BYTE MARKS
Blogging yourself on the move
By Burt Lum
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Online journals have grown in popularity over the years. New terms, such as blogs and weblogs, are now common in the online vernacular and there seems to be no end to how you can document your daily adventures in reality or otherwise.
The latest incarnation of this phenomenon is moblog, short for mobile log.
With a built in camera as standard operating equipment, the mobile phone is quickly becoming a primary input device for the moblog. Nowadays, daily activities rarely go unaccompanied with a cell phone. Staying connected was pioneered in Japan, where users interacted with text messaging.
The inclusion of a camera adds a new dimension to mobile communication. In moblogging, you can send your camera photo directly to a Web site to post.
Several sites have come into existence with that sole purpose in mind; one that I've played around with is Buzznet.com.
Setting up an account is easy and free. From your phone you can e-mail a message to your Buzznet account.
It will immediately post your photo to your page for all to view. It's that simple. If you go to hawaii.buzznet.com you get a sampling of the real-time nature of moblogging.
Another cool feature offered on Buzznet is the ability to syndicate your personal Buzznet site onto a separate personal weblog site. We talked last week about syndication and RSS feeds. Buzznet provides a script you can cut and paste directly into your site to show a sampling of your most recent moblog entries.
There are many other moblog sites to explore, Textamerica.com, mobog.com, fotopages.com, just to name a few.
It's obvious we are moving closer to the always connected community and the once futuristic concept of wearable computing. The tools to enable the individual to express a singular voice are becoming easier and readily accessible. Whether we feel information overloaded or not, this process of personification of the Internet holds exciting potential for the future. ;-)
Burt Lum is one click away at www.brouhaha.net.
