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To AVOID FINES return on or before date due. MAY BE RECALLED with earlier due date if requested. DATE DUE DATE DUE DATE DUE JUL"; 3 3 21011 5/08 K;IProj/Acc8PreleIRC/DaIeDue.indd COLLEGE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF CREDIBILITY OF BLOGS AND TRADITIONAL MEDIA AS A FUNCTION OF THEIR BLOG USAGE BY J ih-Hsuan Lin A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements ' of the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Journalism 2007 ABSTRACT COLLEGE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF CREDIBILITY OF BLOGS AND TRADITIONAL MEDIA AS A FUNCTION OF THEIR BLOG USAGE By Jih-Hsuan Lin The thesis surveyed 830 Michigan State University students who enrolled in 7 introductory classes in Communication College about their habits using blogs and other media. The survey asked students how they perceive the credibility of blogs and traditional media from contents, presenting forms, and their participation degree. The result showed that the traditional concept of blogs has changed. Because of the variety of blog topics and the freedom to participate in blogs, college students view blogs as having many functions and use blogs for different reasons. Time and participation degree college students spent on blogs were not positively correlated to their perceived blog credibility. Content more than distribute system is related to credibility. Using more than one presentation form in blog content made college students most likely to trust the information. College students use lots of different types of online and non-online media. The study result led to basic questions, what is a blog and what do blogs mean for college students? Copyright by JIH-HSUAN LIN 2007 ACKNOWLEGEMENTS I would like to thank Professor Steve Lacy, my thesis committee chairman, for all the help. I could never have finished this thesis without Professor Lacy’s guidance. I learned how to design a research project, develop a survey, and analyze data. The most important lesson Professor Lacy taught me was the spirit of doing research—being patient and careful. His encouragement and suggestions always shed light on my vague concepts. I would also like to thank Professor Lucinda Davenport and Professor Nichole Ellison, my thesis committee members, for refining my survey measurements as well as providing a great discussion in my thesis defense. In addition, I would like to thank Professor Clifford Lampe, Constantinos Coursaris, Howard Bossen, Kimmerly Piper-Aiken, Steve Edward, Stephen Lacy, Tim Levine, and Wei Peng for letting me survey their students. Special thanks to Wei-Wen and Alex Abbott for suggestions on this thesis. Last but not least, my family for all the support and encouragement. I really appreciate the chance to come to Michigan State University to do my thesis. It has been a wonderful learning experience. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................. 3 Blog Credibility ............................................................................... 3 Traditional Media Use and Blog Credibility ............................................... 5 Internet Use and Blog Credibility ........................................................... 7 Content and Credibility ..................................................................... 10 Teen Bloggers ................................................................................. 13 Blogs and Demographics .................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 2 HYPOTHESES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................ 15 CHAPTER 3 METHOD ........................................................................................... 22 Sampling Procedures ......................................................................... 23 Data Collection ........................................................................................................ 23 Measurement ............................................................................................................ 24 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS ........................................................................................... 28 Perceptions of Credibility ................................................................. 28 Preceived Credibility and Blog Presentation Forms ................................... 38 College Students’ Blog Participation .................................................... 43 College students who own blogs .......................................... 45 Read other people’s blogs .................................................. 49 Post comments on other peopls’ blogs .................................... 58 Relationships of College Students’ Time Spent on Blogs and Other Media ....... 61 Relationships of College Students’ Perceived Credibility between Blogs and Other Media ......................................................................................... 69 Factors that Correlate to College Students’ Perceived Credibility ................... 77 How Students View Blogs ................................................................ 82 Blogs and Journalism ...................................................... 82 College Students’ Other Thoughts of Blogs ............................ 89 CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION ....................................................................................... 95 Limitations ................................................................................ l 02 CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION ................................................................................... 102 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... 109 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 121 vi LIST OF TABLES TABLE I- CORRELATIONS OF TIME SPENT ON BLOGS AND PERCEPTIONS OF BLOG CREDIBILITY COMPARED TO OTHER MEDIA ........................... 