Photo courtesy of UPort 

Last year, ‘blog’ was one of the leading terms that Wikipedia users were searching for. The word was mentioned in numerous articles and water cooler conversations, only most people didn’t quite understand what a ‘blog’ was all about.

This year, however, it seems like all of that is changing.

If you compare the number of Google searches for newspapers, magazines and blogs, you will find that in the last few months, and for the first time ever, blogs win over magazines in the number of searches as well as in the volume.

What does it mean? Is the world of content changing? The answer, in my opinion, is yes and no. Ever since Homer wrote the Iliad nothing has changed in terms of content. People want a good story and they don’t care about the medium. The story can be told at night by the fire, in a book, on a TV show or written in a blog. In this aspect nothing has changed.

But what has changed is the new-found option and ability of the average everyday person to reach a target audience. This is the real reason why blogs are such a revolution - no less than Johann Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press.

So, when will the blogs win over the newspapers? Is it simply a matter of time or maybe it’s a matter of time till newspapers become blogs? My guess is both.

K.

Private space versus public space - this is the basis for understanding the transformation currently taking place within the net and soon to change the state of cellular as well.

On one end of the spectrum is the individual’s private space – this is the area where he communicates privately with his social environment, and no one is the wiser. This communication may be achieved through the dispatch of immediate messages, SMS and even vocal calls.

On the other end of the spectrum is the public space – this is the area where the individual’s unique character expresses itself, particularly his aspired self-image. This desirable self is a brash blog writer who thumbs his nose at establishment even though in practice he may be a pale nerd with red hair and glasses. He can proudly display the music he loves, heavy rock, though in reality he regularly spends his evenings lounging opposite the television rather than in smoke filled clubs. He can post his pictures and hit on girls, while at school he actually blushes every time the prettiest girl in his class wanders anywhere remotely in his vicinity, even half a mile away.

Grasping these two needs is the key to understanding the transformation that is currently unfolding in the world of the internet.

The cellular device links these two spheres. On the one hand, it is the optimal tool for personal communication. It can be used to send SMS messages to friends, to correspond late at night with your girlfriend, or to flirt with anyone you fancy. On the other hand, it is the optimal tool of self-expression. The choice of one instrument over another in itself makes a statement about the person’s character. The ring, the ringtone, is the ultimate form of self-expression. The pleasant wait, the song the dialer hears when calling – reflect on my musical taste. The snapshots or video segments that I shoot can me make me famous or just enable me to share a funny visual joke.

As a result, the cellular phone is rapidly becoming the central device that will propel the internet forward - mainly due to its ability to create material and share it quickly and easily, as well as a scope of accessibility that is unattainable on the internet. And in this world, where the users create the content, there is no doubt that the winning model is that which also enables users to receive remuneration for material that they create.

This is the new world and this is where we are heading. Heep is the first leg of the journey. And without doubt, it is only the first of many.

K.