MODULE 5 - Ecology

How might the metaphor of an ‘ecology’ impact on the way you think about, understand or use the Internet?

Using information ecology as a metaphor allows us to understand how our influence has shaped technology and how it will influence the change in the future. It is like the environment; what we do to the environment determines the conditions we will encounter in the future, this applies to technology too.

How are the concepts ‘information’ and ‘communication’ understood within the framework of an ‘information ecology’?

Information refers to the people shaping technology and the actual technology it self. We are the information which helps shape the future. If we didn't put technology to use, there is no progression because we wouldn't know where to improve and understand what we want and need.Communication refers to the human interactions with the technology. How we use it and the way we operate the programs.

Why don’t we talk of a ‘communication ecology'?

I would imagine it would be a hard topic to talk about because it is about our personal interaction with technology. As there are so many different users, how could you determine the way in which it gets used, if there are thousands of us individuals using it.

MODULE 4 - Evaluating the Web

http://www.kaspersky.com/#_jmp0_
AnitVirus

This website is very educational. It teaches you all the facts about Malware.
Malware is a problem which we will encounter as some stage. In this website, you can find all the information in regards to Malware such as Viruses, Trojans and Worms. If covers in-depth information about where it all started, how it will develop in the future, who creates them, the different types of Malware, where you can get infected, how to detect it and what to do if you are infected. There is also a list of the latest Malware infections with details from the date it was developed, where it will infect and how to remove the virus.

The company is located worldwide, they established 12 years ago. They have highly- qualified specialist finding strategies to stop new malware and hackers. They develope their own software, helping over 250 million users all over the world. Not only do they help PC homeusers, but also corporate networks.


In terms of your own future use, which 'body ' of information (ie. the original 'snapshot' of the site, or your own, annotated, analytical version) would be most useful to refer back to?

I would definitely choose the analytical version as this has more information than the sceenshot and has a summary of the most important and informative part of the site. It gives you a good insight of the information and you can also quickly scan the analysis to see if this is appropriate with having to go to the website and reading it all.

In term of external users (i.e. if you included this site as a hyperlink or resource on a website) which body of information would best help them judge if the site was useful or of interest to them?

I believe the analytical version would be more use to them, as it is more informative than looking at the screen shot of the URL. When you search for information through google, the results do not give you a good intial information. You need to go into each site to see whether the information is approriate. The only information gaind by the screen shot is: cited by, related articles, all (number) versions and a sentence extracted from the webiste with the key word. To make judgement of whether it is useful or not would be very difficult. Reading what someone has analized would give you quality information as they have viewed and evaluated the site already.

MODULE 4 - Organising Search Information

URL: http://antivirus.about.com/od/antivirussoftwarereviews/tp/aatpavwin.htm#_jmp0_
AUTHOR: Mary Landesman
INSTITUTION: The New York Times Company
SCREEN SHOT REFERENCE: (Mary Landesman, 2009)

URL:http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/#_jmp0_
INSTITUTION: TopTenREVIEWS
SCREEN SHOT REFERENCE: (TopTenREVIEWS, 2009)

URL: http://www.kaspersky.com/
AUTHOR: Kaspersky Lab
INSTITUTION: Kaspersky Lab
SCREEN SHOT REFERENCE: (Kaspersky Lab, 2009)

I have decided to use the new program DEVONagent to save my web address. When I have the web page open, I have the function to archive the websites. It creates a folder named "Antivirus Software" as this was the search I made, then within the folder, it saves all the websites I have chosen. The most useful aspect about using this is the fact that I can access these websites when I am offline as well!

MODULE 4 - Boolean Search

The biggest number of hits relating to these key words?
Boolean search - antivirus OR anitvirus program
Search hits - 38,000,000

Information most relevant to what you ACTUALLY wanted to look for?
Boolean search - antivirus software NOT antivirus
Search hits - 59,800,000

Information coming only from university sources?
Boolean search - antivirus AND university
search hits - 18,700,000

It's very interesting to see the different search results. I wish I had of learned this years ago, this would make searching much easier. But I wonder if it is better to get less results rather than searching in a broader spectrum. I sometimes find, I will come across information from larger searches because random information will appear. The university search will only be appropriate to use if you can only use information from universities, but otherwise, it will limit your search, if you can use other source.

