Blog on a Blog - Culinary Backstreets

I have looked at the blog 'Culinary Backstreets - Istanbul' as I am a very keen foodie and I am going on a trip to Istanbul with the university soon so this is something I am interested in looking at just now. The blogs URL is http://www.culinarybackstreets.com/category/istanbul/. This blog looks at all sorts of food tips for people with a similar passion that are going to be travelling to Istanbul and want to know some insider secrets of where to find the best foods and where to find some different food types people may not of heard of. This blog is very readable; there is a title and a excerpt from each post in chronological order, so you can skip over posts that do not sound of interest to you. There is also a box at the top with the Top stories so you can see what is popular at the minute. There are many pictures which are very pleasing to the eye, these include lots of  colours and different foods. 
The noun blog originally came from the words 'web log' which started in 1999 where an individual would post his or her views on something that appealed to them (BBC, 2004). Blogs became a way for people to express their voice, and was available for everybody, not just those who could afford to print a book. Social networking has become a huge part of the everyday life for people recently, especially the younger generations who can't go without mobile phones or social networking on a daily basis. Blogs have become essential in modern life for many reasons. Firstly is is totally controlled by you or your group/business so you can add/edit information when and where you need to; a website is often maintained by a admin company so you would have to contact them to make changes. Also, it is an easy way of letting the world into your knowledge and secrets of something they may also have a passion for. For some it is for fun, and for others it is for business/academic reasons. 
Blogging can be a expression of identity.
       "A person's identity is not to be found in behaviour, nor — important though this is — in the reactions of others, but in the capacity to keep a particular narrative going. The individual's biography, if she is to maintain regular interaction with others in the day-to-day world, cannot be wholly fictive. It must continually integrate events which occur in the external world, and sort them into the ongoing 'story' about the self." (Gauntlet, 2002). Here it shows that blogging could clearly be seen as a way of expressing your identity; a blog is a regular interaction with the world about events which happen or about their interests. These often gain followers by fellow people with similar interests who want to receive updates about their knowledge on a specific topic in common. 
Academic blogs are different in terms of the formality of the blog. My earlier example, 'Culinary Backstreets - Istanbul' was easy to read, very informal and had chatty tones, whereas academic blogs such as 'Eduwonk' (http://www.eduwonk.com/) are very formal, with no pictures and just words, and could be considered harder to take in. Blogs are a great academic tool as it is a easy way to log your thoughts and opinions on particular topical issues when you think of them, therefore you can see how your opinions change over time and over further learning. I also believe academic blogging for students is a great way to lessen the pressure which is associated with coursework and exams, while still being a good tool for assessing work.