31 TABLE 2- CORRELATIONS OF HOW OFTEN STUDENTS UPDATE THEIR OWN BLOGS AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF BLOG CREDIBILITY COMPARED TO OTHER MEDIA .................................................................................. 34 TABLE 3- CORRELATIONS OF HOW OFTEN STUDENTS READ OTHER PEOPLE’S BLOGS AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF BLOG CREDIBILITY COMPARED TO OTHER MEDIA ............................................................. 35 TABLE 4- CORRELATIONS OF HOW OFTEN STUDENTS POSTED ON OTHER PEOPLE’S BLOGS AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF BLOG CREDIBILITY COMPARED TO OTHER MEDIA .............................................................. 36 TABLE 5- PERCEIVED CREDIBILITY TOWARD DIFFERENT BLOG PRESENTING FORMS ........................................................................... 40 TABLE 6- COMPARE BLOG PRESENTING FORM CREDIBILITY MEAN SCORE STUDENTS WHO OWN BLOGS VERSUS STUDENTS WHO DON’T OWN BLOGS .............................................................................................. 41 TABLE 7- COMPARE BLOG PRESENTING FORM CREDIBILITY MEAN SCORE BETWEEN STUDENTS WHO READ BLOGS VERSUS STUDENTS WHO DON’T READ BLOG ....................................................................................... 43 TABLE 8- STUDNETS’ MAJORS .............................................................. 44 TABLE 9- TOPICS DISCUSSED IN STUDETS’ OWN BLOGS .......................... 46 TABLE 10- REASONS COLLEGE STUDENTS HAVE BLOGS ................................ 48 vii TABLE 11- BLOG TOPICS COLLEGE STUDENTS READ .............................. 50 TABLE 12- REASONS COLLEGE STUDENTS READ OTHER PEOPLE’S BLOGS ............................................................................................................................ 52 TABLE 13- BLOG TOPICS COLLEGE STUDENTS POSTED IN OTHER PEOPLE’S BLOGS ................................................................................................... 59 TABLE 14- REASONS COLLEGE STUDENTS POSTED IN OTHER PEOPLE’S BLOGS ............................................................................................. 61 TABLE 15- CORRELATIONS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS’ TIME SPENT ON DIFFERENT MEDIA ............................................................................. 64 TABLE 16- COLLEGE STUDENTS’ PERCEIVED CREDIBILITY OF DIFFERENT MEDIA ............................................................................................. 70 TABLE 17- CORRELATIONS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS’ PERCEIVED CREDIBILITY TOWARD DIFFERENT MEDIA ............................................ 72 TABLE 18- FACTORS THAT AFFECT STUDENTS’ PERCEIVED BLOG CREDIBILITY .................................................................................... 79 TABLE 19- COLLEGE STUDENTS’ THOGHTS OF VIEWING BLOGS AS A FORM OF JOURNALISM ................................................................................ 83 viii Introduction The Internet, as a many-to-many media model, allows people to publish articles, links, and commentaries on a blog to a large public. The interconnected users may examine these posts and instantly respond in support or, conversely, disagree with the claims by posting a response. Because blog participation is growing (Lee, 2005), it is interesting to study the relationship between audiences’ blog usages and their perceptions of the credibility of blogs and other traditional media. Would the audiences’ perceptions of the credibility of blogs be affected by their degree of blog usage? If they perceive blogs as credible, would this affect their perceptions of credibility toward other traditional media? Would factors such as the accuracy and perceived biases affect audiences’ perceptions of credibility of blogs as they do the credibility of print media (The American Society of Newspaper Editors [ASNE], 1999)? Would there be differences between the factors that affect newspaper and blog credibility? Marketingterms.com(2006) indicated that a blog is “a frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links.” Palser (2002) defined blogs as “online journals consisting of brief entries displayed in chronological order on a page, and they are usually (but not always) written in a conversational voice and usually (but not always) peppered with links and references to other sites” (p.58). The Associated Press Stylebook (2005) explained that the blog means a Web log or a Web journal. The Economist (2006) traced back the origin of the word “blog”: The word "blog" appeared to date back to 1997, when one of the few practitioners at the time, Jorn Barger, called his site a “weblog.” In 1999, another user, Peter Merholz, playfully broke the word into “we blog,” and somehow the new term--blog--stuck as both a verb and a noun. Technically, it means a web page to which its owner regularly adds new entries, or “posts,” which tend to be (but need not be) short and often contain hyperlinks to other blogs or websites. Besides text and hypertext, posts can also contain pictures ("photoblogs") and video ("vlogs"). Each post is stored on its own distinct archive a e, the so-called " ermalink," where it can P 8 P always be found. On average, Technorati tracks some 50,000 new posts an hour. (p.5) What, then, is a blog? It runs online journal—style articles to record, illustrate, or comment and is archived into chronological or categorical orders. It is characterized by its real-time interaction conversation, and several hyperlinks embedded to other blogs or sites. Blogs are presented not only in text forms, but also in graphs, photographs, audios, and videos. No matter if they are open to the public or not, blogs have unlimited potential to convey and communicate anywhere on the Internet. The purpose of this study is to understand how college students view blogs and how they participate in blogs. The study examined the variables affecting blog credibility such as the content types, presentation forms, accuracy, believability, depth, and fairness of blogs. The study