Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Bloggers' Common Mistake




Blog: a Web site containing the writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other Web sites.


"This Is a Blog Post. It Is Not a "Blog."", by Forrest Wickman, thoroughly argues about the misconception between a blog post and a blog. Right from the beginning of the post (article, piece, or blog post) Wickman illustrates the determination of his arguments by capitalizing "is" and not" in the tittle. While some may perceive this as a mistake, it is not. This irregularity is a simple overstatement that blogs are not the same as blog posts. Titling the article "This is a Blog Post. It is not a "Blog."" would also be correct, but the unusual capitalization encapsulate the whole article's point: blogs are web sites were blog posts can be found. 

I had never thought about the difference between blogs and blog posts, but actually it is very clear. As Wickam says, it must be stopped. Seeing Roger Ebert, a notorious film critic, was misusing the word "blog", notes how common this mistake is. Moreover, it shows a great error that Ebert should have avoided: this blemishes his work in the eyes of scrupulous readers. As a writer and a reader I agree with Wickman: a simply mistake like calling this post a blog, will undermine a writers writing. It proves carelessness in a writer's work, whether it is a successful one like Roger Ebert or a simple high school student. One should write correctly whether one is chatting, writing an article, or writing in any other medium. 

Wickman did me a favor by posting his blog entry and probably saved me from getting "judged" by one or two scrupulous scholars. They are right to do it. Confusing a blog with a blog post is just as wrong as confusing "that" and "who". Lastly, this is the last blog that I will write. From now on in this blog only entries and posts will be posted. Like Wickman "blogs blogs" all the time, I have done so before, but from now on I will write and post blog entries. 

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