Tourist's blog

How can I get there?

Sometimes, people will curious how they can get this place. The answer is "tourist blog".

Undeniably, blog became private space for every blogger in expressing their lives experiences. Currently, people are being explosure to various information especially in travel guide through blog.

Today, many tourist prefer to write their experiences in their own blog. For instance, in context of transportation, accommodation, ticketing, famous places, food and so on. All of there can be found with a click of button. It is good for tourist to create blog and jot down their moments of travel.

According to Woodside (2011: p.2), "blog are especially pertinent because they allow people to create stories out of their experiences". Besides this storytelling is very important to tourism as it can ncrease the desire of people who would like to visit a country.

In my point of view, tourist blog is very useful in social media nowadays compare with those imaginary world. It provides various related infomation to other tourist and it also allow two way communication between blogger and tourist. On the other words, blogger may comment and ask for question if they are any inquiries about certain places. Hence, it is to be encouraged for every blogger to write a valuable of tourist blog in sharing their experiences.

Woodside, A. G. (2011). Tourism Sensemaking: Strategies to give meaning to experience.  Emerald.

IRONI KOMITMEN TERHADAP ICT: ANCAMAN BLOG DI MALAYSIA

http://www.ukm.my/jkom/journal/pdf_files/2011/V27_1_4.pdf

Penggunaan teknologi komunikasi dan maklumat (ICT) semakin pesat pada masa kini. Menurut Mohd Amirul Akhbar, bilangan pengguna internet semakin pesat yang mana tahun 2009 mencatatkan bilangan seramai 16,902,600 pengguna  berbanding pada tahun 2000 iaitu seramai 3,700,000 pengguna dengan peningkatan yang amat ketara dalam tempoh sembilan tahun. Antara faktor yang menjadi penyebab kepada peningkatan ini ialah untuk mencari maklumat berkaitan dengan berita dan juga politik negara yang mana menggunakan laman – laman blog politik. Keadaan ini telah menggugat kuasa kerajaaan kerana isu yang dipaparkan dalam blog lebih terbuka dan sebagainya menyebabkan proses pendemokrasian berkurangan kerana kemunculan blog yang tidak membantu proses demokrasi kerana terdapat lima isu yang utama yang sering kli dibincangkan dalam blog iaitu ketelusan pilihan raya, hak asasi, keadilan, ekonomi, rasuah dan juga kronisme.

           

Mohd Amirul Akhbar Mohd Zulkifli. (t.t). Ironi Komitmen Terhadap Ict: Ancaman

Blog Di Malaysia. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Blog Is a Threat

Definitely, information blog is giving people wealth of knowledge and information through a click of button. But, when blog come into personal life and experiences, it may bring to negative impacts to us. Still, there is several danger of blogging that people should bear in mind all the time. What people saw in blog, write in blog are true as it can be fake at the same time. As we know, social network is imaginary. Blog can be a threat of life to all of us. This may happen when people too actively get connection with stranger through blog, exchange private information to them, or give away too much of their information to stranger. All of these may bring danger to us. As Mrboffo (2009) said that, people should stop blogging if they spent too much time in blogging and affect their personal lives, work or others else. This is an abnormal phenomenon and can bring harm to everyone.

Mrboffo also further that blog is danger when people spent too much money on it and without receive any compensation. Often, people are using blog to do business and earn extra money.  Hence, blog may bring negative effects if people do not use wisely. Women, in particular, have to more caution in blogging atmosphere. There is one website that teach women how to protect themselves from danger of blogging. http://www.feedforall.com/dangers-blogging.htm

Mrboffo. (2009). Danger of Blog. Retrieved 6 June 2012 from http://voices.yahoo.com/dangers-blogging-2605130.html

Bloggers' problems

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/11712-congress-asks-doj-to-investigate-%E2%80%9Cswat-ing%E2%80%9D-on-conservative-bloggers
http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2012/05/25/opening_act_blog_about_brett_kimberlin_day.html

Brian Koenig "In efforts to intimidate and suppress the speech of prominent conservative bloggers, opponents are implementing a decade-old technique called “SWAT-ing,” which involves prank callers phoning law-enforcement authorities and reporting a violent crime at someone’s home. The pranksters generally camouflage their actual phone numbers — by making them appear to originate from the victim’s home — leading SWAT teams to be dispatched to a person’s residence."
“The use of SWAT-ting as a harassment tool is apparently not new, but its use as a tool for targeting political speech appears to be a more recent development,” Chambliss wrote. “The emerging pattern is both disturbing and dangerous.”
SWAT-ing has been used on conservative bloggers which they are visited by the SWAT claiming that they had killed or hostage in their house.
Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Texas) also joined in the fray, telling Holder he is “very afraid of the potential chilling effects that these reported actions may have in silencing individuals who would otherwise be inclined to exercise their Constitutional right to free speech.” 
Seem like there are reasons SWAT are used against conservative bloggers. Bloggers faces a lot of problem of laws and others actions by protesters. 

