Event:
Digital Curation Institute Symposium
November 22, 2011
4:30-6:30pm
iSchool, University Of Toronto
Abstract:
This presentation reports select findings from two descriptive studies of blogs and bloggers in the areas of history, economics, law, biology, chemistry and physics. The first study focused on scholar bloggersʼ preferences for digital preservation, as well as their publishing behaviors and blog characteristics that influence preservation action. Findings are drawn from 153 questionnaires, 24 interviews, and content analysis of 93 blogs. Briefly, questionnaire respondents are generally interested in blog preservation with a strong sense of personal responsibility. Most feel their blogs should be preserved for both personal and public access and use into the indefinite, rather than short-term, future. Over half of questionnaire respondents report saving their blog content, in whole or in part, and many interviewees expressed a sophisticated understanding of issues of digital preservation. However, the findings also indicate that bloggers exhibit behaviors and preferences complicating preservation action, including issues related to rights and use, co-producer dependencies, and content integrity.
The second study, currently on-going, looks toward the public availability of scholar blogs over-time, with findings drawn from a sample of 644 blogs. Content analysis is currently underway on inactive blogs, characterized as available, but with no new posts published within three months of coding. Initial analysis of the most recent post published to these inactive blogs shows that some bloggers did provide indicators of their respective blogʼs declining activity or, in some cases, blog stoppage. However, such indicators are only present in a clear minority of publicly available, yet inactive blogs. These preliminary findings offer implications for both personal and programmatic preservation approaches, including, notably, issues related to selection and appraisal.
1. BLOGADEMIA TODAY,
TOMORROW?
SCHOLAR BLOGGERS’ PRESERVATION
PERCEPTIONS, PREFERENCES & PRACTICES
CAROLYN.HANK@MCGILL.CA
Assistant Professor ▪ School of Information Studies
DIGITAL CURATION INSTITUTE SYMPOSIUM ▪ 22 NOV 2011 ▪ iSCHOOL ▪ TORONTO
2. BLOG
Questionnaires
Interviews
BLOGGER
Blog Analysis
03 | xx units & data sources
research questions
6. 1. PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
2. PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH
3. KNOWLEDGE OR PERSONAL BLOG
4. TIME-STAMPED POSTS
5. ACTIVELY PUBLISHED TO
6. AT LEAST 1 YEAR OLD
7. PERSONAL IDENTIFIERS (RE: AUTHORSHIP)
8. AUTHORED BY 1 OR MORE “SCHOLARS”
06 | xx blog eligibility
population
9. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How do scholars who
blog perceive their blog
in relation to their
cumulative scholarly
record?
scholarship?
10. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How do scholars who
blog perceive their blog
in relation to long-term
stewardship?
Who do they perceive
as responsible as well
as capable for blog
preservation?
stewardship?
11. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What blog characteristics
impact preservation?
What blogger behaviours
impact preservation?
preservable?
12. History| Economics | Law | BioChemPhys
(29%)
125 Single-Blogs | 63 Co-Blogs
06 | xx eligible blogs (N=644)
population
14. RR 1: QI: 63% | QII: 46% | QI/II: 52%
Completed sample:
153 respondents
Outcome rates derived from Internet surveys of specifically named persons
from the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR, 2009)
questionnaires (N=294)
16. Coded 93 blogs
Authorship Attributes
Blog Elements & Features
57 to 63 Indicators Rights & Disclaimers
Authority & Audience
(on/off blog)
Blog Publishing Activity
Post Features
Archiving
blog analysis (SR: 49.5%)
20. SERVICE
91% have
performed
at least 1 of
Journal editor/ 38% these service
associate editor activities
Manuscript/book 70%
evaluator
Journal article 79%
referee
0% 100%
BLOGGER
40. RIGHTS & USE
Copyright
Statement
(n=34)
Creative
Commons
(n=13)
%
no rights or use statements
at blog or post level
BLOG
41. DISCLAIMERS
Own
opinion
Not
responsible
Advice %
have an explicit or implicit
disclaimer-style statement
BLOG
42. COMMENT POLICY
Moderation
Tone &
language
Copyright &
licenses %
have an explicit or implicit
comment policy or guidelines
BLOG
43. EDITING
Spelling/
Grammar
Rephrasing
Incorrect Info
Published before %
ready
edit posts after publication
BLOGGER
44. … only 2 blogs included
a policy or statement
BLOG
45. DELETING
Duplicate
Post
“Post Regret”
Too sensitive or
revealing %
delete posts after publication
BLOGGER
46. SCHOLARSHIP
Public 100%
Allows use and
Scholarly exchange 94%
record
80%
Subject to
critical
review 68%
66% agree with
all three criteria
Association of Research
Libraries (1986).