MODULE 4 - Searching the web

Unfortunately, I cannot find "Copernic" or "Sherlock" for my Mac OSX, but i came across a program called DEVONagent. This program searches through various amount of search engines and finds the most appropriate one for your topic. The search does not separate the search engine results, but instead filters and collects the most appropriate websites and analyzes each site and lists them for you with the information and not just the links.
I like the fact that you can read the most important information before you even open up the link, this would save you a lot of time as you don't have to sort through which site is relevant, this has been done automatically.
You can also set the result on automation and once you have archived your first search, it will keep updating the with new results in your archive. I believe this would be very handy and good for my future searches.


As I can't really compare with the correct program (copernic or sherlock) it's hard to see the difference. But the search result was not the same only a couple were the same. But I would have to say that I prefer to use DEVONagent in the future as the results are easier to identify and it would be a time saver. I like the fact that I can read about the site before even opening up the site. I also like the fact that it high lights your searched word in all the site, this allows you to read the appropriate sections. Another highlight of this program is the result can also be viewed in topics. As I searched for Antivirus Software, DEVONagent catagorises the topic. eg. software, protection, security. This is just an added bonus!



Top 5 Google search

Search Engine - Google
Search word - Antivirus Software
First hit - http://www.avast.com/
Amount of hits - 37,800,000



Top 5 DEVONagent search

Program - DEVONagent
Search word - Antivirus Software
First hit - http://www.youtube.com/results?num=40&q=antivirus+software&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=w1#_jmp0_
Amounts of hits - 39( i'm not sure if this is correct, but it says that there are 39 documents, but i think it has been extracted from 69 pages)

MODULE 4 - Tools for using the web

Real Player

This is a very a easy program to download and install onto your computer. The website gives you step by step instructions, allowing the most basic user to perform the installation easily. The only confusing process is choosing the correct free download. One option is to have a free trial, but there is another for a free download. The free trial requires your bank detail, so you need to make sure that you download the "freeload".

I played around with the program, and I found it very similar to other programs such as Quicktime and VLC. Real player is also very easy to use and allows you to play many types of files such as MPEG, SWF and AVI. You can also set the program as a default player when you have chosen to play these certain files. I find that this program is very useful for all aspects but because it is a common program i dont think you need to have the similar programs installed. I really need to trial this program for a few weeks to get a good feel of it, but after using it for a short period of time I believe that it is very easy and user friendly. I am not familiar with the differences with the extensions, but after reading up on the quicktime player and real player it seems as though the only difference with the 2 programs is that the quicktime player can play windows extensions.

URL Manager Pro

This is a very interesting program which I haven't installed on my computer before. I haven't really come across using a program such as this, but I am really interested in exploring it further. I usually use my Firefox bookmark organiser and I haven't really had any problems but it would be good to use a program which doesn't need to be connect to the internet. I don't think there are a lot of programs such as this, I personally haven't come across any. I searched around to see if there were other's which are simiar but only came across 2 other names opera and powermark.

The program is very easy to download and install, but the only problem with this download is the fact that you need to pay for it to use all the settings. Although it doesn't cost much, but it would be good if you could trial the complete program before purchasing.

I found this program to be a little fiddly and hard to get a hang of. The instructions are not very helpful but eventually I worked out how to use it. This program seems to be similar to outlook express but with the bookmarking system to be the main component. I like the fact that you can also check your email from here too. When you have all the site bookmarked through this program, I think it would be much easier to find and navigate. The bookmarking system on Firefox is very simple and once you begin to save a lot of sites the tabs can appear messy. With this program, it allows you to have folders (the same as Firefox) and group the same topics in one place. But when you look through these folders, they appear as though you are searching for documents on your computer, this is very easy on your eyes. The "fav" setting is also a good feature. I like the fact that you can have all your sites organised with the appropriate heading. The best part of this program is the search function. If you have forgotten where you have saved the url, you can easily do a search for it, this will save you so much time!

MODULE 3 - Web 2.0

HTML or Diigo?

I really like the interface of Diigo as I found it very organised and easy to follow. When I looked at the net11 HTML site, I found it extremley hard to glance over the information because all I could only see unorganised text. Although you have the links and information clearly colour coded, there was no format on the webpage. Diigo was neatly set in a frame and heading, and all other information was formatted so you could glance over the information and not get lost.

