Blogs

//A **blog** (a// Contraction //of the term "**web log**")is a type of// Website, //usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.//

//Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal// //online diaries////. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs,// //Web pages////, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art// //Art blog////, photographs// //photoblog,// //Video blogging,// //music,// //MP3 blog,// //and audio// //podcasting.// //Microblogging// //is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.//

//As of December 2007, blog search engine// //[|Technorati]// //was tracking more than 112 million blogs.//

Source: "Blogs," //Wikipedia website,// [], accessed 3 November 2009.

=First, a short video about Blogs...=

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=An example:= [|Glendaal Elementary School, 2008 3rd grade Summer Olympic blog]

=Roles for students= Some typical blog roles for users of blogs (with the requisite permissions):

As an example, in Edublogs, there are five roles for users you can give students on class blogs or on their student blogs. they are Administrator; Editor; Author; Contributor; and Subscriber. The roles of users in decreasing level of responsibility are:
 * 1) **Administrator**: This is the highest level of blog access. An Administrator has full access to all blog functionality including changing themes, adding widgets, editing/deleting Posts/Pages, changing other user roles and deleting the blog.
 * 2) **Editor**: An editor has similar access as an Administrator but can’t change themes, add widgets or manage plugins
 * 3) **Author:** An Author can’t write pages but can write posts, upload media files to their posts and publish posts but can’t edit or approve other Author’s posts. Authors can view comments but can’t edit, delete or approve the comments.
 * 4) **Contributor:** When a contributor writes a post it is saved as a pending to await approval by an administrator or editor. They can’t upload media files to posts and like authors, contributors can view comments but can’t edit, delete or approve the comments.
 * 5) **Subscriber:** A subscriber is the lowest level of access on a blog. This role is normally assigned on private blogs where access is restricted to either logged in users or logged in registered users.

Source: "Roles of Users," //Edublogs website//, [], accessed 3 November 2009.

=Some blog resources:=

[|Edublogs]

[|Wordpress]

[|Blogger]

[|Technorati] - a blog search engine

[|Google Blogs] - a blog search engine