Blogging, in all its myriad forms, has been studied to death, most recently under the broad banner of informatics. But what about people who actually read blogs? What manner of creature are they?
Researchers from UC Irvine recently completed a study of 15 blog reading participants to examine how they consume content and interact with blogs and all those unhealthy blog writers. The study aimed to shed some some additional light on readers' online habits and experiences, and while some of the conclusions aren't all that earth shattering, there are a few interesting tidbits.
Here are some preliminary findings:
• What the hell is a blog? Apparently readers still tend to disagree about what precisely makes a blog a blog. Study participants were able to identify a number of "blog-type" characteristics, but were unable to reach a definitive definition. Some participants named technical aspects, like RSS feeds and trackback links. Others cited social aspects, including the presence of conversation or personal content. While it's not mentioned in the study, I would also add there's also seems to be growing confusion over what constitutes a news story and what is considered a blog post. Indeed, here at Wired, we're aiming to eliminate that distinction altogether.
* It's habitual, not content oriented. Ha! I'm sure Wired's editors will love this one. Researchers found that blog reading is more of a routine than anything else. Actual content often becomes secondary and visiting a given blog (although I'm sure Gadget Lab is the exception here) becomes akin to other regular daily habits, like checking e-mail or that first cup of coffee in the morning.
* It's about positioning, not timing. Researchers also concluded that the timing of a blog post is not nearly as important to readers as its position among the other entries. For instance, readers are more likely to read the most recent posts at the top of the screen (duh), and are generally less concerned with the exact age of a post (wha?). I'm not sure how much this applies to blogs that cover, you know, "breaking news," but there you go.
* Compulsion to comment. Are you a blog lurker or a prodigious commenter? Hey, it doesn't matter because researchers say all blog readers feel an innate responsibility to make insightful contributions (whether they act on it or not). This is especially true when they're confronted with quality posts. We here at the Lab can attest to the fact that even one pithy or insightful comment (and, yes, even the occasional clever flame) can inordinately brighten a blogger's day.
Study sheds new light on habits, roles of blog readers [Scienceblog.com]
