Blogging

 It is interesting that no one in class mentioned Serendip. Could that be because the kinds of blogs we had been focusing on were either political or personal? Are we again trying to limit down the definition of the "genre" of blogs? I think that because the types of blogs are so varied that there can't be one clear definition of what a blog is. Merriam-Webster defines blog as " a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer; also : the contents of such a site." This is a broad definition that seems to try to encompass all the variations that exist. Urban Dictionary provides a more cynical definition: "Short for weblog. A meandering, blatantly uninteresting online diary that gives the author the illusion that people are interested in their stupid, pathetic life. Consists of such riveting entries as "homework sucks" and "I slept until noon today"" and as "just another way to seek attention and sympathy from other people."

I don't think that blogs can be classified as a genre. People would want there to be subgenres for the academic, the informational, the political, the personal blogs. I feel like the people who feel compelled to classify everything into genres are not the people who would be the most voracious bloggers. It is the instant gratification, the unknown, the lack of boundaries, and the novelty of blogging that is attracting people, so I don't know if they would want to box themselves in by naming their writings as a genre.