With the increasing blog growth over the past few years, blog directories have come in handy to help users search and locate blogs based on topic or type. On the other hand, blogposts in a blog itself can be classified too, by adding tags to them for easy reference. As metioned in the previous post, there are basically two main types of bloggers; those who blog for fun (the hobbyist) and those who blog professionally either for work purposes or to gain income. Smich (2010) argues that there are various kinds of blogs which range from diary types to news information types.
The blog classification system that I am familiar with is based on the content or topic of the blogs. White (2009) states that most bloggers write about several subjects and both personal and professional topics are equally popular. However, there are five main types of blogs and this includes collaborative blogs, tutorial blogs, travel/cultural blogs, fashion & lifestyle blogs, and personal blogs (Belardo, 2010). This classification approach is very straightforward and quite prevalent. Smich (2010) also classifies blogs into ten main categories such as personal blogs, business blogs, collaborative blogs, and educational blogs among others.
Margaret Simons argues the need for a new vocabulary for internet-based publications and describes the term ‘blog’ as ‘manifestly inadequate’ due to its diminutive differentiation (Funnell, 2008). Hence, she has come up with her own blog classification approach with nine types in total. The following is a summary of Simons' approach.
- Pamphleteering blog - point of views on current issues/politics
- Digest blog - collection of facts from other resources with little analysis
- Advocacy blog - pushes one point of view in an issue
- Popular Mechanics blog - how-to/tutorial blog
- Exhibition blog - showcase one's work to an audience
- Gatewatcher blog - blogs which keep an eye on the media
- Diary - personal blogs
- Advertisement - a blog solely for advertising purposes
- News blog - news/information surveillance blog
Her classification system is no doubt similar to the five main types of blogs suggested by Belardo. However, with more unique blogs on the rise, I believe Simon’s approach is a more prescribed version compared to Belardo’s, as it is easier to organize and identify blogs which have a combination of different styles. Hence, Simons' taxonomy of blogs is a better system to categorize the multifaceted blogs that is available.
References:
Belardo, M 2010, The 5 types of blogs; which one suits you best?, Inkrebels, viewed 29 September 2010,<http://www.inkrebels.com/insp/the-5-types-of-blogs-which-one-suits-you-best/>
Funnell, A 2008, A taxonomy of blogs, The media report, viewed 29 Spetember 2010,<http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2372882.htm#transcript>
Smich, M 2010, Different types of blogs, myhosting, 8 April, viewed 29 Spetember 2010,<http://myhosting.com/blog/2010/04/types-blogs-2/>
White, D 2009, Day 2: the what and why of blogging, Technorati, viewed 29 September 2010,<http://technorati.com/blogging/article/day-2-the-what-and-why/>
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