The Functions of Blog.

From the establishment of the first node to node transmission from UCLA to Stanford—also the first crash (“logon”) in 1969 to present, the tempo of Information Technology Revolution almost goes beyond everyone’s expectation. During the past 40 years, we witnessed how the Internet changed our world and our daily life.

The world has been condensed into a small country, which we call “ Earth country” under the impetus of network. Now, whatever information you wish to get, you just need to just open your computer, then you will be immersed into the information ocean and get connected to wherever you want to know. The booming of portable pocket--size devices like I-phone or I touch even put our whole world into our palm. Facebook, Twitters and blogs have already became an inseparable part of our life. Especially the Blogs, it cannot be denied that blogs have became another mainstream media format in our society today. This is also my topic for this article.

In 1994, NCSA (the National Computer Security Association) used the “What's New Page” webpage to summarize the index of new websites, this can be considered as the prototype of blog. Even though the history of blog has only approximately 20 years, the function it generated on our life was tremendous, it has permeated into almost every aspect of our life.

The blog was originally designed to record people’s daily life, which served as an Electrical Dairy. People could express and publish their own opinions freely. With the popularization of network, the influence of blogs also became tremendously, they changed from original recording purpose to more social and commercial function. Basically, the function of blog can be divided into two parts: Information service and Entertainment.

Suppose you want to buy a new car to have a trip. There were so many things for you to tackle. Car dealers, weather, insurance, transportation, destination, etc., I want to take Treehugger as an example. If you are a blogger for Treehugger, by clicking cars and transportation catalog, information concerning cars market, maintenance, insurance will come into your sight. By clicking Travel and Nature catalog. Bloggers will tell you where are the most attractive scenic resorts, and what kind of work you should prepare for your trip. Of course, you will find more information with patience on the blogs where your interest locates. Many famous blogs usually attached the weather forecast, stock market information and transportation schedule on the webpage to satisfy people’s basic information requirements.

Blogs are good platforms for you to get information about what happens around the world. If you are a blogger for Treehugger, everyday when you open you blog, you will find the latest news by clicking the exclusive catalog. Bloggers from various fields will bring you more newsworthy events everyday. Some links may lead you to the mainstream medias like Washington post, NewYork time and CNN, etc. Those mainstream medias cannot deny this trend and established their own blogs after they realize the influence of blogs for their potential audiences. Most governments also follow this trend to establish blogs to promote the execution of their policy. Many powerful companies like Apple, Lenovo, GM also establish blogs to promote sailing and improve their customer service. Obviously, blogs gain more attractiveness for the public with the stimulation of those influential political and commercial organizations.

If your are an expert, a specialist or enthusiastic fans for a stable field say music, movies, economics, politics or philosophy. Blogs are the ideal place for you to get the most sophisticated technology, notion and works in your field. For instance, if your are an architect you will find more fashionable styles for buildings around the world in Design-architecture catalog on Treehugger. Then you will get novelty ideas about your design.

Based on this consideration, blogs are the platforms not only for basic information service but also for professional requirements.

Another important function for blogs is Entertaining. Usually, some popular blogs will gather the latest music, movies, fashion style and other format of arts and entertaining information together. We must keep in mind those who possess the blogs are usually the ones who can grip the impulse of our society, they know which is the audience most in need. Thus blog provide people another world for pursuing their interests. Take Treehugger as an example, it’s easy for young ladies to find the information concerning the most fashion style, the most welcomed cosmetics in fashion and beauty catalog. It is really enjoyable to appreciate the euphonious music, the fantastic movie or other things we want to know on blogs with a cup of coffee after a whole day’s exhaustive work.

Nowadays, a large numbers of stars in various fields opened their own blogs like Jackie Chen, Bruce Willis, Thomas Hanks and Michael Phelps. Fans can track their idols by following these blogs. These celebrity blogs bring our society another source of entertainment.

OK, after analyzing the basic functions of blogs. Someone may ask why should I select blog? I can get information and entertainment from other medias. This sounds reasonable. However, I want to emphasize one point. The most obvious character for blogs is interactive. Remember the original purpose for blogs is to record life and express ideas, and this basic rule will not change as time passed. What you thought and what you said on the Internet can get valuable responses. Keep in mind only communication can make things easy to understand. Those authorities’ opinion in your field may bring you a wide horizon, and those passionate responses may give you courage to step forward and forget the pressure and plight you confront.


