For Com430z, I had to read Chapter 2 of Blogging America by Aaron Barlow. Barlow talks about how incredible popular blogging has become. According to Barlow, blogs can be seen in many ways. They could be seen as; nothing more than newsletters, people venting, or as being harmful. There are many negative characteristics of blogging discussed in this reading. These include how blogs are difficult to tell if they’re true or fictitious because of the fact that anyone can say whatever they want without it being filtered. Also, there is the opportunity of being threatened on a blog. In the reading, there were two different individuals, Clarke and Moulistas, that had different opinions on whether or not to consider these threats seriously. I agreed with Clarke because even though it may not turn out to be serious, threats should always be taken with precaution no matter what the context of it is.

Another characteristic about blogging from the reading is that people are no longer hiding their identity with pseudonyms, but instead telling people who they are because they want to be known. With giving up anonymity, there is always risk of putting oneself out in the public. Also, according to the reading, blogging can be risky when people write before they think and write something that may cause them harm.

Although I am not very familiar with blogging, I do think that they are mostly harmless and really are just people voiceing their opinions. I agree with Barlow when he talks about a negative characteristic of blogging being that anyone can write whatever they want with no filters and do not have to write facts. This could cause people to get false information and also have false information written about them. However, through this class, I have learned concepts that help me to decipher what is bias, not credible, and something that I should not believe to be a fact.


Barlow, Aaron. Blogging America. (2008). The Blogs in Society (Chapter 2).