also inspected the relationship between college students’ time using in blogs and their perceptions of credibility of blogs compared to other media. Moreover, it compared college students’ perceptions of credibility toward blogs and other media. The study also tried to apply the factors that affect newspaper credibility to blogs’ credibility. Literature Review Blog Credibility Blogs continue to grow and seek their positions among the media. Eight million American adults said they have created blogs; blog readership jumped 58% in 2004 and stood at 27% of lntemet users in 2005 (Lee, 2005). ComScore Networks reported that 50 million Internet users visited blogs during the first quarter of 2005, which was 30% of the people in the United States. A February 2005 Gallup Poll showed that 7 % of adults in America said they read blogs at least several times a week. Anyone can create a blog, and bloggers are not bound by ethical and professional standards of trained journalists. Indeed, a leading blogger, Sean-Paul Kelley of the Agonist, was accused of plagiarizing from Statfor, an Austin, Tex.-based private intelligence firm (Webb, 2003). Similarly, bloggers are not bound by standards of objectivity; most have strong views that they express openly. As Instapundit blogger Glenn Reynolds (2003) said, “A blog is one long disclosure of prejudices.” Blogs do not undergo gatekeeping or editing to cull misinformation, sharpen prose, and ensure that it is written fairly. Finally, many bloggers use pseudonyms such as Lala, Hotguy, or Yankeefan, making it difficult to judge the sources and the credibility of the information on their sites. Blogs do rely, however, on other bloggers or audiences to point out mistakes that can be easily and prominently corrected. Users may find blogs more reliable because they are independent rather than controlled by advertisings or corporate interests (Johnson & Kaye, 2004). Bloggers may discuss issues traditional media avoid because those issus might hurt corporations and the relationship between traditional media and corporations (Cristol, 2002). In addition, bloggers use various links or citations from news sources or academic references to strengthen the credibility of their blogs and assist the logical analysis. Bloggers also use different forms to present their thoughts or experiences such as text, photos, graphics, videos, and audios. Bloggers enjoy the flexible way to communicate and some bloggers started to seek their standings to build their credibility among media. Blogs represent the notable characteristic of interaction and collected power in Web 2.0 generation, “the network as platform, spanning all connected devices” (O'Reilly, 2005). The collected voices from bloggers made blogs emerge from the many media. Credibility enables audiences to trust the information, and it is a goal for the vast majority of news media. Blogs’ independence from advertising and business corporations give them unique positions. Blogs’ direct communication enables users to express their thoughts as well as reading opinions from the “grassroots” of political participation. Because of these unique characteristics and the different communication style, understanding users’ perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media is necessary. We can find out how people perceive blogs and how they use blogs to communicate. In addition, factors which establish or affect blog credibility can shed light on the definitions and standards of blogs. Furthermore, understanding bloggers’ motives is also helpful to understand the whole blogsphere. I will discuss blog credibility from the following aspects. Traditional Media Use and Blog Credibility While studies of traditional media suggest that factual errors lower credibility (ASNE, 1999), some bloggers and blog readers tend to see blogs as a new and better journalism that is opinionated, independent, and personal (Palser, 2005; Reynolds, 2003). Bhatia (2006), who started Hotmail said, “Journalism won't be a sermon any more, it will be a conversation.” Some blogs contain thoughtful analysis of the news events missing from mainstream media. Bloggers and readers criticize the media, and sites such as talkingpointsmemo.com, buzzmachine.com, and asmallvictory.net are devoted to critiquing media coverage. Bloggers and readers routinely fact check stories in traditional media and gleefully point out errors (Ragen, 2003). In addition, some bloggers pay attention to traditional media so they can be critics of the media. They also analyze and express their opinions based on current news. Bloggers use the traditional media more than the people who do not use blogs (Hargrove & Stempel III, 2007). Furthermore, bloggers often try to lend authority to their sites by providing links to traditional media sites (Johnson & Kaye, 2004). Based on the survey of 233 bloggers conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (2006), bloggers got news from different media. They got news from newspapers, televisions, magazines, radios, and online sites. The total number of bloggers who got news from online currently was the highest, which was 95 people compared to the 83 who used newspapers, 86 who watched televisions, 66 who read magazines, and 76 who listened to radios. The number of bloggers who got news from online increased from 5] people in June 2004, 53 in January 2006, to 95 in June 2006. An interesting result showed that 47 out of 220 bloggers who got news from lntemet got that news from blogs. However, there were 52 out of 220 bloggers who got news from the lntemet but never got news from blogs (Princeton Survey Research Associates International, 2006). The study showed that bloggers find news from tradition media as well as online sources. Although there were bloggers who never sought news from blogs, the trend of finding news from blogs was growing. The study also showed that 34% of 233 bloggers considered their blogs a form of journalism, while 65% of 233 bloggers didn’t view their blogs as a form of journalism. Hargrove and