Denise Sevick Bortree

Presentation of self on the Web: an ethnographic study of teenage girls’ weblogs

Through their use of weblogs, teenage girls are bridging their offline and online relationships. As the girls use this medium to construct themselves and their relationships, they must address the dual nature of weblogs as a tool for interpersonal communication and mass communication. This study examines two aspects of teen girls’ blog use: (1) challenges and hazards of conducting interpersonal communication in a mass medium, and (2) self‐presentation strategies used to negotiate a dual audience. Methodology for the study included an ethnographic study of 40 weblogs, an in‐depth analysis of six weblogs and a set of 13 in‐depth interviews.

This blog brought to you by … exploring blogger perceptions of a product endorsement policy and reviews

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how a change to a US policy about product testimonials affected bloggers and to understand bloggers’ perceptions of the organization-blogger relationship (OBR). Design/methodology/approach – This study utilizes a survey (n=173) with closed and open-ended questions, and both quantitative and qualitative data are analyzed. Findings – Bloggers’ decisions to accept compensation for a review may influence how much control they feel they have over the OBR. Qualitative data indicate that even as bloggers seek access to products to review, they prefer to maintain editorial control over the review process. Research limitations/implications – The study extends the transparency literature in public relations and relationship management theory by exploring the relationship between bloggers and public relations professionals through the lens of a disclosure policy. Practical implications – Recommendations are offered for public relations professionals in how to maintai...