Yes, there is a lot more writing nowadays. Writing brings the writer a lot of benefits. Developing thinking skills, learning how to express oneself in different genres, persuading somebody to follow a course of action, and just having fun with words are some benefits that quickly come to mind.
Of course, I'm leading up to why writing blogs is a good thing to do.
The district tells us teachers, even in the fine arts and communication areas (the electives) to have students write. So, this means keeping a journal in each class. Any administrator can ask a teacher to show him/her student journals at any time.
Now we come to the field of journalism. Blogging is an expectation nowadays for those who are involved in a field of communication. And since a blogger is expected to express an opinion and support it, this is an ideal way to reach out to readers/viewers and listeners.
For one, it allows reporters to express opinions in a public forum and to exchange ideas with readers. It also allows reporters to reach out to readers with possible ideas for columns and stories, to engage in a written conversation with readers, and to promote the latest work reporters/writers/editors have published.
Here is an example from the San Antonio Express News online paper (www.mysa.com). Here is the blog section of the website.
At the top are tiny mug shots of "regular" people who write blogs for the paper, but are not employees of the newspaper company. Move the cursor over their photo and click, then, well, you figure it out. There are many diverse topics listed by category and written by residents of San Antonio.
Below the mug shots is a blue stripe running across the page containing the word "news." Here starts the blogs written by Express News staff members, arranged by subject: news, sports, entertainment, and such.
Now, writing for journalists should not be a difficult matter. And with online media one can also create video and audio blogs. I'm impressed by the latest video blog (here) and the arguments the participants put forth concerning the California ban on the sale of video games considered violent to minors and the impending Supreme Court decision on this ban. All of this resulted from a law passed in California and backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Here's what I find ironic: Schwarzenegger starred in a series of action movies where violent activity was key to the plot. And guess who is a key age group, or demographic, of his
audience?)
All everybody (including me) needs is three blogs per six weeks. That is not asking too much, and as a bonus you are offering your thoughts to the world, something a paper notebook cannot provide.