The differences I could visually see were:
Diigo - Dates, Tabs, Heading, web address, Annotation
HTML - Heading, Site info

One major difference between the two sites that is a huge benefit was the fact that the html site can be printed with the same layout as the site. The diigo site lost all the structure so when you went to print, it wasn't the same as what you had seen online. I'm not sure if any one would print this but I guess you need to be able to execute any command.

Diigo


HTML



I came across a HTML bookmarking list on Ellen Von Unwerth and I actually found this one as easy to read as the diigo site. This HTML site was organised well and was set in frames with Pages for the site clearly marked. The writer for this site has carefully made this clear for any reader. This site is carefully grouped as article, info and biography with each one containing the heading, date and topic name on the bookmarked page. In comparison to the diigo page, I think this one is much better as this one is simple and very clear!


I guess it all depends on how the author organises and designs the site. My initial preference was diigo because of the visual difference compared to the net11 HTML but now that i have seen an organised HTML site ( Ellen Von Unwerth) I prefer this at it has the same info as the diigo but looks more simple.

MODULE 3 - Blogs

I guess I would have to say that I am still a learner with the blog. I haven't researched other blogs so far, but now that this question has come up I did a little research. I am a traveler and I thought maybe I could find some travel blogs, and I did! www.travelblog.org It was interesting to see this, as it has give me an idea to start something similar. I think this is a great way to show people where you are and what you are up to. Instead of using other programs such as Facebook or Myspace, blogs are more personal and your friends can follow it easily!

I must admit, when I did some research on the web previously, alot of the time I have come across information on blogs. It's actually come in handy and I found it easy to use. It is a cheaper way to advertise yourself too. I believe that if you are a large corporation such as business, marketing, etc, it is not professsional to use the blog program, also the blogging system is not suited for this purpose, a proper website should be used.

MODULE 3 - Copy Right Task 3

After researching the Curtin website, I found the link to the correct use of the Curtin Univeristy logo.

Anyone who would like to use the Curtin logo must obtain an approval from the University Marketing Sector. Without the approval we are breaching the copy right law.

http://policies.curtin.edu.au/local/includes/getdoc.cfm?url=https://ecm.curtin.edu.au:443/alfresco/gd/d/workspace/SpacesStore/b9eeb000-648c-11de-bd31-ed274d0857ea/Logo%20Use%20Procedures.html?guest=true&policyId=959f55ad-fec2-11dc-b6c5-253dc30d60f2

1. have you used images or words on your web page or website that contravene copyright laws?

To be honest, I have and I believe everyone has at one point in time. I haven't have breached the copy right law professionally but when I was studying in High School I had used images for my projects. This was not intentional, but I guess with the lack of knowledge then I would have used images without thinking twice.

2. Would you be in breach of copyright if you put the Curtin logo at the top of your web page for an assignment? This information may be difficult to find so be prepared for a search and some independent thought!

Yes, this would be in breach of the copy right law. As stated on the link provided above, it informs you that whether you use the logo professionally or as a student, you must obtain an approval prior to use.

MODULE 3 - WWW Standards Task 2

I tried the Web validator and i have received information that i have many errors. I have double checked that I had inputted the information correctly to the lesson guideline. I'm not sure why I have these problems as i have done this correctly. I guess this is something I have to play around with and need more knowledge. Here are some examples of the error......



I copy and pasted the examples from http://www.pagetutor.com/ to see if any errors would appear and much to my amusement it did. So I am not sure if the program to check the scripting is correct or not.....

MODULE 3 - WWW Standards Task 1

5 most important ‘rules’ for writing online

Usability
The website should be easy to use and not complicated. It should be kept simple so you can navigate through the website without any fuss. If you have a complicated website, you can easily loose the attention of the reader. The navigation tools should be simple and should easily navigate you through the website. Also making sure that you can always return to the previous page or the homepage easily. Contact page should be easy to find, as this is the most important information.


Simple short information
The information provided on your website should be kept minimal. We all live and have a busy life, and we dont have a lot of time to surf for information while working. Writing too much can be time consuming for busy people and they will avoid reading all the content. Keep it precise and straight to the point.


Content
Only have relevant information. Users will surf your site for specific information, they dont want to read and waste time reading time wasting articles.


Appearance
The website should look user friendly. Also, the website should look clean and not
messy with information everywhere. The more simple it is, the easier it is for readers to look at.
Dividing the page into too many sections can be time consuming to look at and confusing. Keeping everything consistent. Make sure you have the heading and content in different type so you can easily scan through the information. Also making sure that the font you have chosen is legible to all readers.


