Conceptual model of continuance intention to use of the Islamic blog / Mohd Nurul Hafiz Ibrahim, Mohd Sazili Mohd Shahibi and Mohamad Noorman Masrek.

The purpose of this paper is to offer greater insight in the role of content-related factor in the continuance used of the Islamic weblogs as the source of Islamic teachings and practices. Information System (IS) continuance intention Model is being employed as a conceptual tool to re-interpret the existing evidence of the continuance used of the weblogs. Additional elements including credibility, reliability and objectivity are being included to further clarify the role of content-related factor in determining the continued used of the weblogs. The analysis demonstrated that people tend to revisit the weblogs with reliable and credible information. The paper presents the importance of content in terms of credibility, objectivity, and reliability in encouraging people to continue use the Islamic weblogs in disseminating the Islamic information and knowledge significantly influences the people’s intention to revisit the weblogs in future

The use of blogs as social media tools of political communication : citizen journalism and public opinion 2.0

In recent years, the political arena has been transformed into a space of public debate, a phenomenon which is both evident, yet hitherto unparalleled. A new range of digital social communication tools framed within the Web 2.0 era, with the blog often proving the tool of choice, has displaced the traditional pre-eminence of the communication scenario, as previously used by the mass media, thanks to a series of more interactive, diverse and credible dynamics which place the user at the very heart of the political discussion process and facilitates processes of social mobilization and collective civic action. This study takes the above situation as its point of departure and guiding principle to propose and define political blogs as a new means of creating information and opinion, and communicating and occasioning effective influence in public agenda-setting. This theoretical work undertakes a detailed critical analysis of the potential of these tools and explains the extent to which they should be considered appropriate platforms for the communication and discussion of public issues. Moreover, it will also consider their engagement in a new, more open form of citizen journalism, free of the bias and pressures exerted by large media corporations, thus creating a digital public sphere with far greater capacity and agency for change

Congressional Communications with Constituents through the use of Web 2.0 Technologies

This paper examines the myriad ways members of Congress are already using Web 2.0 to both inform and be informed by their constituents. First, it presents a history of other communications media Congress has used since its inception. Next, the paper tries to define the nebulous concept of Web 2.0, taking a holistic view of the technical aspects and the ethos behind it. Finally it looks at the web sites of individual members of Congress to analyze different implementations of Web 2.0 features. Technologies examined include video publishing, blogging, micro-blogging, content syndication, social networking software, social news sharing, polls, podcasting, and widgets. Overall, while some Congresspersons have fully embraced Web 2.0, others are still just scratching the surface of this new technology