Blogs, they are popular!

As usual, I was listening to NPR while driving, because most of my time is spent driving, and they were talking about how popular online classes have become in recent years. One teacher was quoted as saying that it was super easy to get in touch with his students and get them the assignments. All he has to do is post a blog on... Yup, you guessed it, Blogger.com! Now that I am learning about all this web stuff and am required to create a blog once a week (with absolutely no resentment or sarcasm in my voice!), I have come to notice that the knowledge I am inquiring is all over the place! I am noticing that web is in the news in new ways to me. I probably never would have thought twice about the blog thing on the news if I hadn't been told to create one nor would I have really understood what it was. I knew what a blog was, I just have a better understanding of it now.

I have looked into purchasing a domain name and will do it shortly once I remember not to leave my debit card at home! I have researched and will use GoDaddy. This is exciting stuff.

Google and the Magical World of NPR

Well, this computer completely sucks. I am using my work computer and I had my blog almost completed when, out of nowhere, the Explorer screen changed and my blog erased. Stupid me didn't save it. So, considering I have a ton of work to do, my body hurts from my accident, and my son is super sick and needing me, I'm going to make this blog boring and short. My apologies, but I'm irritated that the whole thing is just GONE!! Anyway, I was writing about an NPR story I heard about last night as I was driving to school in my rental car. The story came on as I was passing under the on ramp that gets you the hell out of Larkspur. So, they were talking about Google and how their clients just love the simplicity of the site and how easy it is to navigate and use. They pretty much used the same verbiage that Mr. Troy Dunn used as he was speaking about Google. You know, "Yay, Google. They are awesome! People enjoy using them. Information at the bottom with little dividers in between. Logo at the top left corner. Simple. Easy to use." They also starting talking about the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button. Apparently only 1% of Google's users actually use that button and many don't really understand what it is used for. This button takes you to the exact site you are looking for instead of to a list of sites for you to choose from. Now, it doesn't always take you to where you want to go. That's why you do it if you are feeling lucky. This button takes users to a non Google site and much of Google's revenue is from people advertising. So, the people, that measly 1%, that use this button don't see the ads on the Google results page and Google looses about a billion dollars... I want exactly paying attention the amount of money they lose, but it is quite a lump sum. Since not many people use it and it makes Google loose revenue, then why, do some ask, does Google keep it around? Great question. They say they keep it there to show that Google isn't a money grubbing, corporate giant thingy that is scary. They want to keep that personable side to them. "Hey, we are Google and, we do make a TON of money, but we are nice and hip and fun and it isn't about money... even though we make a TON of it." Okay, so I didn't actually hear that in the interview, but someone from Google could have said something like it. The button does confuse a lot of people and it doesn't take you to exactly where you want and people abandon using it when they get to a site that they don't know why the button sent them there. In my personal opinion, Google should try something different to make them look more hip and personal. Maybe they should try baby Tigers and Monkeys. Hey, it worked and still works for Jake Jabs.

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclodepia, a blog is a website where entries are posted in chronological order, but displayed in reverse chronological order and can be made up of important facts or personal "diary" entries, which can be argued as important information or TMI. The word 'blog' is a portmanteau, which means that two or more words are combined or fused together to create a new word. I hear the German language does that a lot. Props to the Germans. No need to create new words. Lets just put words we all ready have together. Much less effort on creating words, if you ask me. I personally like using 'comediately.' It means you have done something funny, but in a hurried manner. "It was done comediately." Or, 'smarcastic.' This means that something was not only sarcastic, but smart assed as well. "That was a smarcastic remark." Other keeper is 'shnot.' This means that it was like shit and snot all at the same time. "The sidewalk is slicker than shnot!" Kids are a great source of portmanteaus or other uses of words. I like 'eyelooking.' It is a spyglass. "That man has an eyelooking." That was an actual sentence used by a three year old.

Blogs are interesting. I have not been one to frequent, or ever look at, them, but am learning about them and hopefully will come up with something interesting to use this blog for. Until then, I'll continue to write things that don't make any sense whatsoever, but will help me learn a little more about the web and, we all may argue, is the true meaning of a blog.

Thank you.