Twitter Diplomacy? A Content Analysis of Eight U.S. Embassies’ Twitter Feeds

In recent years, the Twitter feeds of U.S. Embassies have sparked controversies, angering American political leaders as well as local leaders and citizens. This study explores how U.S. Embassies use Twitter, to try to assess whether Twitter use might be seen as furthering the mission of the U.S. Department of State or as a “barometer” of local tensions. By examining the tweet output from four embassies on the State Department official “watch list” and four not on the list, this study reveals inconsistencies among embassies in Twitter use and between Twitter content and the State Department mission, and suggests the possibility of viewing such Twitter activity as public diplomacy

Assessing the Reporting of Reliability in Published Content Analyses: 1985–2010

Content analysis is a common research method employed in communication studies. An important part of content analysis is establishing the reliability of the coding protocol, and reporting must be detailed enough to allow for replication of methodological procedures. This study employed a content analysis of published content analysis articles (N=581) in three communication journals over a 26-year period to examine changes in reliability sampling procedures and reporting of reliability coefficients across time. Findings indicate that general improvements have been made in the detail of reporting reliability, in the practice of reporting reliability coefficients that take chance into consideration, and in the reporting of reliability coefficients for more than one variable. However, explaining the reliability sampling process and use of a probability or census reliability sample did not change over time. In recent years, the preponderance of articles did not explain the reliability sampling method or report a reliability coefficient for all key study variables, and few utilized a census or probability sampling frame. Implications are discussed and recommendations made for reporting of reliability in content analysis

Three Decades of Reliability in Communication Content Analyses: Reporting of Reliability Statistics and Coefficient Levels in Three Top Journals

This study examines reliability reporting in content analysis articles ( N = 672) in three flagship communication journals. Data from 1985 to 2014 suggest improvements in reporting across time and also identify areas for additional improvement. Data show increased reporting of chance-corrected reliability coefficients and reporting reliability for all study variables, although increases were inconsistent among journals and the most recent time period showed slight declines. In general, the most often used coefficient was Scott’s Pi; however, Krippendorff’s Alpha was most used in the latest study period. Reporting of low reliability coefficients increased but then decreased most recently. Implications and areas for improvement are discussed

Economic Importance and Trends of Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Industry

Our research provides a snapshot of the economic importance of bed and breakfasts to Minnesota’s statewide travel picture. We utilized a Qualtrics survey to collect 2015 sales, tax, and employment data from B&B locations across the state. In addition, we collected data on customer and marketing trends for the report.Carlson Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Endowment Regional Sustainable Development PartnershipsRiffe, Angela; Erkkila, Daniel; Messer, Cynthia. (2017). Economic Importance and Trends of Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Industry. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/188322

The Economic Importance and Marketing Strategies of Minnesota Bed and Breakfasts

Carlson Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Endowed Chair, University of Minnesota Tourism Center and the Southeast Regional Sustainable Development PartnershipRiffe, Angela; Erkkila, Daniel; Messer, Cynthia. (2017). The Economic Importance and Marketing Strategies of Minnesota Bed and Breakfasts. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/188979

When Journalists go "Below the Line': comment spaces at the Guardian (2006-2017)

Based on a longitudinal research design (2006–2017), this article analyses how Guardian journalists engage in “below the line” comment spaces; what factors shape this engagement; and how this has evolved over time. The article combines a large-scale quantitative analysis of the total number of comments made (n = 110,263,661) and a manual content analysis of all comments made by 26 journalists (n = 5448) and their broader writing practices with 18 semi-structured interviews conducted in two phases (13 in 2012 and 5 repeated in 2017–18). The results show that there is considerable interest in comment spaces amongst readers, with exponential growth in user commenting. Furthermore, there has been significant engagement below the line by some Guardian journalists, and this is often in the form of direct and sustained reciprocity. Journalist commenting has waned in recent years due to difficulties coping with the volume of comments; changes in editorial emphasis; concerns over incivility and abuse; and a decrease in perceived journalistic benefits of commenting, alongside the rise in importance of Twitter. When journalists comment, they do so in a variety of ways and their comments are often substantive, significantly adding to the story by, for example, defending and explaining their journalism practice

The Context of Current Content Analysis of Gender Roles: An Introduction to a Special Issue

The aim of this paper is to provide context for the quantitative content analyses of gender roles that are to be included in both parts of this special issue. First, a timeline of historical uses of the content analysis methodology is presented. Second, research objectives that frequently drive content analysis of gender roles are described; these include: to support feminist claims, to compare media with real life, to predict effects on audiences, and to detect effects of media producers on content. Third, previous content analyses published in Sex Roles and other gender-focused journals are reviewed and categorized in terms of medium, genre, time span, gender, and nationality. Finally, contributions of each of the articles in this special issue are outlined