Blogging Communities

As the internet community evolves, traditional methods of interaction between people online are slowly changing as well. (White 2006) The online community has been narrowed down into one that revolved around blogs- a blogging community. A blogging community can be defined as a group of people that interact with each other through blogs. According to Efimova (2006), a blog can be author-centered or topic-centered.

There are many ways to create a blogging community, start with reading other peoples blogs and leaving comments. These are now akin to calling cards, and most weblog hosts require you to leave your URL. This not only brings visitors into your blog but also gives you an identity on the website. Replying to comments lets you interact with your readers. Put the “Follower” gadget in the sidebar of your blog, this allows your readers to follow and keep track of your updates.

Figure shows the model for a Blogger Centric Community. (Click for image source)

According to White (2006), there are three kinds of blogging communities. First the blogger centric community, where the blogger has the power to set the conversational topic, feedback is possible but there is no expectation of democracy as the blogger may easily remove or filter comments. Second, the central connecting topic community, where a community is formed around blogs that cover a common topic; these communities have more power compared to blogger centric communities, the existence of the community does not depend on one blog. Finally, boundaried communities where people are connected through a single site or platform with a defined boundary; a closed system that allows for a denser closer community. Take the popular fashion blog: The Cherry Blossom Girl as an example of a blogger centric community. The author, Alix has control over the community which rests on one blog with her as the central identity of the blog, if she were to close down her blog, her community would cease to exist with no other way of connecting.

Reference:

White, N 2006, ‘Blogs and Community- launching a new paradigm for online community?”, The Knowledge Tree, Edition 11, accessed 9^th September 2010,

Efimova, L. 2006, ‘Author-centred vs. topic-centred blogging’. Retrieved 4th September, 2010 from http://blog.mathemagenic.com/2006/08/14.html