3.1 - Introduction

Being completely new to blogs I was more than a little daunted about using this particular web 2.0 technology to document my understanding of digital technologies and architectures. However, having selected Blogger.com I have been pleasantly surprised.

Blogger.com is owned by Google, which is immediately evident in the style and ease of use of the website. Before setting up your blog users are invited to 'take a quick tour' which provides you with a brief definition and history of blogs. I particularly liked their view of blogs as a revolutionary tool which has altered not only the virtual world but "impacted politics, shaken up journalism and allowed millions of people to have a voice and connect with others". A bit of hyperbolising by Blogger.com? We shall see. What I was surprised to find was the prevalence of Business blogs within my own organisation, Aviva, for the dissemination of information on the business as a whole or particular projects. The most noteworthy is John Kitson's, our Sales and Marketing Director's blog . It seems the whole world's been blogging except me...

The service is organised in such a way as to make it appealing and accessible to non-technical users with options allowing you to customise the look and feel of your page such as altering the layout, colours and fonts without having to use Html. On signing in you are taken to your profile page which has clear links to allow you to view other peoples blogs via the 'Blogs I'm Following' and 'Blogs of note' tabs making the development of social networks a seamless element of the blogging experience. The options to share and present information also seem to be straightforward with buttons to add images or videos, edit Html and personalise your text.