Stempel (2007) concluded that at the time of their study blogs were no threat to the mainline media news, such as newspapers, radio news, local television news, and network television news. These traditional media were used to get news information by five or six times as many people as those who used blogs to get news information. Internet Use and Blog Credibility Studies (Fischoff, Lotto, & Agamyan, 1994; Robinson & Kohut, 1988) of traditional media suggest that the more people relied on the media for news and information, the more likely they would perceive that the news and information as credible. Similarly, studies that examined Web credibility also found that the more people went online, the more credible they rated the information they found. Greer (2003) discovered that the amount of time online was the strongest predictor of whether an online medium would be judged as credible. Johnson and Kaye (2002) found that the best predictor of online credibility was reliance on traditional media. They also thought blog users were heavy lntemet users, were likely to be media literate, and would know what sources to trust and not trust. Two years later, Johnson and Kaye (2004) found that the only predictor of blog credibility was reliance on blogs for information. F lanagin & Metzger (2000) conducted a study that found respondents considered lntemet information to be as credible as the information obtained from television, radio, and magazines, but not as credible as newspaper information. The study also indicated that the users’ experiences with the Internet will influence their perceptions of credibility. More studies compared the credibility of blogs, other traditional media, and online media sources among blog users. Johnson and Kaye (2004) explored the degree to which reliance on blogs as well as traditional and online media sources predicted the credibility of blogs after controlling for demographic and political factors among mainly political and news bloggers. The research found that blog users judged blogs as highly credible—more credible than traditional sources. At the same time, they did rate the traditional sources as moderately credible. Moreover, blog users rated blogs higher on depth of information than they did on fairness. The study also concluded that blog reliance was the only predictor of blog credibility. This study only focused on blog users and used the purposive snowball sampling. Among the 3,747 respondents, 89.3% were white and 76.5% were male. In addition, 92% reported their education levels were some college and higher, and 41.8% earning more than $65,001 per year. If we look more carefully into the data, we find that there are no major differences between the credibility toward blogs and toward other traditional sources. However, the study found that blog users have high commitments to blogs, and they rated the blogs as the highest credible media to get information. In addition to the compared perceived credibility between blogs and other media, other studies looked at the reasons users get information online. The Study conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International ([PSRAI], 2006) showed that 42% of 220 bloggers think that getting news and information online is more convenient for them, 28% think they can get a wider range of viewpoints on the Web, 9% think they can get more in-depth information online, and 18% choose the combination of above IWO. In another study, Gunther (1992) said that media credibility is less a result of audience responses to media institutions and personalities and more a result of audience responses to specific content. Specifically, Gunther found that greater involvement with media content, characterized by information considered more personally relevant and consequential, elicits a higher degree of skepticism than less involving content, at least for news information. Using social judgment theory and the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion, Gunther showed that the greater involvement with the message, the wider latitude of rejection and the more cognitive elaboration of the message the people will have. It is because the more personal concern motivates people to “seek correct information and opinions.” Content and Credibility Some observers (Palser, 2005; Reynolds, 2003) compared the bloggers and journalists to see whether bloggers might push the big media to better reporting. Gillmor (2004) said blogs give people voice, and blogs started a new era where everyone can join the media. Since more and more people view this new use of the lntemet as a mass medium, it is interesting to realize how audiences perceive the credibility of traditional media. Past studies about the credibility of TV and newspaper news indicated that the content of the news affected audiences’ perceived credibility (Abel & Wirth, 1977; ASNE, 1999; Howell, 1999; Lee, 1978; Meyer, 1988; Rimmer & Weaver, 1987; Singletary & Lipsky, 1977). ASNE (1999) found that the press and the public saw many problems in journalism credibility, such as factual errors, grammar errors, biases of the stories, sensational stories coverage, lower degree to double-check and protect privacy, being the subjects of the stories, etc. These factors decrease people’s levels of trust in the newspapers. In other words, the credibility of newspapers will be affected by the above problems. A recent study reached an interesting conclusion about the behavior of bloggers (Lenhart & Fox, 2006). Thirty-four percent of bloggers self-defined themselves as journalists. Thirty-five percent of bloggers said they “often” spend extra time verifying facts included in a posting and including links to original source material that has been cited or in some way used in a post. Twenty-two percent said that they “sometimes” engage in these practices on their blogs. Furthermore, about 15% of bloggers said they quote people or other media directly on their blogs “often,” and another 12% said they often seek permissions before posting copyrighted material