Updated Information
Keep all the information up to date. Dates, web links, cost etc. If you have a website for selling products, the products should only show available goods and and the cost should be at the right cost at that point of time.

MODULE 3 - HTML Tags

Initially I had a lot of trouble with Texteditor. I entered the Tags in Lesson 1 and when i opened up in firefox all the tag names appeared. I checked thoroughly that I had entered all the text correctly and also copy and pasted the text to make sure that I had done it correctly. It was still appearing the same, with all the tags showings. I checked if anybody else had similar problem on the discussion board and of course, another mac user had! I read through the posts and someone had provided a re-typed version of the tags, which i tried and fortunately had worked! I'm not sure what happened, but there must have been a typing error.......




I absolutely enjoyed this exercise, it was a little time consuming but it amazed me how scripting can create a website! Understanding the script would definately be helpful if you are having problems.

HMTL and blogging have similarities but they are completely different in other respects. They can both be used as your peronal information site but HTML is better suited for business and having more creativity. Blogging sites are all quite similar and is used for personal reasons.... I found that HTML is much harder to play around with than using the blog program. The blog program is very straight forward and even a computer illiterate could learn how to use this program very easily, but HTML will take some time to master!

I prefer to use HTML as it gives you more create control. The design can be to your liking, the layout to your preference. I am still a learner with both programs so there is much more to learn!

MODULE 2 - Chats

I have opted to use my msn messenger as I been having some trouble downloading ICQ and using ichat on my mac. As time is passing so quickly, I thought it would be better to use a program i am more comfortable with. But I would like to work out what is wrong with my ichat as i think this program would be a good one to use.

The reason for not being able to install ICQ is because my computer is MAC OSX 10.5.7 and ICQ only supports MacOS 8.1-8.5, MacOS 8.6 and MacOS 9-X. I then tried to use Ichat, which is a program already installed on my computer, but I have seem to have forgotten my password. I have tried to retrieve my password but the program doesn't seem to email me the details.

I find msn is good for social chatting, rather than for professional use. Msn is great for group chats but if you are a slow typer, it is hard to keep up with your friends and can get frustrating at times. When I am in the office, I use my skype to chat to my work collgues. The group function on this is easy to use and very clear. Also sending files is much quicker and it is able to support larger files!

I personally believe that msn is probably the best and easiest for both PC and MAC users. Downloading and installing the program and straight forward, and even the most computer illiterate person would be able to do this with ease. The only negative comment I have about msn is that the MAC version is always so far behind with upgrading the software, while the PC version is always improving. The interface on the PC is also much better and modern than the MAC interface which still appears like the PC msn over 5 years ago.

Group wa completed on Thursday 9th July on msn messenger. The exercise was simple and enjoyable. I found that it is easy to loose the conversation topic because if you dont type back quickly, the next conversion will arise. So as i mentioned in earlier paragraph, it can get a little confusing. But I believe that it is good function to have because trying to manage 2 or more chats in different windows can become too overwhelming and confusing!

MODULE 2 - Lists

What are the pros and cons of email lists versus discussion boards?

PROS Email Lists

• Almost automatically distrubuted
• Almost a guarantee that people have seen the message
• Privacy
• Manage membership
• Don't need to be online to view information as it is stored in your email

PROS Discussion Board

• Public or private
• Organised well, easy to find information later on
• Easy to access information anytime
• You dont need to subscribe
• Build relationships with others on board

CONS Email Lists

• Need to subscribe, so your information is given out
• Need to organise the email yourself to keep information in order
• Can be overwhelming with continuous information
• Private information can leek out to other people - Spam
• Information which you are not interested in is also sent out

CONS Discussion Board

• Need to be online to view information
• Not everyone may see the post - only people who are interested
• Needs to be searched, not automatically sent to you (unless if you subscribe to that particular thread)
• A large amount of information can be posted so it can be overwhelming
• It is a self search program so you are not completely certain that the information is received
  

I believe that if you would like to advertise or sell something, whether it be products or information, email list is more appropriate as you are certain that the information has been sent. Whether the subscriber has read it or not, there is more chance that the information will be read.

If you are seeking help, or would like to discuss an issue, it is more appropriate to use a discussion board, as this is a place where you can post questions and people who are able to help can help. This is also a good place to have discussion with other people as it it keeps the flow of the conversion so people can stay informed or new comers can join easily with all the previous information.

