As academics get more comfortable with the blog publishing format new and innovative applications emerge. One great example is the Rugs of War research project out of the Australian National University. The project focuses on Afghani rugs since 1979  incorporating images of tanks, helicopters, Kalashnikovs, the twin towers in New York and images from US propoganda leaflets. 

"We don't have a large readership or receive many comments; our readers are more likely to communicate by email than by commenting on a blog post. Yet Rugs of War has given us access to collectors and dealers who operate outside existing institutional contexts. This is particularly significant in an emerging field of scholarship, where institutional support for the field of study is yet to emerge ... Blogging is never going to be a complete research tool in itself, but it has proven to be an invaluable resource in this new field of academic inquiry."