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SCMP Reporter

Writing blogs has become a mania which has swept all walks of life, all over the world. A lot of teenagers write what happened that day on their blog instead of in a diary.
I am worried that this trend is damaging young people's language skills. When people write a blog, they generally use colloquial language and slang. This  means they can forget how to structure proper paragraphs.
On the other hand, writing a blog is a good way of training your memory - you have to remember what you did that day to write about it. 
It's also a good way to practise writing.
I think a blog can be a useful tool. We just have to avoid the temptation to use slang.
Cheung Yip-kuen
From the Editor
Thank you for your letter, Yip-kuen. Blogs are a fun, interactive way of recording what you do every day and inviting other people to share their views on what you write.
But you're right when you say  they risk our language skills. Like with SMS and instant messaging, bloggers tend to use slang and 'text talk' - abbreviations and letters instead of words.
But if we are sensible, writing a blog can be a great way to improve our writing skills. Keeping a diary is rather like writing a story. The more often you write, the better your writing will become - even if you use colloquial language.
Writing a blog is also an excellent way to practise your English. You could even set up a blog with some friends or classmates and take  turns to write. It would be a great way to feel more confident in English and express your opinions.
Karly, Sub-editor



Blogs are great - if we avoid slang