Classification of Blogs

     There are many ways to communicate online including blogging. There are a multitude of reasons why people blog, they blog for business, to express feelings and thoughts, to share opinions and more. Blogging is dynamic and flexible, and it is a communication tool that encompasses all communication models; one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, and many-to-many (Banks, 2008). There is no accurate way of classifying or distinguishing types of blogs. However, according to (Simmons, 2008), she classifies blogs as:

• Pamphleteering blog: an individual or a group argues a case or cause.
• Digest blog: summarize material from mostly mainstream media.
• Advocacy blog: arguing a case (similar to pamphleteering but in a group).
• Popular Mechanics blog: an instructive blog (use for products, systems and so on).
• Exhibition blog: for artist, crafts people and artisans showing their work, design and more.
• Gatewatcher blog: gatekeepers of mainstream media.
• Diary blog: personal content of blogger.
• Advertisement blog: design by companies to promote product.
• News blog: provide mainstream news.

     However, (Sauers, 2010) simplifies his classification of blogs into three types, they are:

• Individual blogs: created and maintained by individuals for their own reasons like a journal.
• Subject blogs: produced by one or more people to focus on a specific topic like hobbies, politics, news or any other topic of interest.
• Organizational blogs: represent views, opinions and events of an organization.

     Sauer’s classification of blogs is basically a simplified version of combinations of Simmons classification of blogs. For example, the pamphleteering blog, diary blog and exhibition blog can be classified under Sauer’s individual blog classification.

     In my opinion, both Sauer’s and Simmons’s classification of blogs do not accurately identify the types of blogs. Although Simmons’s classification of blogs does describe a variety of blog types with explicit detail, it is uncertain whether more will emerge whereas Sauer’s classification is simple and easy to understand, I do not feel it accurately describes the types of blogs available on the internet. For further explanation on Simmons classification, please refer to this link: http://apo.org.au/commentary/towards-taxonomy-blogs-0

Reference:

• Banks, M 2008, ‘Blogging Heroes : Interviews with 30 of the World's Top Bloggers’, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, USA.
• Sauers, M 2010, ‘Blogging and RSS : A Librarians' Guide (2^nd Edition)’, Information Today, Inc, Medford, NJ, USA.
• Simmons, M 2008, ‘Towards a Taxonomy of Blogs’, Australian Policy Online, viewed 9 April 2012, http://apo.org.au/commentary/towards-taxonomy-blogs-0