La Blogosphère Française
Why are there more French people blogging and reading blogs than Germans and Americans? And how do the French blogs overall differ from, for example, American blogs? This article in the International Herald Tribune explains the reasons behind the French obsession with blogs and describes the unique features of the French blogosphere. According to one of the commentators in the article, some good may come out of this passion for blogging in France – maybe having poured out their thoughts and feelings online, people will be less likely to go on the notorious French strikes. Although this possibility is to be debated 
.
Here are a couple of interesting French blogs: Press Citron related to web and new technologies by Eric Dupin, Fubiz on graphic design by Romain, Media & Tech by Didier Durand, a political blog Le Phare by Gilles Klein, a personal blog by Jean-Marc Bellot.
You can find a current list of the most popular French blogs at the Wikio blog classification site.
Please share any interesting French blogs you read or know of; I will be happy to check them out!
I think the fact that blogs have become so integrated into french culture shows the adaption of technology. This technology that seems to put France ahead of the United States in terms og blogs may seem not important but I think it is. Blogs in the United States are mostly used for discussions or saying how one feels. In France, they are used for cultural references, social conversations, and learning devices. I thought it was really interesting that the autor was criticizing that in American blogs, the writer is easily persuaded to think one way, therefore the discussion goes completely one-sided and to a point seems to be useless. In rench blogs, the writers states what they and keep to it (they don’t change their minds like Americans do).
I think this is something that Americans should look into because it’s something that certainly has been useful for the french in cultural knowledge and social conditions. In America, we could learn to use blogs in helping our generation become mroe technologically-advised and adapted for the blogs to advance as our culture does as well.
I appreciate that the people of France are using the advances of technology to grow closer to one another. It seems that as technolgy continues to advance at such a fast rate, people tend to be less personable with one another. Bloggers in France do not follow this pattern as they use the expansive internet for their own personal matters. They use technology to connect with others by writing their personal feelings and thoughts in order to dicuss topics/issues with a community of bloggers. I find it very interesting that with this, the number of protests have dropped. Using the internet as a tool to discuss and share with one another about events going on in the world or their community should be something more looked into my the people of the US. It would benefit us to be more active in discussion with others and to hear more perspectives on issues other than our own.
I was actually surprised to read that blogging was more popular in France than America, but after reading the article in the “International Herald Tribune” it makes sense. American blogs and French blogs are completely different. American blogs are generally dominated by my generation and are seen as a place to express feelings and thoughts and emotions. This reflects American culture as a whole because we are an emotional, open people and older generations are still a bit wary to embrace technology. French blogs are utilized by all generations and are “noticeably longer, more critical, more negative, more egocentric and more provocative than their U.S. counterparts.” Like American bloggers, the French share their thoughts and opinions on blogs but they are not sharing them so that they can be debated against and perhaps change their opinion when faced with that of another. “French bloggers never compromise their ideals.” In France, blogs are used by politicians, companies, consumers, teachers, etc. The hierarchy of French society is being turned upside down. Street revolutions and protests are less necessary because a passionate and opinionated blog can connect to more people with less effort. It’s not that blogs are altering the national character of France. France’s rebellious and opinionated disposition has merely embraced the changing times and adopted a new form of communication and a new method of taking action. I agree with Katie’s point that Americans could gain something by utilizing blogs as the French do. Our generation has the opportunity to bring about change, if only we could begin to use the resources we have available to us.
I only have two problems with blogs. Blogs have the potential of eliminating accountability, so anonymous bloggers can say whatever they want without any consequences. The second issue I have is that blogging sometimes makes for awkward conversation (example: “So, I read on your blog that…”) I don’t want blogging to replace face-to-face conversation.
I was surprised by the fact that blogging was more popular in France than in America, but after reading the article it became clear why. In France blogs are used by poltician, teachers, companies. So you can find a lot of interesting information on this blog which you need to succeed in some companies. In America blogs are used to express there thoughts and change one others opinion.
I wasn’t necessarily surprised French people use blogs more than Americans, but I was fascinated by the extent to which the French use these blogs. For instance, in America, blogs are commonly used by individuals who are passing the time by sharing their thoughts on interesting. While the French use blogs in the same manner, they take it a step further. Blogs are used by politicians, companies, etc.; in this manner, they are used more as advertisements than as a conversation.
Furthermore, the French are not as easily swayed in their opinions. Therefore, a blog can become a location for a heated debate. In America, people are more likely to make comments such as “I agree!” or “I thought the same thing!” I think this may also take away from the credibility of blogs in America. Instead of various opinions being posted, like in France, a blog can become polarized towards a specific attitude.
I too was surprised to learn French blog more than Americans because it seems so many young people in the U.S. have blogs. However, French blogs are different from many American blogs and are utilized by all types and ages of people. Often times, young Americans blog to share their thoughts and feelings in their daily lives, or to write about how events affect them personally. Though French bloggers still use blogs as journals, they also use them as an effective vehicle for social change. The French blogs are often political or critical. As the article said, French blogs tend to be longer, more negative, and more provocative than American blogs. It also said the French have a penchant for criticizing- if they are unhappy, they make it known. This plays in to the frequency of street riots in France.
I think blogs are so popular in France due to their culture. The French often go on strike and have staunch political debates and everyone “wants to run the country;” blogs are just the latest version of the coffee house. It seems a natural next step. Though I think the blogs are a positive way to share opinions, I do not think they will necessarily limit street riots. The article said blogs were even used to coordinate riots. However, they are still important. Crampton wrote a presidential candidate needs a blog to get elected. I think this is interesting and a great idea. I believe their are blogs for the American candidates this year as well, and I feel this is an effective way to reach new voters.
I think to a certain extent French culture accepts personal opinion expression more readily than other cultures. Also the french telecommunications infrastructure is very well developed in comparison to other european countries. It is important to note that there are more bloggers per capita in France but more bloggers my number in America. That just relates to the size of our nation. What is more interesting is how much time French people spend looking at each blog. According to the article in the International Herald Tribune French bloggers spent more than an hour on their preferred blog in comparison to America’s 12 minutes. Though there is increased communication thanks to these blogs it doesn’t seem to be as effective as a strike would be. Though they are able to express themselves it won’t be as visual or shocking as a strike is. Without public pressure to fix the situation the strike loses a lot of it’s legitimacy. In fact I don’t see this phenomenon affecting how strikes work at all.