to their blogs. Conversely, more than two in five bloggers said they “never” quote sources from other media directly on their blogs. Only 1 1% of bloggers often post corrections on their blogs. Because many bloggers consider themselves to be journalists, in makes sense to ask if factors that affect newspaper credibility apply to blogs. This is especially true because blogs’ content varies greatly, and bloggers use different forms to post such as texts, pictures, audios, and videos. Nearly 49% of bloggers said they have posted images other than photos on their blogs — items such as drawings, graphs or clip art (Lenhart & Fox, 2006). Close to 30% of bloggers had posted audio files to their blogs, and another 15% vedio-blogged (vlogged), or posted video files, on their blogs. Bloggers who have more than one blog, bloggers who contribute to group blogs, and bloggers who report working on their blogs three or more hours a week are more likely than other bloggers to post audio and video files to their sites, as well as drawings, graphs or clip art. Often, many bloggers thought that text with pictures or videos have higher credibility than only texts. In addition, different styles of content might result in different degrees of credibility such as personal blogs, political blogs and entertainment blogs. PSRAI’s (2006) study revealed a trend of bloggers posting non-text content. Eighty percent of 233 bloggers posted texts on their blogs, 72% of 233 bloggers posted photos, 30% of bloggers posted audio files, 49% of bloggers have ever posted images other than photos, and 15% of bloggers post video files on their blogs. 12 The main topics of 233 bloggers’ blogs varied, but most were their personal lives and experiences (PSRAI, 2006). Thirty-seven percent of 233 bloggers said that their lives and personal experiences were their blogs’ main topic, 11% were politics and government, 7% were entertainment, 6% were sports, and other different kinds of topics. Forty-three percent of 233 bloggers used their own names while 55% of bloggers used pseudonyms and made-up names. Forty-three percent of 233 bloggers had fewer than 10 links on their blog rolls and lists, 29% of bloggers had 10-49 links, and 18% of bloggers put more than 50 links on their blog roll and lists. In addition, 8% of 233 bloggers had started to make money through their blogs. Bloggers also have various reasons to blog. Seventy-seven bloggers totally agreed that blogging allows them to express themselves creatively; 76 bloggers said that blogging documents their personal experiences and share them with others; about 60 bloggers said blogging motivate other people to act, can entertain people, can share skills 'to others, and can get in touch with friends (PSRAI, 2006). Teen Bloggers Researchers started to find out how teenagers whose ages are 12 to 17 use the lntemet to share and create their own media creations and show their interactive capabilities (Lenhart & Madden, 2005). The study called these teenagers “content creators.” It 13 indicated that fully half of all teens and 57% of teens who used the lntemet could be considered “content creators.” These teens had created blogs or Web pages along with other kinds of contents such as original artwork, photography, stories, or videos. They even remixed existed online content into their own new creations. Sharing self—authored content and working on Web pages for others were the most popular content creating activates of teens. The study (Lenhart & Madden, 2005) explained that teens were much more likely than adults to blog and they were also more likely to read blogs. Nineteen percent of online youth have created their own blogs. Thirty-eight percent of all online teens, or about 8 million young people said they read blogs. As being adults, only 7% of adult lntemet users said they have created their own blogs and 27% of online adults said they read blogs. Teens who are frequent online users are more than twice as likely to blog. The study showed that 27% of daily users had their own blogs, compared with 11% of those who go online several times a week, and 10% of those who go online less often. Teen bloggers are savvy at technology and are also heavy lntemet users. They are more likely than non-bloggers to get news online, use instant messages, or shop online as everyday online activities, but bloggers are far ahead of non-bloogers to create and share activities online. (Lenhart & Madden, 2005). I4 Blogs and Demographics Johnson and Kaye (2004) found that demographics proved to be the strongest predictor of credibility in a study of how online experience influenced credibility judgments. Lenhart and Madden (2005) studied how teens blog and found that older girls lead the blogging activity among teens. The study showed that older girls age 15 to 17 were the ' most likely to blog; 25% of online girls in this age group keep a blog, compared with 15% of older online boys. About 18% of younger teens of both sexes blog. Teen bloggers were also savvy at technology that they help adults to have their own computers at home and to be able to use those in private spaces. Hypotheses and Research Questions Research showed how teenagers who were younger than 18 participated in blogs as online “content creators.” We also have seen the study of how bloggers who were older than 18 participated in blogs. However, no research studies specifically targeted college students, a unique population that takes advantage of lntemet to network. College students have a rich environment to view different media and have plenty of sources to get the information they need. Studying how college students participate in blogs will help us to know how they perceive and rate the credibility of different media. Will the factors that affect newspapers’ credibility also affect blogs’ credibility? What are their l5 concepts and definitions of blogs? How do they participate in blogs and what are the reasons to motivate them to use or not? Johnson and Kaye (2004) measured blog users’ perceived credibility toward