Today, I will be comparing two blogs. The first is a blog titled "Kim Cameron's Identity Weblog" that talks specifically about identity on the Internet, though sometimes brushes the topic of privacy. The second is a blog post written by Paul Goodhead found on the site bit-tech.net.
Both blogs do a good job appealing to ethos in their choice of words, but they differ greatly on their viewpoints. Kim Cameron's latest blog post talks about the website Linked In, and how it leaks the information of its users to third party advertising companies in order to match the user with appropriate advertisements. The author has a strong viewpoint against this activity, accusing it of virtually stripping the privacy and identity of it's users. The author conveys her viewpoint through the use of a sarcastic tone, mixed in with short, strong, and opinionated statements. She concludes her post by saying, "as a community of professionals...we need a network that respects the rights of the people in it." The fact that she refers to herself and her audience as "professionals" may mean that the author is a businesswoman who knows what she's talking about, and thus contributes to logos.
The blog post on bit-tech takes a different standpoint on the same subject. The author of this blog uses a somewhat sarcastic tone throughout the post, almost mocking the concerns that many people have about Internet privacy and advertising companies stealing personal information. He refers to anyone with this viewpoint as "alarmist and arguably ignorant...of how the Internet works." The author claims that uploading drunken pictures of yourself is no different from an advertising company using one of your listed interests as a key word for advertisements. Obviously this author has strong opinions on the subject, and makes it clear through strong word choice and one-sided commentary.
Though the opinions and viewpoints of these bloggers differ greatly, their overall tone and blog appearance were very similar. Both blogs had visuals that not only conveyed the subject matter of their blogs, but also contributed greatly to logos. The blogs also used a similar sarcastic tone when writing about their topics, which was successful in engaging the reader. If you are looking for different viewpoints on the subject of advertising companies and Internet privacy, I would recommend these blogs for good arguments from both sides.
Sources:
http://www.identityblog.com/
http://www.bit-tech.net/blog/2011/03/22/on-privacy-in-facebook/
It’s interesting to see how people can have such contrasting opinions on a particular subject. This was a great analysis of both blogs; I like how you picked two with opposing views on the same topic. Tone is especially evident in these types of discussions.
ReplyDeleteI found a similar blog to Kim Cameron's, it was about information leaking on Facebook. I feel like the news of the leaking of user's information by these sites is becoming a more frequent occurrence.
ReplyDelete