Date of Award
2010
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Management Science (MMSc)
Department
Ted Rogers School of Information Technology Management
First Advisor
Ozgur Turetken
Abstract
Through interviews and a survey, this thesis examines blog reading along several dimensions, including motivations for reading weblogs, audience interaction with the weblog format, and the use of tools to find and keep track of blogs. It proposes a typology of 'audience activity' based on the structural features of the weblog format, which includes the navigation of, contribution to, and promotion of blog content. It identifies reading behaviours, impediments to audience activities, and the ways that readers judge the credibility of blogs. This research serves to inform the design of tools that interface with the blogosphere, and it provides a foundation to help software developers to harness different types of audience activity.
Recommended Citation
Kershaw, Stephen Jay, "The active audience of the weblog format" (2010). Theses and dissertations. Paper 742.
http://digitalcommons.ryerson.ca/dissertations/742