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Drilling down: A look at the digital ways bloggers tell their personal stories

Lois Scheidt
Lois Scheidt

This document summarizes research on different genres of personal blogs/diaries (diary weblogs). It describes the defining characteristics and evolution of general blogs and diary blogs. It also examines subgenres like photoblogs, moblogs, cyborglogs, audioblogs, podcasts, videologs and lifelogs. Research findings on gender differences in blog content and the prevalence of teen blogging are also summarized.

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Drilling Down: A Look at the Digital Ways Bloggers Tell Their Personal Stories Lois Ann ScheidtOctober 17, 2009
Genres are classes of communication that typically possess features known to their users, common forms and purposes, and name recognition (Swales, 1990).typified rhetorical actions based in recurrent situations (Miller, 1984, p. 156).
Genre Theory LimitationsToo much emphasis can be placed on similarities at the potential expense of differences (Frow, 2005).It is impossible to typify all possible combinations of characteristics (Kwasnik & Crowston, 2005).Evolving (Yates & Orlikowski, 1992)Emerging (Crowston & Williams, 2000)
Weblogs
Definition A weblog, or blog, is a frequently updated website consisting of dated entries arranged in reverse chronological order.... Typically, weblogs are published by individuals and their style is personal and informal. Examples of the genre exist on a continuum from confessional online diaries to logs tracking specific topics or activities through links and commentary (Walker, 2003, n.p.).
Diary Weblogs DefinedMeets the definition of a weblog (Walker, 2003)Posts explore the producers inner terrain and life as it is lived in the first person.Post may be text or multimedia, or any combination there of.
First Diary WeblogsCarolyn L Burke January 3, 1995Carolyns DiaryOriginal a filter weblogBecame a diary over timeJustin Hall January 1994 or late 1994Justins Home Page & Links from the UndergroundOriginally a filter weblogBecame a diary over time then returned to being a filter before leaving the web
Development of Weblog Creation ToolsHTML (pre-1999)LiveJournal (March 1999 present)Website using proprietary softwareOriginally diary weblogs only (until 2003)Blogger (August 1999-present)Website using proprietary softwareProprietary software to use on the bloggers siteAny subgenre of weblogs
Weblog Growth (in millions)
Genres of Diary WeblogsCharacteristics of weblog producersvs. Characteristics of the artifact (the weblog)
Literature Describes Two-Differing PopulationsGeneral user populationCharacterized by their use of the technologyYounger user populationCharacterized by age use of the technology
Estimates of Non-English Languages use in Weblogs Through Automated Language Identification2004 38.1% (NITLE)2005 - 31.3% (NITLE)April 2006 1/3 of all posts (Technorati)2007 (Technorati)Japanese 37%English 36%Chinese 8%
Adolescent Diary Weblogs Many come down on these blogs as trivial, but they are in fact one of the most amazing facets of the blogging phenomenon. Teenagers talk about what interest them, whats on their minds, and what issues they are having (Stone, 2004, pp. 53-54).
Teens are BloggingPolish bloggers (Cywinska-Milonas, 2003)75% are less than 2140% are between 15-17 years old English-language weblogs (Herring, Kouper et al. 2004)39% are under 20 years of ageAmerican teenagers (12 17 years old) (Lenhart & Madden, 2005)22% of respondent keep a weblog18% of those younger than 15 years of age
GenderTo date, scholarly studies have focused on both boys and girls (two papers), or on girls only (two papers).Studies on boys use of blogging and diary blogging are lacking.
BoysUse more active and resolute language Huffaker & Calvert, 2005)Used more emoticons (Huffaker & Calvert, 2005)Produce more Witness to the Experience entries (Scheidt, 2006)
GirlsProduce more Unconditional support entries (Scheidt, 2006).Use ingratiation strategies to gain affection and approval (Bortree, 2005).Use direct and indirect expressions of self to gain acceptance (Bortree, 2005).Adolescent queer female diarists join discussions without disclosing self (Driver, 2006).
Boys and GirlsDid not differ in the use ofPassive (Huffaker & Calvert, 2005) Accommodating (Huffaker & Calvert, 2005) Cooperative language (Huffaker & Calvert, 2005) Gender differences in word frequency disappear when the weblog type is taken into account (Herring & Paolillo, 2006)
Multimedia Diary Weblogs
PhotobloggersOrchestrate their presentations byTakingSelectingAnnotatingViewing their photographs (Cohen, 2005)Usually do not post daily (Meyer, Rosenbaum, & Hara, 2005).
MoblogsBlending of mobile and weblogUsually produced and uploaded via cell phone (Sit, Hollan, & Griswold, 2005).Sites come and go very quickly, with 93.2% of users abandoning their moblogs in 30 weeks or less (Adar, 2004).Initial posts average eight posts the first week, dropping to one per week after five weeks (Adar, 2004)
CyborgLogsFirst-person recording of an activity with the content creator as active participant.Perspective changes from participant to observer, unless using wearable recording equipment (Dickie, Vertegaal et al., 2004).Can be produced with cell phone cameras
AudioblogsLeast often utilized genre (Trammell & Gasser, 2004)One of the more personal forms of blogging, since the audiobloggers voice transmits the message (Trammell & Gasser, 2004).
PodcastsAre becoming staples in Classrooms (Richardson, 2006)Political campaigns (Johnson, 2006)Is used for diary blogging but has not been studied as such.
VideologsDistinctions between termsVideolog or vog edited footage (Hoem, 2004).Moblog raw footage (Hoem, 2004).Vlog uses compressed video context (Miles, 2005).
LifelogsCapturing all or parts of a lived life from first-person perspective Most often streaming video