MODULE 2 - Email Tasks (5)

"How have you organised the folder structure of your email and why?"

My personal (gmail) email account has main labels (folders) which I archive after I have read them in the inbox. I have labels such as COMMONWEALTH BANK, AUSTRALIA UNITY, OPEN UNIVERSITY etc. Once I receive emails from these companies, I like to place them in their designated label so when I need to look for information in the future, I can easily access them.

My work email is a slightly more organised as in Outlook I can create folders and subfolders. Once I make my main folder, eg company name, I create a sub folder for which job I am working on. Once that job is finished, under the same company folder, I create another sub folder for the new job. This keeps all my emails organised and easy to find later on!

MODULE 2 - Email Tasks (4)

"What sorts of filters or rules do you have set up, and for what purpose?"

I didn't have any filters or rules set up on my account until now! Once I read this question, I went to my gmail account and played around with setting up filters!! How amazing and organised it is, I wish I had done this earlier...

I have now setup a filter for my entire facebook message alerts to skip my inbox and go directly into a label named facebook! This will now allow me to keep the inbox more vacant for other important email!

MODULE 2 - Email Tasks (3)

"In what ways can you ensure that an attachment you send will be easily opened by the receiver?"

We all need to understand that we all have different computers and not everyone has the same platform, or programs. If we can communicate first before sending an attachment, we can ensure that there are no hiccups when the receiver receives the attachment.

Before I send anything, I usually ask the receiver what format they would like to receive the file, so this helps me to choose which format is better suited for them. If you are not sure what format to send, or if they are having difficulty, RTF would be the best format to send as most platforms and programs can read this without loosing too much information.

With my line of work, I either use PDF or Jpeg to send an attachment. PDF is widely used as the PDF reader can be downloaded for free. Also by using PDF, you can compress the files down to a minimal size. If I would like to send an image, I found that JPEG is compatible with most computers and also allows you to save the files quite small!

MODULE 2 - Email Tasks (2)

CC - Carbon Copy is very useful when you would like to send someone a copy of an email that is not directly to them, but they may find the information useful. I also find CC is an email which I don't need to respond to if I don't feel the need, but if I find the information important and relevant to myself, I can reply!

Useful when: I am working on a project with a colleague of mine and we are both dealing with a client. I want to send an email to the client, but I would like to keep my colleague involved, so I would CC the email to my colleague, while addressing the email to the client.


BCC - Blind Carbon Copy is used when you would like to be discrete about sending other peoples email address. If you would like to send a few emails of the same content but do not want others to see whom you have also sent to this is best way.

Useful when: I am seeking a quote from a few companies I would send 1 primary email and BCC the other companies so they cannot see who else I have asked a quote from.


REPLY ALL - This is useful to use when you would like to keep all recipients in the loop. But I would have to say, if you were to use “reply all” at work, you need to consider if all the recipients need to know your response. If the email was sent out to 30 people, you dont want to receive 29 replies when only the sender needs to know.

Useful when: I have sent a group email to 10 people in regards to a meeting and I need to change the date, I would in this instance, reply all and send out the new date and time to all 10 people who require the information.

MODULE 2 - Email Tasks (1)

When you receive an email, you are provided with the following basic information.
From, Date, To, Subject




If you would like to see more details, you can set view/internet heading and obtain more information than the standard setting.

Delivered-To:
Received:
Received:
Return-Path:
Received:
Received-SPF:
Received:
Message-ID:
Return-Path:
Content-Type:
X-Originating-IP:
From:

MODULE 1 - Further Exploration

Result:
South Korea to Blackboard - 18 Hops ,181 millisecond
South Korea to Network Tools - 21 Hops, 684 millisecond

I am based in South Korea and the result from VisualRoute has informed me that it is based in Tampa, US, so it has taken longer to ping. The Blackboard site is located in Australia which is closer to my location, therefore a quicker result.

I didn't know what to expect with the results as I wasn't sure where networks tools was situated, but knowing that they are based in the US, it makes sense that it should take longer to Ping!


Before achieving the result, I had been trying for days to Ping the Blackboard and Network tools site, and I have finally achieved it! For some strange reason, I could not Ping these 2 addresses from my flat but when I tried it at a different location it worked perfectly fine.

