Blogging’s Effect on Technology
January 30, 2011 1 Comment
Let’s just put this out there right away, we invented blogging. By “we” I mean us, the programmers. I felt compelled to write about technology’s effect on blogging, but that would probably be too easy. Instead I’ll just follow the assignment. Not entirely though because I don’t really feel like writing about blogs in my area of expertise. Have you ever read a blog about programming? It’s about as dull as programming in general. Take a look for yourself. No, instead I will talk about blogs in my areas of interest. Areas such as technology, electronics, and even video games. It makes no sense to me to argue the good and bad effects of blogs in these particular subjects. This is because it is usually apparent to most human beings. Instead I believe it is better to just discuss the way that things are. What effect do blogs have in these sectors, and how are blogs used within them?
Lets flash back to the not so distant past. Think back to when smart phones were really all the buzz and rage from the electronics expos (similar to how tablets such as the iPad are today). Every cell phone manufacturer was trying their damnedest to top the iPhone. It could not be done though! With all its patented touch screen and interface, nobody stood a chance. This is partly because they had a stranglehold on the market by surprising the world with the smart phone as we know it today. But what if a cell phone manufacturer could somehow obtain the blueprints to an unreleased iPhone release candidate? That is where blogs come into play. Think back to when you first heard that the iPhone 4 was being release. Chances are you didn’t hear it because of the official release statement. It is more likely you heard of it because it was leaked early! This is the most common form that blogs define themselves in this stratum.
The video game industry is of a similar genealogy when it comes to blog effects. The blogs biggest usefulness manifests itself in the form of leaked information. Take this blog for instance. Inside a blogger who calls himself “EA Louse” details the inner workings of a video game publisher. The part that makes it interesting and tantalizing is the fact that it is from a recently laid off employee. Inside he spills the beans on anything and everything about the company, even unannounced and incomplete projects. This blog sent waves throughout the gaming community. Maybe it was because we never really get to see what its like on the inside, or maybe because we held stake in one of the projects the employee bashed relentlessly. Though maybe its just because we gamers are all a bunch of gossip queens at heart and we love the inside scoop on anything. What is important though is that we now have a portal to information that was previously unattainable.
If you thought about the blog in these contexts it probably comes at no revelation that the it only has usefulness to the masses in the form of leaked information. Most information about technology and video games is released in a timely format, usually through expos dedicated to electronics and technology. If you are reading a blog for recent technology news that wasn’t leaked, you are most likely late to the scene and it it already old news.
treygeorge 