Welcoming words by Professor Risto Hiltunen

Dear readers,

According to the OED, blog as a noun has the meaning

A frequently updated web site consisting of personal observations, excerpts from other sources, etc., typically run by a single person, and usually with hyperlinks to other sites; an online journal or diary.

As a verb, the word means

To write or maintain a weblog. Also: to read or browse through weblogs, esp. habitually.

It follows from these definitions that the agent noun blogger refers to ‘the author of a weblog’. In all instances, the first occurrence of the word is dated to 1999.
As usual, the OED says it all. The idea of setting up an English Department Blog as a forum for discussing and debating questions related to our profession and the contexts we are working in – whether local, global, or in-between – is a delightful new opening. I very much hope it will become an attractive site for bloggers and blog-readers alike and thereby further contribute to our common good.
Risto Hiltunen

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(photo credits: Klaus Kurki & Joel Kuortti)

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