I was getting so frustrated, when I couldn't Ping from VisualRoute and IPNetMonitorX ( suggestion from the discussion board) I tried it from http://centralops.net/co/ which worked fine. I couldn't understand why I was experiencing this problem, I am still searching for this answer but it seems to me that these programs are unreliable. The only reason I persisted with VisualRoute was because of the informative results. Instead of giving you numbers, it visually shows you where to where it is communicating. For someone who doesn't understand the meaning of these numbers, it is extremely helpful!!

Network tools result




Blackboard result



The result to traceroute curtin.edu.au was exactly the same the 2nd time round!
Avg. 267, 5 Hops

MODULE 1 - Internet Tools

curtin.edu.au = 134.7.179.56

Results

count

ttl (hops)

rtt (ms)

from

1

109

267

134.7.179.56

2

109

267

134.7.179.56

3

109

270

134.7.179.56

4

109

267

134.7.179.56

5

109

267

134.7.179.56

How Many Hops? 5
Average time in Milliseconds to Curtin server: 267

I used Central Ops. net to traceroute from my location to the Curtin server. I found it very easy to use and also interesting. I am not a computer guru, so to be actually informed where it passes through to get to the final destination is interesting. There is also another program called Visual Route which is more interesting and informative, as it shows you visually rather than just numbers, where the information travels on a world map!

MODULE 1 - FTP

"CAPITALIZATION MATTERS"

I have used FTP before at my company but this was the first time using Fetch. Fetch is a user friendly program which works without any problems! Using a FTP program is a smarter way to retrieve files as it connects to the server easily and allows you to view the folders and files. Also, it is a great way to upload and download extremely large files that exceeds the limit on our email programs.

In my experience, we had some problems with using the FTP as login names and password can be entered incorrectly. If the details are not provided correctly it can be very frustrating. At times, we had problems connecting to the server due to technical issues. Sometimes it could be fixed quickly, but then at times it could take a few days to be fixed. Maintaining the folders is also very crucial so the clients can find the correct files quickly and easily. Naming the new file clearly and informing the client of the correct file name is extremely important.

No matter where you are in the world, who or where your clients are, it is easily accessible by anyone anywhere!

Step 1


Step 2

MODULE 1 - Task B

I think this is brilliant! So much time and effort must have gone into producing this. It makes you realise how far we have come with technology. This is how simple things were back in the days, but from this we have been able to develop better programs and produce higher end graphics for printing and multimedia. I am not sure how they developed this but i am guessing it is made from a collection of keyboard symbols. Now days, all we need to really do is enter commands into specialised programs and press enter!

Everyday, someone, somewhere is improving all our technology with mistakes we've had or improvements we want. With any kind of program, whether it be Word of Illustrator, new editions are entering the market with better and quicker applications. It's good to see how far we have gotten!!

MODULE 1 - Task A

TELNET

Trial 1
hmmm... the internet is so frustrating when it doesn't work properly!!
I am trying to use Mac Telnet and Terminal but it's not working... I have used both these programs before and I know they work, so I am guessing at the moment there is a problem with transferring information from my current location (South Korea) to Australia... will try again tomorrow!

Termial error & Mac Telnet error


Trial 2
I've figured it out!! It was my mistake.... Before entering library.deakin.edu.au you need to type in Telnet, so it would be telnet library.deakin.edu.au. I hadn't used this kind of method before, but i think it would have been a great way to access files a long time ago!. Technology has come a long way.

Step 1


Step 2


Step 3


Step 4

"Top 5 tips for new bloggers"

1.Organisation
All entries in a Blog should be organised (archived) well so viewers can follow your blog easily.

2.Simplicity
Keeping a blog should be kept simple. I believe the entries in your blog should be straight to the point without too much text. No one wants to read a long essay....

3.Appearance
The blog should look appealing. Having the right design(background), photographs and text. If it is a personal journal for family and friends, it should show your personality (colourful etc), but if it's for clients or professional purpose, it should look more formal, portraying the right message.

4.Updating
Blogs should be updated regularly. If you want people to follow your blog, you need to post new information so they will want to continue and follow reading new things. If you don't update, then people will stop returning and you could potentially loose a follower. On the other hand, I also believe that if you excessively post new information it will make it hard for the followers to keep up, so keeping entries to a moderate level is vital.

5.Networking
If your blog is not only for friends and family, but for you to network your business, you should start following other blogs so you can extend your network. Following someone else's blog is another source of advertisement!