blogs and other media. The study used a purposive snowball sampling technique, and the survey was linked from 131 blogs and 114 blog-oriented bulletin boards. The survey represented 3,747 respondents who were all blog users. In addition, 93% of the respondents were white and 76.5% were male. In addition, 92% of the respondents reported their education levels were some college and higher, and 41.8% earning more than $65,001 per year. Previous studies (Rainie, 2005; PSRAI, 2006) focused on what bloggers do and the content of their blogs. Overall, Greer (2003) discovered that amount of time online was the strongest predictor of whether an online content would be judged as credible. Johnson and Kaye (2004) also indicated that the credibility of a medium or source of information is strongly related to reliance on a source. Unlike previous studies, this thesis focused on college students with different levels of participating with blogs to study blog credibility. How do those students who never use blogs view blog credibility? Are there differences of perceived credibility between those who use blogs and those who don’t? In addition, the thesis studied the relationships of perceived credibility and students’ different degrees of participation in blogs instead of Johnson and Kaye’s study of Web reliance (2004). This thesis also inspected the relationship between college students’ time using in blogs and their perceptions of credibility of blogs compared to other media. This thesis targeted college students’ perceived credibility toward many elements of blogs such as the content types, presentation forms, accuracy, believability, depth, and fairness regardless of whether they blogged or not. What factors would affect blog credibility? In addition, what reasons motivated college students participating in blogs? The study also looked at the relationship between college students’ time spent with blogs and other media. Moreover, it compared college students’ perceptions of credibility toward blogs and other media and tried to apply the factors that affect newspaper credibility to blogs. Furthermore, this thesis examines the relationship between the time spent in blogs and their perceptions of the credibility of blogs and other media. The thesis also studied the correlation between the degrees of blog participation by college students and their perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media. The research suggested the following hypotheses: l. The time college students spent participating in blogs will have a positive correlation with their perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media. 17 Greer (2003) discovered that amount of time online was the strongest predictor of whether an online content would be judged credible. Based on this research, the study hypothesized that the more time per day college students spend in blogs, the more likely they believe that blogs are as credible as newspapers, televisions, magazines, radios, and other online sites such as Youtube. UMBC Ebiquity Research (2006) showed that there are four kinds of blogs for public—political, gossip, mom, and music. The UMBC study broke readers into the above four readers, and “mom” indicates readers who are moms. This thesis used four kinds of content for college students, news-oriented, entertainment, sports, and fashion blogs. The study used five media, blog, newspaper, TV, radio, and magazine to compare the credibility of these four contents. The study also compared the credibility of four content of blog and the credibility of other online sites. 2. The degree of college students’ participation with blogs will have a positive correlation with their perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media. Johnson and Kaye (2004) indicated that the credibility of a medium or source of information is strongly related to reliance on a source. This thesis used participation degree to test the hypothesis. The participation degree was defined by maintaining their own blogs, reading other people’s blogs, and posting articles or put comments on other people’s blogs. Therefore, college students who have greater participation will believe that the blogs are more or as credible to newspapers, televisions, magazines, radios, and other online site with same content. 3. College students’ perceptions of credibility will vary with variations in the presentation forms on blogs. PSRAI’s (2006) study revealed a trend of bloggers posting non-text content. With regard to various types of blog contents and forms, this research examined if blog contents and presentation forms would affect students’ perceived credibility of blogs. Would students have higher perceptions of credibility for blogs that have links to other sites than blogs without links? Would students perceive differently when they view text-only articles compared to articles which have texts and pictures? Would factual errors, typos, or the bloggers’ backgrounds affect college students’ trust toward the content of blogs? Would these variations increase, decrease their trust, or don’t have any effect? In addition to the three hypotheses, the thesis also studied five research questions: 1. How do college students participate in blogs? Previous studies provided data of how different populations of bloggers participated in blogs (Lenhart & Madden, 2005; UMBC Ebiquity Research, 2006; Johnson and Kaye, 2004.) The thesis is interested in college students. How many college students maintain their own blogs? Are most of these students who maintain their blogs male or female? Do they read other people’s blogs and post in other people’s blogs? What topics do they care and discuss in their own blogs as well as other peoples’ blogs? What factors inspire or encourage them to participate in blogs? This study also used three open-ended questions to ask why college students participate in blogs. 