To locate Weblogs on topics of interest to you, use:
| "Social networking" is a broad term given to a variety of
technologies that allow people to interact and share information online.
Online communities are part of this social fabric. As we move from talking about news to
participatory tools, Weblogs (or blogs) are appropriate to
mention first. They span both categories.
One definition*
most simply sees them as: "a Web site with frequent, dated entries listed in reverse chronological order.
The entries have links, and commentary and often an opportunity for others to comment." The informational
value of a Weblog is defined as, "access to breaking news, rumors, evaluations, and other
information that might not otherwise be readily available from our traditional databases." Thus,
Weblogs not only deliver the news, but also deliver reaction to the news.
To locate Weblogs on topics of interest to you, use: |
|
Technorati
Technorati is a near real time search engine focused primarily on blogs,
but it also indexes many RSS feeds. Technorati currently tracks 50.5 million blogs.
Blog Search Engine
Search Weblogs by keyword or browse through a directory listing to find blogs by type.
blogpulse
A search engine and trend-tracker of
Weblogs. Use this
site to search for postings on a topic, see what topics are popular in the "blogosphere", or track the trend of
a topic of your own choice.
*This link opens a PDF file.
Participating in discussion groups of various kinds can extend your knowledge of a topic in new and often unexpected directions. Postings in online discussion groups may also be a source of information for personal or academic research projects.
Online discussions can take many forms -- messages can be distributed to members by e-mail (using mailing lists), or through Web-based forums (members connect to the site and read/post messages). They may also involve real-time chat (where everyone is present at the same time).
To locate discussions on topics that interest you, use:
Google Groups
This site allows you to search postings to USENET newsgroups. It also has an
advanced search option, which allows you to limit
your search in various ways.
Find newsgroup messages on a topic using Google Groups.
Search for the phrase: "internet addiction" (be sure to include the quotes)
Browse some of the postings. Note that the search results page indicates which newsgroups these messages came from. This may help you to locate the best group for posting your own messages.
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