Are you glogging yet?

Just when I thought I was starting to get on top of “all things new media,” my own mother goes and proves to me how hard it is to stay on top of the trends in the industry. She asked me the other day if I’m using glogs. Of course, I couldn’t resist laughing and correcting her that, “The word is ‘blog’, Mother, not ‘glog.’”

Boy was I wrong. The word is GLOG. And it’s short for graphics (or graphical) blog. People and/or organizations are using glogs as interactive multimedia images that look similar to posters, but the readers are able to interact with the content. You can start your own glog on the Glogster Web site.

It’s the same basic concept of blogging, though. You create a profile, and you’ll want to be sure to have a clear objective and target audience for your glog. Let’s say you want to start one for personal use. You decide to glog about your family. Your target audience is friends and family, and your objective is to virtually scrapbook the ongoings of your life. Each glog post may highlight a certain event or trip. One for the family vacation to Disney, one post for your husband’s birthday party, another post for Christmas festivities. And within each post, you can put interactive videos, audio, links, journal entries and more.

Students in my mother’s school are creating glogs for class projects. Rather than creating posters with markers and magazine cutouts, they’re learning to adapt to this ever-changing digital world by creating glogs, listening to podcasts, using the iPod touch and other fun new media devices. In fact, the popular Glogster.com even has a division dedicated to education, where students can share their glogs securely with other students in their class and their teachers.

For fun, I decided to try out Glogster and created a completely rudimentary glog with info on my forthcoming destination wedding. Mine looks terrible, so don’t judge. But it was kind of fun! It’s one of those platforms where you just need to go in and play around with it. I suggest giving it a try.

So how can you use glogs?

• I can see them being used to promote events targeted to a Gen Y population – sending links to the glog out via facebook.
• It would be a great way to promote a client who produces rich media – like a band, an entertainment venue, a comedian, etc.
• Someone with graphic design talents and interactive talents might want to start glogging as part of their online portfolio – rather than doing traditional blogs. A glog could really show off your talents.

I’d love to hear your ideas on how you could use the concept of glogging in the professional world. Share your thoughts and help us out!