Interesting Site with Great Tips

To follow up with my previous post I have found a wonderful website run by The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Of particular interest is their current campaign titled, "Don't Believe the Type." Enjoy!

Blogs & Children

Just as blogging has become a forum for individuals to discuss politics, religion and the military, it has also become a major venue for children and teens to form social networks and relationships. In the recent article, “Teenage Use of Blogs Tops Internet Activity,” Tahoe Daily Tribune contributor Justin Broglio discusses the current craze in teen blogging and its potential dangers. Broglio highlights the case of 17-year old college freshmen, Taylor Behl, who has been missing since September 5, 2005. According to Broglio’s article and various news reports, Behl maintained a blog on MySpace.com, a popular social network site, which enables bloggers to share music, instant message, and post pictures and personal information. Law enforcement officials maintain that Behl met a 38-year old man, with whom she had a romantic relationship, through her blog site. He is now the prime suspect in her disappearance and murder. Finally, Broglio also details a recent study published by the Children’s Digital Media Center at Georgetown University, which states that most teenagers share very personal information on their blogs such as age, first name, last name, current address, school information and contact information.
The issue of teen blogging does pose quite a concern for all members of society. After reading Broglio’s article I decided to search for various teen blogs and was surprised to read some of the posts and comments. I also read a few news articles such as: “Blogging Popular, Dangerous, FBI Says,” by Billy Watkins of The Clarion Ledger; “Dear Diary: Teens Use Blogs as Online Journals,” by Leila Fadel of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram; and “Blogs Considered Safer Than Teen Chat Rooms,” by Jeanne Morris of The New Hampshire Union Leader. After visiting the teen blogs and reading the various articles, it became apparent to me that the appeal for teens to blog is that it allows them to create an identity, separate from their true lives. Furthermore, it enables teens to express language, sexual experiences and thoughts that they may not feel comfortable sharing with parents, teachers and friends. However, while blogging may offer teens an outlet, it is important to note that danger lurks when unsavory members of society use this information to prey on, stalk and abduct children. As a future librarian, I believe that it is the role of the profession to provide information to children and their parents on how to safely use this technology. By educating children and parents we can create an environment that enables teens to express themselves in a safe manner!

Blogs & Religion

According to the recent article, “Bloggers Seek to Mix Faith and the Internet,” written by Fox News correspondent Greg Simmons, religious blogs have become an extremely popular method of communication for Evangelical Christians. Godblogs, or religious blogs, create a forum for likeminded individuals to discuss religious issues, seek spiritual guidance and espouse ideological viewpoints. Furthermore, religious blogs afford “godbloggers” the opportunity to discuss politics, elections and political candidates. Issues such as the Supreme Court, abortion, same sex marriage, evolution/intelligent design, separation of church and state, and the Ten Commandments are just a few of the topics addressed on religious blogs found throughout the blogosphere. In his article, Simmons also highlights the powerful relationship between Evangelical Christians and the Republican Party. He argues that godblogs will have the ability to influence political elections by organizing individuals who support such values.
I found the relationship between blogs, religion and politics to be quite alarming. I was not aware of how influential religious blogs have become and will become in the near future. Furthermore, I did not know that godblogs address major societal issues that overwhelmingly affect the entire population. Of particular interest to me was the first religious blogging convention that was recently held at Biola University in Southern California during the weekend of October 13 through October 15, 2005. According to an article in the Christian Post, the convention was an opportunity for godbloggers to assemble to discuss issues such as political blogging, pastoral blogging, cultural blogging, pro-life blogging and theological blogging. Moreover, the convention was a forum for bloggers to galvanize their supporters. Based upon the current organization of this particular niche and its growing momentum, it is apparent that religious blogging has found a stronghold in the blogosphere.

Interesting Milblog Site

I found an interesting blog site titled, Operation Truth. It is an organization for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Enjoy!