Braxton, J.M., Luckey, W.,
BLOGGER & Helland, P. (2002).
60. Pretty
bad.
Devastated,
both emotionally and
professionally.
Very
sad.
SADNESS RELIEF DOUBT
ANGER C’EST LA VIE
61. I’d do something
drastic [in response].
Mad as hell.
Pretty
peeved. Angry
& upset.
SADNESS RELIEF DOUBT
ANGER C’EST LA VIE
62. I don’t have to
do it anymore. I get half an
hour of my
life back.
SADNESS RELIEF DOUBT
ANGER C’EST LA VIE
63. Probably
have a drink &
forget about it.
Not welcomed
but not tragic …
I’d get over it.
Pour another cup
of coffee & get
Drop out … back to work.
until something else
comes along.
SADNESS RELIEF DOUBT
ANGER C’EST LA VIE
64. It would take an
extreme catastrophe.
How would
that happen?
SADNESS RELIEF DOUBT
ANGER C’EST LA VIE
65. PRESERVATION PRIORITY
Works-in-
progress
Scientific & Book
Scholarly Reviews
Research Books Books
Traditional
Books Peer-
Publications
Books Reviewed Dissertations
Law review Published Publications & Theses
articles Papers Peer- Self- Class
Published Reviewed Lab Publications Blogs
Papers Publications Notebooks Select
Journal Blog Posts Filter
Pedagogical Monographs
articles Research & Tools Books Blogs
Informal Blogs
Journal Teaching Journal Publications Filter
articles materials Teaching articles Blogs Blogs
Blogs Blogs
Journal materials Blogs Blogs
Blogs Email
articles Journal Blogs
articles Journal Journal Personnel Blogs
Blogs
articles articles Communications Blogs
HIGHER LOWER
66. BLOG DELETION
%
have deleted a blog
BLOGGER PERCEPTIONS
75. 1. PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
2. PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH
3. KNOWLEDGE OR PERSONAL BLOG
4. TIME-STAMPED POSTS
5. ACTIVELY PUBLISHED TO
6. AT LEAST 1 YEAR OLD
7. PERSONAL IDENTIFIERS (RE: AUTHORSHIP)
8. AUTHORED BY 1 OR MORE “SCHOLARS”
BLOG
77. 1. PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
2. PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH
3. KNOWLEDGE OR PERSONAL BLOG
4. TIME-STAMPED POSTS
5. ACTIVELY PUBLISHED TO
6. AT LEAST 1 YEAR OLD
7. PERSONAL IDENTIFIERS (RE: AUTHORSHIP)
8. AUTHORED BY 1 OR MORE “SCHOLARS”
BLOG
79. AS OF FRIDAY …
THE BIBLIOBLOGOSPHERE
A Comparison of Communication
and Preservation Perceptions and
Practices between Blogging
LIS Scholar-Practitioners and
LIS Scholar-Researchers
Awarded 2012 OCLC/ALISE LIS Research Grant
(Co-PI: Dr. Cassidy Sugimoto, Indiana-Bloomington)
80. OTHER WORK …
SIGNIFICANT PROPERTIES OF BLOGS
TWITTER & BLOGS & GARVEY &
GRIFFITH
PERSONAL BLOG ARCHIVING
INVENTORY
BLOGFOREVER (http://blogforever.eu/)