In the other issues such as errors in writing blogs has become a problems and bloggers struggle to re-correct the mistakes.
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/voracious/2012/06/food_bloggers_wrestle_with_onl.php


These food bloggers has faced critics on the errors of language used and spelling in their blogs. Blogger than said that it is a freedom space to express their opinions and ideas that are errors does not mean anything. This has made some of the bloggers aware of the problems and look for editors before posting their comments or post. Some bloggers thinks that it is unnecessary to hired an editor to correct errors, as this is their own post.

Bloggers faced a lot of problems while blogging their ideas. Is it necessary to consider language or spelling errors even a conservative opinion posts a mistake that others should take actions not only to criticize but also to have threat towards these bloggers? 

Blogs has become a new place for advertising.

 http://www.bestmediainfo.com/2012/06/blogs-the-new-advertising-destination/

This is because blogs has higher engagement of it's readers and people looks for product reviews through blogs. This is to get information through other's people opinion before purchasing items. Most of the marketer are able to get to their targeted audiences easier using blogs and advertising on blogs. Hence blogs are able to manipulate the consumers' decisions and opinion toward the particular brand or items. Blogs has been one of the medium where most of the Internet users surfed to obtain information or news about products, goods, or even services. Not forgetting, nowadays blog posts are able to be shared in various social networking site, which helps them to widespread information. Blogs are not only influencing their reader's mind but also making them to take action in purchasing something that is considered "must have" in the market or society. Blog may be influential to many of their readers based on how the bloggers transmit their ideas and thought. Since readers look for review information through blogs, they already has a mind of buying all they need is just a little of persuasion or opinions from others to take action.Well action of purchasing or not are based on the reviews and advertising posted and exposed to the consumers or readers.

blogging pro and cons

Blogging can be fun and are able to earn income from it, not forgetting getting fame (famous and popular) at time. A girl Wendy Cheng named her blog Xia Xue (means snowing in mandarin) has become a famous blogger. Her blog was accessed by many people and she even win award just by blogging. Her wedding was also fully sponsored by some companies that she advertised their products on her blogs. http://xiaxue.blogspot.com/
Bur there should be an awareness or self-regulating, because offends could happen since there are media laws. This 28 years old blogger posted photo and comments which she did not get permission from that owner which she has offended the copyright act by using photos that does not belong to her.http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/6/10/asia/11451035&sec=asia
 Even bloggers nowadays exposed to many laws which freedom are still limited. Photos posted online are accessible by others and were used against them. There are pro and cons in using online media, e.g., information was used or copied by others/unknown or used others' information in expressing opinions or dissatisfaction without the approval of the owner. It depends on how we use the media which would be able to keep us safe.

Cyberspace under monitoring of Government (BN)

In March 21, there is one article which written in Borneo Post which entitled with ‘Easy Access to wrong info in social media worrying’. This article claimed that government (BN) was worrying that public will access to wrong information. It is very interesting that BN start ‘worrying’ about their people in accessing to wrong information.

Blog is a media open to public, free to write, and free of ideas. Anyone can write their opinion and thoughts, information and idea in a free blogs. Hence, I think it is not necessary for government to worry about. According to Rich (2009: p. 10), “Blog give everyday people a voice and the opportunity to communicate and share information and there are no rules, no editors and no governing authorities”. In addition, people who can write or read blog, they sure have intellectual knowledge and able to evaluate the information. People will not believe on the blog’s information easily if he/she is a reasonable. Furthermore, government is not necessary to monitor blog activities as blog is a place where people spread out their voices.

So, what u say?

References

Borneo Post. (2012). Easy Access to wrong info in social media worrying. Retrieved 27 May 2012 from http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/03/21/easy-access-to-wrong-info-in-social-media-worrying/

Rich, J. R. (2009). Blogging for Fame and Fortune.  Canada: Entrepreneur Press.