I’m writing a 500 word definition of weblog for the forthcoming Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative. I’ve been thinking about it for weeks but have only half-written it – my plan is to finish a draft this afternoon and post it here, and hopefully, some of you trusty, wonderful, talkative, intelligent and knowledgeable readers might have some comments? The example the editors have provided of one of the 500 word contributions is for the word obituary, which has a richness, history and theory I must admit I had not previously considered. And I also have to think about cross-references to some of the other entries in the encyclopedia. OK, down to work now.
I'm Jill Walker Rettberg, author and professor of Digital Culture at the University of Bergen in Norway. I co-direct the Center for Digital Narrative, a 10-year Norwegian Centre of Research Excellence, and I lead the ERC project Machine Vision in Everyday Life. This site started as my blog in October 2000.
Dan Webb
Dear Jill,
What an exciting project! I look forward to reading your definition of a weblog.
One of the most curious qualities I would mention is that weblogs allow a freshness and spontaneity that traditionally printed material never has.
Best,
Dan