Blogs as Protected Space

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Blogs as Protected Space

• Michelle Gumbrecht
• Stanford University

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• How do blogs stack up communicatively?
• (Herring et al, 2004)
• Classified in-between websites and
  asynchronous
• CMC (e.g. email)
• Highlight limited interactivity and
• asymmetrical communication rights between
• blogger and blog reader

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Readers Comment
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Building a protected space.
Bloggers ability to control content
Media selection Limited interactivity of blogs
Bloggers ability to receive feedback
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• Ethnographic study.
• Conducted in Spring 2003 w/ Bonnie Nardi,
• Diane Schiano, and Luke Swartz
• Conversational-style interviews focusing on
• - blogging uses habits
• - thoughts on blogging
• - use of other communication media
• - future directions of blogging software
• Continued close reading of informants blogs

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• Sample.
• 23 bloggers (16 men, 7 women ages 19-60),
• some with multiple blogs
• All lived in California or New York, but
  countries
• of origin varied widely

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• Developing the sample.
• Searched Googles Stanford University portal
  (http//www.google.com/univ/stanford) for
  words blog and Weblog to create initial list
  of Stanford-hosted blogs
• Contacted a small number of bloggers we knew
  personally
• Snowballed sample by asking informants about
  other bloggers to contact

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Building a protected space.
Bloggers ability to control content
Media selection Limited interactivity of blogs
Bloggers ability to receive feedback
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• Controlling content.
• Bloggers imposed constraints on themselves by
• - Using ambiguous language and references to
  
• get message across to selected audience
  without
• being hurtful

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(No Transcript)
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• Manipulation of common ground.
• Bloggers took advantage of accumulated
• knowledge shared with family/close friends
• Acquaintances and strangers only privy to
  surface
• information
• Could maintain privacy within a public medium

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Building a protected space.
Bloggers ability to control content
Media selection Limited interactivity of blogs
Bloggers ability to receive feedback
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• Why the preference for blogs over other media?
• I feel like I can say something in the blog and
  have
• it be sort of like my safety net, you know?
  Whereas like
• in a more immediate and personal form of
  digital
• communicationI would sort of have to face
  their reaction,
• you know? Metaphorically speaking, anyway
• 
  -Max, one of our informants

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• Grounding took place indirectly
• Responses not expected immediatelyparticularly
• helpful when discussing sensitive issues
• Blog readers could choose whether or not to
• respond to posts
• If and when conflicts arose, they were
  transferred
• to other media

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Building a protected space.
Bloggers ability to control content
Media selection Limited interactivity of blogs
Bloggers ability to receive feedback
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• Importance of feedback.
• In community settings
• - valued highly
• - BUT comments didnt come automatically!
• Individualistic blogs
• - mixed reviews
• - dependent on the bloggers attitude
• community-minded vs. egocentric

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• Summary.
• Blogging has created interesting dynamics that
• set it apart from other media of communication
• Bloggers try to maintain a delicate balance
  between
• themselves and their audience with their
  content
• There is still much work to be done to learn
  about
• the blogger mentality!

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Thanks to Bonnie Nardi
Diane Schiano Luke Swartz Our informants
for this study