doc initiated : 15 February 2011
last update : 19 February 2011
WHAT is a Blog?
You can compare a blog to a newspaper or magazine: a blog has a publisher (often also the editor, administrator and main author) and a facility to receive and publish responses from viewers / visitors. There are at least five main differences with conventionally printed communication media:
- A conventional paper once published has its information fixed in permanent matter. Information on a blog can be edited or added on to at any time (provided the blog is activated and you are connected).
- The paper or magazine in its public form is a genuine material object, it is truly an objective embodiment of information. The blog is virtual reality - it just exists on your screen as information (information = a difference that makes a difference, as Gregory Bateson said, quite some time back, at the beginning of the cybernetic revolution. A difference, by itself, has no matter). You can "capture" the virtual reality of the blog you are plugged into - or one of its pages - as it is at a particular point in time in material form by printing it out. You can also electronically save it, for later retrieval and processing.
- It usually is easy for a blog viewer to immediately submit a response in the form of a comment meant to be published or in the form of an e-mail which may or may not be intended to be published. This feature promotes in principle a high degree of active involvement of the viewership, or, at least, opens up such possibilities. A viewer can respond to information provided by a blog any time and from any place (provided there is Internet connection) and send a response or forward information easily to any place / receiver (having Internet connection).
- Setting up a blog, in a technical sense is easy and requires very little equipment or capital. This stands in great contrast to the expense and complicated technology of conventional publishing. To do a blog you only need a computer, a working Internet connection, an account with a Internet provider (both for your Internet connection and the host of your blog), a manageable amount of technical skill, motivation and time.
- Access to the blog (to receive, disperse or submit information) is free (though getting connected to the Internet usually does have a cost).
These features combined make a blog very suited for the "broadcasting" and recording of ongoing processes and actions, their documentation, dissemination, and associated public debate and comment.
A blog is a fine example of a product of the most recent, now firmly established revolution in the development of mankind: electronic communication.
WHY a ZamArt-Blog?
The amazing thing is: to date, or better, hopefully, up to to date we do not have anything that we could call an IT platform for the (visual) arts.
It really is amazing. It is not that hard to do and once you have it you can visit the site or blog every once-in-a-while and bring up or possibly bring down something you want to bring up or down.
Talk publicly to people, fellow artists, supporters, art interested folks and organisations.
Yes, the idea beyond this blog idea is to set up a Virtual Museum of Zambian Art proper. But just a blog already is a good thing. We've got to start somewhere......keeping the site in sight.
HOW to Contribute?
You can participate passively by viewing posted entries.
You can participate actively by:
- Submitting comment(s)
- Submitting posts (entries) for publication
- E-mailing art related suggestions, ideas or other information which may or may not be published as by your instructions (to zamfactor@gmail.com)
- Propose measures to improve ZamArt-Blog functionality
- Forwarding ZamArt-Blog posts to interested parties, spreading the viewership
RULES for External Contribution by Comments or Postings
Rules for external contributions and contributors are laid down in the policy page. In summary:
- Anyone is free to submit comments or posts on (Zambian) art related topics BUT:
- Publication is at the discretion of the Blog administrator
- The administrator may abbreviate or edit text. The administrator shall communicate with the author of the edited text and seek consent for publication before publication.
- External contributors must ensure that copyright laws and regulations are observed and are solely responsible for such adherence.
- External contributors are responsible for submitted content, the administrator for its proper publication.
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