All in all, the significance of blogs in our life cannot be denied. I am quite sure the advancement of technology may bring other new format like Microblog(a new format of blog now)into of our life, and our life will become more plentiful and promising because of them.

Why today is significant

   Let us put back the clock to January 8th. Tucson, a peaceful and quiet city located in Arizona State became the focus for all Americans on that day. The sound of gun broke the tranquility of this city. 

  

Jared Lee Loughner, a 22 year's old young guy who was the gunman created this incredible tragedy.  Arizona Democrat, Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others were shot when Jared opened fire outside a supermarket where Ms.Giffords organized activities to meet constituents.

It has caused six of the victims died till today, among them John M. Roll, the chief judge for the United States District Court for Arizona State, and a 9-year-old girl. Other 13 victims including Giffords were seriously injured, and they were receiving medical treatment in University Medical Central in Tucson now. According to the spokesman of Giffords’s office, Ms. Giffords was still under critical situation.

 Officials said motives for Jared to create this shooting was still under investigated. 

President Obama, speaking at the White House, condemned this inhuman assault. He also appointed Roberts S. Mueller III, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to Arizona to oversee the investigation.

At the same time, citizens lived in different states expressed their sympathy, sorrow and blessings to the victims via different ways. Such as, citizens in New York gathered at different squares to in honor of the dies. Pupils in Chicago International school organized ceremony to express mourn for the 9-year-old girl.

OK, all the information above is quite easy for everyone to obtain via various ways, such as  television, website, newspaper, blogs,etc,. It may cost you just several seconds to get them if you have a “cute” and sophisticated I-touch or I-phone.

Turn our attention to the original question: why today is significant? Then finding the answer may become easy for us. It is widely acknowledged that 21 century is a century in which all unprecedented changes can happen. The development of telecommunication and network technology makes it possible for all of us to be immersed in an era what we call “information era”. 

If you want to find something what you really concerned and interested, what you do is just to open your computer, and visit the websites or log in your twitter, facebook and bolg. Then, you will be beset by the information ocean. You can almost find every thing you want.  The network technology advancement even makes television and newspapers lose its attractiveness for the public, while websites, such as facebook, twitter and blog become the inseparable part of our life.

 I think this is the biggest significance today, and it becomes understandable that the above shooting news can be transmitted timely to us.

We can still track the shooting news today:

“A week after being shot in head, Giffords breathing on her own”, this is the CNN reporting today. “Tucson Gun Show Goes On, and Safeway Reopens”, this is information come from Newyorktime.

When you read these news and information, have you ever think about what kind of function or influence they may generate on our life? I guess most of us do not. Of course, it is reasonable, and it should be the work for our scholars.

It is widely accepted by scholars and researchers who work in the communication field that for medias, there are 8 basic functions: Inform (a teacher function), surveillance( a watcher function), service the economy system, hold society together( act as sort of a cultural glue), entertain, act as a community forum, set the agenda and service the political system.

Definitely, The news I mentioned at the beginning of this article is a well manifestation for the function: service the political system. Usually, medias serve as a watchdog for the government, it will help the government to consolidate the conflicts between different social classes if it can be used properly.  Here I want to emphasize “properly”. Why?

Have you ever think about why the shooting can be happened? What’s the function of medias on such events?  We must keep in mind only the medias possess the ability to beget intense brainstorming in our society and generate tremendous influence on our daily life.  This is just what those gunmen and other culprits want to get.  They hope the whole society to pay attention to their plight and their injustice treatments. To achieve this goal, medias work as their assistant.  So it is easy to understand that why so much negative news like shooting appear on medias year by year.  The best manifestation is the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University shooting case.

Also, there is an obvious manifestation in China. In 2009, a worker lived in FuJian province who got unfair treatment used knife to kill 13 children before class to arouse the public attention. Just several months later, another similar assault against children happened in Jiangsu province. The culprit just utilized the medias influence on our society. 

Suppose we do not focus too much on this event, then the social reaction may be get small and tiny, and many crimes can be avoid when the culprits realize that what they do can not impact the society too much!

So it is really a thought-provoking problem for the government and medias to find a balance point between the reality and the negative function that may exert on our life.  Only in this way can we make it more significant today. To achieve this goal, we still have a long way to go.