Blogs & The Military

In the article, “Milbloggers Are Typing Their Place in History,” USA Today correspondent Mark Memmott highlights the recent trend in military blogging. As detailed by Memmott, milblogs have become an increasingly popular method of communication for servicemen and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military blogs afford servicemembers the opportunity to chronicle their experiences, express their emotions and communicate with family members back home. Furthermore, the blogs enable individuals around the world to access first hand accounts of events occurring in the Middle East and Southeast Asia that might otherwise be absent from mainstream media. While Memmott mentions that the number of servicemen and women blogging is relatively small in regard to the number of people serving overseas, he does point out that the number of servicemembers blogging has increased dramatically and is expected to continue to increase. In addition, Memmott briefly mentions the case of Jason Hartley, a former National Guardsmen who was demoted as a result of posts on his milblog, which included photos of detainees. While it is not exactly clear what Mr. Hartley’s crime was, he was demoted. Interestingly, Jason Hartley has left the military and has written a book entitled, Just Another Soldier, which is due out in January of 2006.
I found the topic of milblogs to be fascinating and humbling. It is quite fascinating in the sense that these blogs will allow people around the world to access current information regarding Iraq and Afghanistan; however, it is humbling because of the content of the information posted on the blog sites. I decided to visit a few blogs created by soldiers currently stationed in Mosul and Tikrit, Iraq. I was surprised to read of their missions, training, living conditions and length of deployment. It was extremely humbling for me to read their experiences while I sat in my safe town, in my warm house, on my comfortable couch. As a future librarian and citizen of the United States, I believe that it is important to realize the profound affect that blogs, and more specifically military blogs, will have upon the type of information that is currently available and easily accessible. It will be interesting to see how this “new form of communication” develops in the future and how the military hierarchy will respond.

Interesting Links

To follow up with my previous post I have found an interesting political blog and an article.

Interesting Political Blog: The Huffington Post.
This blog was created by Arianna Huffington and offers substantive information on politics and current events. Enjoy!

Interesting Article: "Their Clout Rising, Blogs Are Courted by Washington's Elite."
This is a great article about how instrumental political blogs have become and how they are affecting U.S. politics. Enjoy!

Blogs & Politics

In the article, “Blogs: New Medium, Old Politics,” CBS Chief Political Writer, David Paul Kuhn, discusses the role of blogs in the recently contentious election between former Democratic Senator Tom Daschle and the newly elected Republican Senator John Thune. Kuhn highlights the successful strategy of the Thune campaign to use the Internet, and more specifically blogs, to galvanize support for their candidate and weaken the support of former Senator Tom Daschle. As pointed out by Kuhn, the Thune campaign, in accordance with current campaign finance regulations, was able to pay individuals to create and maintain blogs without a disclaimer noting that the authors of the blogs had in fact received money from the Thune campaign. While this may be alarming, it is legal. In addition to discussing the Daschle and Thune race, Kuhn also predicts that in the 2006 and 2008 elections, blogging will become an instrumental vehicle in successfully gathering and weakening support for any given candidate.
After reading Kuhn’s article I decided to search for political blogs on the Internet. Of particular interest was a Political Blogs Directory. The directory listed a wide range of subject headings related to politics. While viewing several of the blogs in each heading I found myself seriously questioning the validity and reliability of the political blogs. While I am sure that some are legitimate blogs, many appear to be personal opinions and rants. As a future librarian I believe that it is the role of librarians to educate users on how to critically analyze blogs to determine whether or not the information is credible and reliable. Moreover, if blogs are to become a major source of information sharing, as predicted by Kuhn, then the role of librarians to educate users is absolutely essential!

11 Commandments

On September 26, 2005 Reporters Without Borders wrote an article on the "11 Commandments" issued by the Chinese government on September 25, 2005. The "11 Commandments" were geared towards bloggers and website managers and highlighted the Internet policy of the Chinese government. Interestingly, the commandments were issued just three days after the release of the Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents .

Blogs & Reporters Without Borders

On September 22, 2005 the international organization, Reporters Without Borders, produced the Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents. As documented on their website, the purpose of the handbook is to enable and empower citizens around the world to effectively use the Internet, and more specifically blogs, to communicate and express ideas without fear of consequence. As such, the handbook defines blogs, discusses the ethics associated with blogs and provides detailed information regarding their creation and maintenance. The handbook further discusses the protection of individual email and methods to avoid censorship. Lastly, the Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents documents personal accounts, experiences, and challenges of bloggers in countries such as Germany, Bahrain, the United States, Hong Kong, Iran and Nepal.
I believe that Reporters Without Borders deserves much credit for their willingness to create a handbook that encourages individuals to express ideas and opinions that may or may not be of the contrary to particular governments around the world. It is important to emphasize that in certain countries blogging may be the only medium that credible and accurate news may be shared with the rest of the world. Moreover, blogging also permits individuals in isolated countries to participate in a common dialogue with the worldwide community. As a future librarian I believe that the Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents can serve as a platform from which librarians around the world are able to participate in the free flow of information. It is my hope that while political borders may prohibit open dialogue, blogging through the Internet may break down barriers and encourage more shared information.