This blog is set up to discuss the many issues that become apparent when it comes to designing and publishing a document. These issues can range from anything and everything, from choice of design, to the elements, to choice to content. So long as it is part of designing and publishing, it is, shall we say, fair game. Thus the name Signall, two words combined to convey the meaning of any sign, all of them.
What is a blog though? It is admittedly easy to get one. This one here was set up within minutes, whereby the hardest decision was trying to find a title that I personally liked. What it is though, is an online journal. The online journal itself is a "blog," and the art of updating it is "blogging" (Enzer n.d.). It should also be noted that it is typically in reverse chronological order, with the latest post being the first post listed, and that there are typically three kinds of blogs: link compilations to outside sources, news compilations and article compilations, and personal opinions and commentary (Netlingo n.d.). Brady (2005) adds that the content of the blog can be composed of anything and everything, from personal musing to technological reviews, and that blogs are cross-modal, where it can incorporate text, pictures, audio and video together.
It should be noted that blogs are relatively a new media, a new communication tool. Thus, the definitions provided earlier are not actually all encompassing, and some might argue that they are not adequate. For instance, Arrington (2006) believes that there has to be communication and interaction between audience and writer (blogger) in order for a blog to be, actually, a blog. Thus, comments or some other form of feedback (chatboxes and the like) are actually required for a supposed blog to be a blog and thus, the Official Google Blog, according to Arrington's definition, isn't actually a blog, because though it is running on popular blogging site Blogger, its comments/feedback are disabled, short of e-mail to the bloggers themselves.
This blog is done by a student studying Issues in Publication and Design. It should be helpful and beneficial to those interested in such design aspects, to those in artistic fields where creativity reigns supreme, to other students studying subjects similar to this, and on a personal level, it should help with my studies, as putting these ideas that I learnt in class down should help me remember them and convey them effectively.*
Thus, I bid you welcome to Signall. This should be a ride most interesting and meaningful, especially if you are one that is interested in design issues such as these.
*...seriously, this is an assessed assignment, and I need to do this.
References
Arrington, M 2006, What is the definition of a blog?, Techcrunch, viewed 22 April 2008, <http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/12/31/what-is-the-definition-of-a-blog/>
Brady, M 2005, Blogging: personal participation in public knowledge-building on the web, viewed 23 April 2008, <http://www.essex.ac.uk/chimera/content/pubs/wps/CWP-2005-02-blogging-in-the-Knowledge-Society-MB.pdf>
Enzer, M n.d., Matisse’s Glossary of Internet Terms, matisse.net, viewed 20 April 2008, <http://www.matisse.net/files/glossary.html#Blog>
Netlingo n.d., viewed 20 April 2008, <http://www.netlingo.com/lookup.cfm?term=blog>
No comments:
Post a Comment