Michael Ford The blog craze is sweeping over the Internet like a heat wave over Southeast Arkansas in the middle of September. Everyone this side of a broadband cable has a blog or knows someone with a blog or at least knows what a blog is. Or do they? I am still dumbfounded when I am hit with the question “What is a blog?” Apparently, blogs aren’t nearly as popular as I thought they were, because this seems to be a common question among UAM students. If you’re scratching your head wondering what all this blog business is about, don’t worry, I’m about to shed some light on the subject. A blog is what I like to call a futuristic journal. To be more specific, it’s the happenings in a person’s life that is posted on a Web page in chronological order. The author of a blog can set various features that determine how much content readers are allowed to access. Some blogs can be read by the general public, while others are only viewable by a select few; furthermore, some authors allow their readers to comment on daily postings, which is a revolutionary way for readers and authors to interact with each other across the globe. Blogs were around long before the term was coined, but the fad didn’t gain force until the introduction of automated publishing systems, most notably Blogger at blogger.com and LiveJournal at livejournal.com. Thousands of people all over the Web are using these services to ease and accelerate their publishing needs. UAM jumped onto the blog bandwagon this fall when they integrated a blog with the online version of their student publication, The Voice. But they didn’t stop there. In an attempt to take full advantage of the revolutionary capabilities of a blog, they have posted another blog that will act as a free box. A free box is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a box where you can get free stuff. If you have something you want to give away, you post it in the free box. If you see something in the free box you want, you post and let the owner know. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure right? Be sure and give all the details about the item you are giving away. If you have a picture of the item, then post it. The free box as well as the blog is html ready. However, there seems to be a small problem with the new blog – no one is participating. The blog has been up for two weeks now and there still hasn’t been a single comment. After talking to various students around campus, I found out this was because most of you didn’t know what one was or what to do with it. Well, now you do.
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