2. What is the relationship between the time college students spent on blog and the time they spent on other media? In a survey of the bloggers (Lenhart & Fox, 2006), the result showed that bloggers were about as likely as other lntemet users to get news from newspapers, TVs, magazines, and the radios. Eighty-five percent of lntemet users and bloggers read newspapers and about half did so on a typical day-About 9 in 10 lntemet users and the same share of bloggers watched television news and between two-thirds and . - three-quarters did so on a typical day. A bit more than half of both groups read magazines for news, and about one-quarter did so on a typical day. Three-quarters of both groups listened to radio news and about half did so on a typical day. In this thesis, respondents were asked to answer about the time they spent with different media in order to examine any connection between their blog using time and other media using time. 20 3. Is there any relationship between college students’ perceived credibility of blogs and their perceived credibility of other media? Besides the time the audiences spend in different media, it’s also important to look at the relationship between college students’ perceived credibility of blog and of other media. Will college students who perceive high credibility for blogs have the same degree of perceived credibility toward other media? How about those students who have low degree of perceived credibility toward blogs? How do college students perceive the same type of content on other media and is there any connection between this relationship? 4. What factors are correlated with college students’ perceptions of blogs’ credibility? A Pew survey showed that one-thirds of the blog respondents said they view themselves as journalists (Lenhart & Fox, 2006). If so, do the factors related to newspaper credibility apply to blogs? Will the accuracy, the balance, and other factors correlate with how students perceive blog credibility? Will college students care about the factors when they participate in blogs? Or they don’t care? 5. How do college students view blogs? The questionnaire asked college students if they view blogs as a form of journalism. 21 It also asked students if they think blogs are a replacement or a supplement to other media. Method This study employed a survey to find out the relationship between college students’ involvement with blogs and their perceptions of blog credibility. College students have ready access to lntemet connections and have been the subject of much of the prior research on lntemet usage (Papacharissi & Rubin, 2000; LaRose et al., 2001). In addition, college students are young and use a variety of digital technologies. Studying college students can yield insight into future online trends (Jones, 2002). However, studies have not examined students’ perceived credibility toward blogs. Using a survey was appropriate because the questions can be designed to measure college students’ usage habits and their perceptions about the credibility of blogs. However, the biggest limitation to using a survey was that I didn’t have budget to survey a representative sample of the population of all bloggers. Therefore, sample was limited to students at Michigan State University. Even though it is impossible to generalize from the sample, the study’s main purpose was to explore to the relationship between blog usage and credibility, which can be done with a convenience sample. 22 Sampling Procedures Ideally, the population should be all students who use any kind of media to gather information, whether they know blogs or not. Due to lack of funds, the population was narrowed to the students who took communication-related courses at Michigan State University. The purposive sample was based on the assumption that these students would vary in experience and time spent on different media. I surveyed 830 students and 676 students responded. The 80% response rate was sufficient to examine the relationships of interest. Again, the main purpose of the study was not to generalize. As Babbie (2004) noted, in situations where probability sampling is not possible, nonprobability sampling is acceptable with exploratory research. Data Collection The survey was conducted online and required about 15—20 minutes to complete. The questionnaire was self-administrative and was hosted on an online survey Web site, Freeonlinesurveys.com. Extra credit was given by instructors to encourage students to take the survey voluntarily. Classes from four of the departments in the Michigan State University (MSU) College of Communication Arts and Sciences were selected. These were Communication; Advertising, Public relationship, and Retailing; Journalism; and Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media. By using large classes that MSU 23 students from outside the College of Communication took as electives, the survey included students from a variety of academic majors. All the selected courses that participated in the survey are listed in the Appendix Table A1. The population of the classes was approximately 830 students, and the goal was to obtain completed questionnaires from at least 600 students. After getting the permissions from the instructors of the classes, the link to the online questionnaire was posted on ANGEL course sites, online bulletin boards for teachers and students. In addition, students were notified through emails of the link to fill out the questionnaire. In-class announcements were also made to recruit students to participate. The survey started on March 18 and ended on April 2. Extra credit was given as long as students participate and submit the questionnaires. Students were asked to provide their student IDs, and the students IDs were only used to credit the extra credits as a reward for participating the survey. All the confidential information was deleted after the student ID lists were provided to the class instructors. Measurement The operational definition of credibility in this study is trust. The whole survey used “trust” or “trustworthy” to measure credibility. For example, the survey asked students “In general, how trustworthy do you find the media listed