An Exploratory Study on how Weblog Technologies fit Virtual Community Members\u27 Social Needs

Initially perceived to be a medium for amateur journalists and other individuals to share their knowledge, weblog appear to suddenly merge into the community building tool of choice for young people. This study explores this new use of weblog and how technology creates this new wave of social community by fulfilling the bloggers’ needs

Toward a Cultural Phenomenon of Blogging--The Impacts of Individualism-Collectivism and Self-efficacy

Blogging is a form of social communication that facilitates human interaction. The cultural orientations of individualism and collectivism, which relate to basic beliefs about human relationships and interactions, should be determinants of blogging. This study explores the impacts of individualism-collectivism orientation on perceived self-efficacy in blogging, along with blogging and attitudes toward blogging. The results from an online survey of bloggers show that peoples\u27 cultural orientation of individualism-collectivism affects blogging through the mediation of perceived self-efficacy. Additionally, while self-reliance and the supremacy of individual goals increase blogging, competitiveness, solitary work preference, and the supremacy of individual interests decreases it. These results may suggest that a new cultural value is emerging among bloggers who wish to reap the benefits of the cyberworld

THE EFFECTS OF CHARACTERISTICS OF CORPORATE BLOG ON TOURISTS’ LODGING INTENTION: AN EXAMPLE OF BED AND BREAKFAST

Tourists may rely on external information to make various decisions. By understanding the relation between information source characteristics and decision making, tourist operators can improve their communication performance and marketing efforts. Some businesses use corporate blog as a communication platform to engage their customers with the companies. Researches about the causal relationship between corporate blog and business marketing performance, yet, are scant. A theoretical model was built based on a set of distinct characteristics of corporate blogs identified from existing literature. A questionnaire survey was conducted to test this model. Based on 143 samples collected, this study found that vividness, interactivity of the blogs impact B&Bs’ lodging intention via the mediation of the sense of intimacy; and that direction of product reviews posted in the blogs directly impacts the lodging intention. Finally, managerial and academic implications are offered

Emerging Pedagogies In The Middle East: Enhancing Student Autonomy Using Weblogs (Blogs)

Students in the Middle East have typically been taught English following traditional, rote learning methods. There has been little time, or little room, within the set curriculum for teachers to enrich their students’ learning experience. However, especially in the UAE, reforms are being implemented to change the way English is being taught. This paper illustrates how student autonomy can be fostered through the use of an on-line web application. The authors argue that weblogs (blogs), which allow students to publish their work on-line and allow for others to comment on the published work, support a new approach to teaching writing. Feedback from a group of students involved in a small study at the Higher Colleges of Technology support the authors’ claims

Consumer motivations for social media usage and its impact on customers' trust and long-term relationships

New challenges and opportunities have recently arisen for companies’ relationships with customers as a result of the increasing prevalence of social media. By enabling companies to build online communities, social media allow marketers to access information about consumers, identify consumers’ needs, and gain direct consumer feedback. Thus, social media can be a very important and helpful tool for interacting and communicating with customers. In order to sustain such relationships for the long term, however, efforts must be centred around building consumer trust and commitment.This study investigates the role of social media based communities in building relationships with consumers, and the influence of such communities on consumers’ attitudes and behaviours. Specifically, the study investigates whether such influences can lead to trust, commitment, and loyalty towards the organisation. Drawing on Uses and Gratification Theory, Consumption Values Theory, and the Commitment-Trust Theory, the study examines the relationship between consumers using social media channels, trusting these channels, and trusting the organisation that owns these channels.Adopting a positivist deductive approach, quantitative data was collected via a survey strategy. A questionnaire targeting telecommunications company fan pages users in Saudi Arabia was distributed through Twitter and Facebook with help from people who have many followers/likes such as celebrities. More than 700 responses were collected, of which 522 were usable for factor analysis.Based on the results, a cognitive behavioural model was established in relation to social media uses and gratifications, perceived values of social media fan pages, organisational trust, commitment, and loyalty. Users who perceived utilitarian benefits from following a company’s fan pages were likely to trust these pages, whereas perceived hedonic and social benefits did not have an influence on trust towards organization’s fan pages. The findings additionally indicated that consumers who trusted the organization’s fan pages were likely to trust the company. Therefore, telecommunication companies’ fan page users who perceived trust were expected to be committed and loyal to the company, which would consequently, lead to more frequent and larger purchases. The findings contribute to marketing theory and suggest ways in which marketers can tailor companies’ web presence for more effective communication and relationship-building with customers

Online political communication: the impact of the internet on MPs 1994-2005

Existing research on MPs using the Internet (Halstead 2000, Perrone 2002, Ward and Gibson 2003, Jackson 2003, Ward and Lusoli 2005, Ward et al. 2005, Jackson 2005, Auty 2005, Jackson 2006b) has tended to be too reliant on content analysis; restricted to one part of the Internet, and involved limited research on the views of actual users of an MP.s online presence their views of it. This thesis seeks to identify the impact of the Internet on MPs through: their campaigning abilities; the impact on their role as representatives and how MPs communicate. The research triangulates data on the impact of websites, email, e-newsletters and weblogs through content analysis, questionnaires and interviews. The data collated has helped develop a theoretical understanding of how MPs campaign, represent and communicate. First, there is evidence that e-newsletters can be used as effective vote- winners by encouraging constituents to switch votes. This „incumbency effect. (Krasno 1994) suggests that existing research (Curtice and Steed 1997, Butler and Collins 2001) has under-estimated the effect of a personal vote (Cain et al. 1987). Second, websites and e-newsletters are helping MPs develop a new representative role, by providing an „information portal. which encourages local participation. Third, there is evidence that we are on the threshold of a new model of e-representation. MPs. use of e-newsletters appears to be developing a parallel of e-constituency which enhances the relationship geographical constituents have with their MP. At the same time, weblogs are creating a separate e-constituency whose online link to an MP is based on interest not geography. Fourth,a typology has been created for explaining how MPs use the Internet, with four different characteristics:technophobes; bandwagoners; mapie; and pioneers. The Internet is creating a new architecture of representation with both a territorial axis, and an issue axis accessible from the computer keyboard

Understanding Blogging Motivations in Palliative Care Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

The pervasive use and potential of weblogs has increased the field of social health informatics and is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. The prevalence of these technologies for narrative use brings about the fusion of diverse schools of thought on motivation. One proven model is that of Maslow, whose theory of needs has an intuitive appeal in understanding bloggers’ needs and motivations. This paper considers theoretical and practical blogging experiences for palliative care users through the embracement of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Palliative care patients, carers and clinicians were interviewed about their weblogs and data qualitatively analysed. The results indicate that the experience of maintaining a weblog is therapeutic for individuals and fulfils needs hierarchically from the lowest to the highest as outlined in Maslow’s theory

Offering Hope and Making Attributions through YouTube: An Exploratory Ethnographic Content Analysis of the Social Change-Oriented “It Gets Better Project”

In response to multiple youth suicides, Dan Savage and Terry Miller founded a YouTube channel that later became the It Gets Better Project (IGBP). The ever-growing corpus of IGBP videos now includes over 50,000 “messages of hope” targeting at-risk LGBTQ and questioning youth. Employing Ethnographic Content Analysis (ECA) and the theoretical lens of attribution, this study offers insight into how LGBTQ bullying and harassment are discussed in the IGBP and to what they are internally and externally attributed. Findings revealed external attributions were more prevalent than internal attributions pertaining to types of harassment and bullying experienced as well as explanations of how “it gets better,” with a focus on institutions as both the cause of and remedy for bullying and harassment