. The Movie Blog I felt was much more professional and was more appealing to the eye whereas My Personal Blog was just a simple blog format with a boring yellow background. The vanity blog was also less interesting to read because it contained information that was only about one specific person’s life. The information blog on the other hand was much more entertaining because it contains information that actually appeals to me.

What makes a good information blog is one that contains excellent information about the specific topic it discusses. It should also be somewhat objective while also still containing the bloggers personality and opinion; it is still a blog after all. On the other hand a vanity blog should be almost entirely opinion and be structured more like an online journal in which people share their lives with others.

On a scale of 1-5 I found this research to be about a 4. This research somewhat supports my thesis because it shows the informative power that blogs can have. People can get all of the movie news and reviews they could possible want from The Movie Blog and receive the information in a very entertaining format.

After completing this module I do not wish to change my thesis and I still believe and support that blogging has had an influence on print journalism. Although it is still uncertain whether it has been for better or worse, blogging has changed print journalism and the way news will be delivered to people.

Module 4

Entrepreneurial Blog: http://nctrower.wordpress.com/

This entrepreneurial blog is run by Naomi Trower who uses the blog to promote her many business efforts. She uses the blog to keep her readers informed on all the progress she makes in her business efforts. Trower owns Premier Equity Group, Inc. and Premier Realty Group with her husband Kylon and both work as real estate agents. In addition to this she also operates several internet businesses which include My Internet Marketing Retail Store, My Health Zone and My Gift Catalog Store.

Trower uses her blog to keep her reader’s informed with all of the changes and updates for all of her business efforts. She also offers a wide variety of tips and advice for other entrepreneurs on how to successfully run an online business. One way she does this is by offering her opinion on using social networking sites and blogs to promote your business and to reach a larger audience.

Source #1: http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/10/blog-jobs-start-leadership-careers-networking.html

The first source about using blogging for business promotion comes from Forbes in an article entitled “Blogging Your Way into a Job” by Tara Weiss. In the article she stresses the importance of starting a blog about your profession or industry. She states that people searching for a job should post frequently in a blog about their industry and current trends. This will make the job search seem very enthusiastic about their industry and very knowledgeable. She goes on to give advice on how to use the blogs as conversational and informative to help network and find a job.

Source #2: http://www.wilsonweb.com/articles/checklist.htm

The second source about using blogging as a form of business promotion comes from Web Marketing Today, a website that helps entrepreneurs find new ways to market their business using the internet. Dr. Ralph F. Wilson wrote an article entitled “The Web Marketing Checklist: 32 Ways to Promote Your Website” which discusses ways to increase site traffic and gain more business. In the article Dr. Wilson lists “Promote Your Site in Online Forums and Blogs” at #24. He goes on to say that blogs can be an important way to gain credibility and gain a new audience to visit your website and increase business prospects. He states the importance of using this technology to connect with people and gain business.

In addition to blogs, entrepreneurs have a wide variety of options to market themselves to an audience. These options include: paid advertisements, e-mail newsletters, networking sites, and providing links. While these options can be effective at reaching an audience, blogging can provide a conversational dialogue between the entrepreneur and their reader that these other means of self-promotion cannot provide. I feel that blogging is an excellent alternative to these methods because it can allow feedback and a dialog exchange between the entrepreneur and their audience. This can be an invaluable tool for the entrepreneur because he can use this feedback to adjust his strategies and discover what is effective and what isn’t. I believe that blogging is an effective way to promote a business.

On a scale of 1-5 the research I found ranks as a 5 and strongly supports my original thesis. It proves that blogging can be an effective way for an entrepreneur to promote a business. In addition to that it shows the importance and relevance that blogging has in journalism and society.

After doing this Module my thesis remains unchanged. I still believe that blogging has significantly affected print journalism.