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Drilling down: A look at the digital ways bloggers tell their personal stories

  • 1. Drilling Down: A Look at the Digital Ways Bloggers Tell Their Personal Stories Lois Ann ScheidtOctober 17, 2009
  • 2. Genres are classes of communication that typically possess features known to their users, common forms and purposes, and name recognition (Swales, 1990).typified rhetorical actions based in recurrent situations (Miller, 1984, p. 156).
  • 3. Genre Theory LimitationsToo much emphasis can be placed on similarities at the potential expense of differences (Frow, 2005).It is impossible to typify all possible combinations of characteristics (Kwasnik & Crowston, 2005).Evolving (Yates & Orlikowski, 1992)Emerging (Crowston & Williams, 2000)
  • 5. Definition A weblog, or blog, is a frequently updated website consisting of dated entries arranged in reverse chronological order.... Typically, weblogs are published by individuals and their style is personal and informal. Examples of the genre exist on a continuum from confessional online diaries to logs tracking specific topics or activities through links and commentary (Walker, 2003, n.p.).
  • 6. Diary Weblogs DefinedMeets the definition of a weblog (Walker, 2003)Posts explore the producers inner terrain and life as it is lived in the first person.Post may be text or multimedia, or any combination there of.
  • 7. First Diary WeblogsCarolyn L Burke January 3, 1995Carolyns DiaryOriginal a filter weblogBecame a diary over timeJustin Hall January 1994 or late 1994Justins Home Page & Links from the UndergroundOriginally a filter weblogBecame a diary over time then returned to being a filter before leaving the web
  • 8. Development of Weblog Creation ToolsHTML (pre-1999)LiveJournal (March 1999 present)Website using proprietary softwareOriginally diary weblogs only (until 2003)Blogger (August 1999-present)Website using proprietary softwareProprietary software to use on the bloggers siteAny subgenre of weblogs
  • 9. Weblog Growth (in millions)
  • 10. Genres of Diary WeblogsCharacteristics of weblog producersvs. Characteristics of the artifact (the weblog)
  • 11. Literature Describes Two-Differing PopulationsGeneral user populationCharacterized by their use of the technologyYounger user populationCharacterized by age use of the technology
  • 12. Estimates of Non-English Languages use in Weblogs Through Automated Language Identification2004 38.1% (NITLE)2005 - 31.3% (NITLE)April 2006 1/3 of all posts (Technorati)2007 (Technorati)Japanese 37%English 36%Chinese 8%
  • 13. Adolescent Diary Weblogs Many come down on these blogs as trivial, but they are in fact one of the most amazing facets of the blogging phenomenon. Teenagers talk about what interest them, whats on their minds, and what issues they are having (Stone, 2004, pp. 53-54).
  • 14. Teens are BloggingPolish bloggers (Cywinska-Milonas, 2003)75% are less than 2140% are between 15-17 years old English-language weblogs (Herring, Kouper et al. 2004)39% are under 20 years of ageAmerican teenagers (12 17 years old) (Lenhart & Madden, 2005)22% of respondent keep a weblog18% of those younger than 15 years of age
  • 15. GenderTo date, scholarly studies have focused on both boys and girls (two papers), or on girls only (two papers).Studies on boys use of blogging and diary blogging are lacking.
  • 16. BoysUse more active and resolute language Huffaker & Calvert, 2005)Used more emoticons (Huffaker & Calvert, 2005)Produce more Witness to the Experience entries (Scheidt, 2006)
  • 17. GirlsProduce more Unconditional support entries (Scheidt, 2006).Use ingratiation strategies to gain affection and approval (Bortree, 2005).Use direct and indirect expressions of self to gain acceptance (Bortree, 2005).Adolescent queer female diarists join discussions without disclosing self (Driver, 2006).
  • 18. Boys and GirlsDid not differ in the use ofPassive (Huffaker & Calvert, 2005) Accommodating (Huffaker & Calvert, 2005) Cooperative language (Huffaker & Calvert, 2005) Gender differences in word frequency disappear when the weblog type is taken into account (Herring & Paolillo, 2006)
  • 20. PhotobloggersOrchestrate their presentations byTakingSelectingAnnotatingViewing their photographs (Cohen, 2005)Usually do not post daily (Meyer, Rosenbaum, & Hara, 2005).
  • 21. MoblogsBlending of mobile and weblogUsually produced and uploaded via cell phone (Sit, Hollan, & Griswold, 2005).Sites come and go very quickly, with 93.2% of users abandoning their moblogs in 30 weeks or less (Adar, 2004).Initial posts average eight posts the first week, dropping to one per week after five weeks (Adar, 2004)
  • 22. CyborgLogsFirst-person recording of an activity with the content creator as active participant.Perspective changes from participant to observer, unless using wearable recording equipment (Dickie, Vertegaal et al., 2004).Can be produced with cell phone cameras
  • 23. AudioblogsLeast often utilized genre (Trammell & Gasser, 2004)One of the more personal forms of blogging, since the audiobloggers voice transmits the message (Trammell & Gasser, 2004).
  • 24. PodcastsAre becoming staples in Classrooms (Richardson, 2006)Political campaigns (Johnson, 2006)Is used for diary blogging but has not been studied as such.
  • 25. VideologsDistinctions between termsVideolog or vog edited footage (Hoem, 2004).Moblog raw footage (Hoem, 2004).Vlog uses compressed video context (Miles, 2005).
  • 26. LifelogsCapturing all or parts of a lived life from first-person perspective Most often streaming video