“The blogosphere is the imagined public sphere, the space inhabited by all of the public digital bodies.” –Danah Boyd
In this series of posts, I want to explore the definition of “community” in blog networks. Many questions abound about how to define blog communities, or whether or not they exist. For example, a 2003 survey by the Perseus Development Company found that a significant proportion of blogs on the Web were inactive, and generated little, if any user interaction. Are blog communities defined only by activity or special interests? Are blogs that don’t receive comments or other forms of feedback not vitally contributing to the ways in which the “blogosphere” is developing? Given the sheer scope of the blogosphere, these are difficult questions to answer.
However, a closer look at these questions may reveal some important ways in which blog networks can be defined as communities. Specifically, I want to argue that blogging communities can be defined as dynamically changing groups of individuals who keep or read blogs at varying levels of participation. “Dynamic” can not only be seen in terms of participation, but also in the very medium of blogging itself. If this definition of community can be applied, it could have potent influence on the way the blogosphere will develop.
As a model to complement my research, I’ve analyzed a blog and conducted an interview with the blogger about her experiences. In June of 2007, Karen Cinpinski began blogging at playinthecity.com (PITC). PITC had previously been in existence for two years, and was originally conceptualized by visitmilwaukee.org as a tourism blog. Cinpinski writes from the perspective of “a person who has experienced [Milwaukee],” and is free to implement her own ideas, format, and content.
No comments:
Post a Comment