Day 16:

I found a really phenomenal article that provides answers to some of my essential questions and ones I hadn't even thought of yet: Writing for Friends and Family:
The Interpersonal Nature of Blogs

Michael A. Stefanone
Department of Communication
University at Buffalo

Chyng-Yang Jang
Department of Communication
University of Texas, Arlington



These researchers assert that blogging actually benefits interpersonal relationships as suggested in the following abstract of the article:
"This research explores variables related to the use of personal-journal style blogs for interpersonal goals. A random sample of bloggers completed surveys exploring how the combination of extraversion and self-disclosure affect strong tie network size, which in turn serves as motivation to use blogs as an alternative communication channel. Bloggers who exhibit both extraversion and self-disclosure traits tend to maintain larger strong-tie social networks and are more likely to appropriate blogs to support those relationships. Age, gender, and education have no relationship to network size, blog content, or the use of blogs as a relationship maintenance tool. These results contribute to the continuing discussion about the impact that the Internet and its tools are having on relationships by suggesting that, rather than promoting isolation, computer-mediated communication tools such as blogs often function to enhance existing relationships."