Internet Edu. II

Blogs & Perfusion

Out of the Basement- Into your O.R.

What is a Blog?

Most of us are used to fairly static websites.  The content changes daily or weekly, but interaction is a one way street.  They feed us, and we come to the trough.

Blogs are newcomers in our world, the perfusion community.

This is however an extraordinary means for exchanging information in a hurry.  The concept is basically tailored for modern medicine where speed and intervention equate to avoiding morbidity and mortality.  We are no longer trapped in a linear approach to information access, rather are immersed in a sea of potential avenues for assistance from our peers.

A blog (a blend of the term web log) is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites.

Blogs have some truly unique characteristics as an information exchange tool. First of all, they are much easier than newsletters when it comes to getting your idea across. They can be added to, and they can be updated at any time and from virtually anywhere. Blogs also have long lasting shelf lives, as they exist on the internet until you decide to remove them. This contrasts well to newsletters which have extremely short shelf lives, because once you send it out, it’s sent, then trashed, and gone. Unless you are just posting marketing materials that are deglossed, most blogs offer a large amount of credibility. Whether a blog is a personal blog or a business blog, viewers come to blogs expecting to find frank and personal perspectives on a topic that you are passionate about. (blogtrafficexchange.com)

Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (art blog), photographs (photoblog), videos (video blogging), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Microblogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.

As of 16 February 2011, there were over 156 million public blogs in existence. (Wikipedia)

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If you haven’t taken it yet…

Plz don’t forget the

Survey on Wet Circuits