Classification of blogs & opinion about the most appropriate classification approach.

 Almost across the board, bloggers seem to agree that content is the most important feature of a blog (Rodzvilla, 2002; The Weblog Review, 2003). There are many categorizations of blogs which are differing in the content, publishing methodology, and even in the type of readers. Personal blog, or online diary, is the most famous category in which the blogger expresses his feelings. In addition, there are some targeted or focused blogs which focus on a specific subject such as news blogs, political blogs, and educational blogs (Mohtasseb, H and Ahmed, A 2009). The most common form of the classification system of blogs that I am aware of are by different genres. Blog tools such as WordPress.com offers the general method of classifying their blogs into different genres such as:

1. Personal
2. Business
3. Schools
4. Non-profits
5. Politics
6. Military
7. Private
8. Sports
9. How-to; tips and reviews

To identify different styles of blogging may seem difficult nowadays and to me, topic and style of writing blogs seem to work best at classifying blogs. Margaret Simons in my opinion made a good attempt in segregating the different kinds of blogs in a more organised method in her article called the “Towards a Taxonomy of Blogs”. The classifications are pamphleteering blogs, the digest blog, the advocacy blog, the popular mechanics blog, the exhibition blog, the gatewatcher blog, the diary, the advertisement, and the news blog. The topics according to her segregation however can come across as confusing at times considering many tend to overlap or have close relations like the advocacy blog and the advertisement blog. Some may also interlink to each other having multiple categorisations for example a diary blog and the digest blog. This may cause confusion when using this method or segregation.

Reference

Funnel, A and Simons, M 2008, A taxonomy of blogs: transcript, media report, ABC Radio National, viewed 26 April 2011, <http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2372882.htm#transcript>.

Miller, CR and Shepherd, D n.d., Blogging as social action: a genre analysis of the weblog, North Carolina State University, viewed 27 April 2011, <http://blog.lib.umn.edu/blogosphere/blogging_as_social_action_a_genre_analysis_of_the_weblog.html>.

Mohtasseb, H and Ahmed, A 2009, More blogging features for further identification, viewed 28 April 2011, <http://74.125.155.132/scholar?q=cache:bCFy99EHiEUJ:scholar.google.com/&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5&as_vis=1>.

Simons, M 2008, Towards a taxonomy of blogs, viewed on 26 April 2011, <http://www.apo.org.au/commentary/towards-taxonomy-blogs-0>.