below?” to define media 24 credibility. In addition, the survey asked “the use of text in a blog makes me more likely to trust the information.” to measure students’ perceived blog credibility toward different presentation forms. The survey asked students “How much time do you spend on blog each day?” for hypothesis 1. The students filled out how many minutes per day they spent on blogs. Multitasking was incorporated into the question. If the students listen to the music and participate in blogs in the same time for 60 minutes, they were asked to fill out 60 minutes for both media. UMBC Ebiquity Research (2006) categorized blogs based on four kinds of readers—political, gossip, mom and music. The thesis asked about four kinds of blog content to college students—news-orie‘nted, entertainment, sports, and fashion blogs. The study compared these four content types in five media, which were blog, newspaper, television, radio, and magazines. The study also compared the four types of blog content with other online sites. In answering hypothesis 2, the participation levels will be classified into three categories: putting content on their own blogs, reading other people’s blogs, and putting content on other people’s blogs. The first question asked students how often they put new content on their own blogs. The second question asked students how often they read other people’s blogs. The last question asked how often they put new content on other people’s blogs. 25 Hypothesis 3 concerned presentation forms used on sites. They are texts, photographs, videos, audio recordings, links, and more than one type of the presentation forms. I used a series of statements such as “the use of text in a blog makes me more likely to trust the information.” Students chose a level from strongly disagree, disagree, slightly disagree, neither agree or disagree, slightly agree, agree, or strongly agree. Research question I focused on how college students blog. The survey asked college students’ motivations to blog, how they blog, and how often they blog. The questionnaire also included open-ended questions to get students’ thoughts about blogs. For example, why do or don’t you post on other people’s blogs? Why do or don’t you read other people’s blogs? To address research question 2, students were asked how many minutes a day they spent on blogs, newspapers, televisions, magazines, radios, online news sites, online TV, online magazines, online radios, and other online sites. Multitasking was taken into consideration. If the students participated in different media at the same time for 60 minutes, they were asked to fill out 60 minutes for each media. Research question 3 compared five different media with four different types of contents for how trustworthy students perceived the media. The five media were blogs, newspapers, television, magazines, and radios. The four types of content were 26 news-oriented, entertainment, sports, and fashion. Students evaluated statements about a medium’s trustworthiness on a 5-point scale from not trustworthy at all to highly trustworthy. Research question 4 studied factors that might affect college students’ perceived credibility of blogs. These include spelling or grammar mistakes, factual errors, corrections of previous mistakes, use of unnamed sources, blogs which have advertisements, presentation of only one side of controversy, in-depth information, bloggers who want to change readers’ opinions about something, bloggers who publish under nicknames, celebrity bloggers, and the political backgrounds of bloggers. Research question 5 asked students how they View blogs. For example, how do you feel about blogs as a replacement for or a supplement to using other media? Do you view blogs as a form of journalism? Why do you think blogs are interesting? Do you have interesting experience using blogs? See the questionnaire in Appendix Table A2. 27 Results Perceptions of Credibility Hypothesis 1 states that the time college students spent participating with blogs will correlate positively with their perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media. The questionnaire asked students to fill out the minutes they spent on blogs everyday and also asked students to estimate their perceived credibility for different media on a 5- point scale. Table 1 showed the Pearson correlations between college students’ time spent on blogs and their perceived credibility of 4 kinds of blogs compared to 17 other media. Most of the correlations were positive except the correlations of time spent on blogs and the credibility of blogs compared to other online sites. To compare the credibility between blogs and content in other media, the rating given other various types of content in other media was subtracted from the rating given the blog. The difference in credibility could take a value from 0 (for no diflerence) to 4 (5 minus 1). In table 1, A represented news blogs, B represented entertainment blogs, C represented sports blogs, and D represented beauty and fashion blogs. College students thought the news blogs had higher credibility than newspapers (r=.093), fashion news on newspapers (r=.079), radio entertainment shows (r=.092) and sports radio (r=.098) if 28 they spent more time on blogs. They also thought the entertainment blogs had hi ghter credibility than newspaper news (r=.095), entertainment news on newspaper(r=095), sports news on newspapers(r=.089), and fashion news on newspapers(r=.096). Time spent on blogs also had positive correlations with the difference between the credibility of entertainment blogs and the credibility of TV sports shows (F083), radio entertainment shows (r=.115), sports radio(r=.107), and radio fashion shows (r=.085). Basically, time spent on blogs had positive correlations with the credibility of sports blogs compared to other media with sport content such as sports news in newspapers (r=.095), TV sports shows (r=0.86), sports radio shows (r=.117), and sports magazines (r=.077). Time spent on blogs also had positive correlations with the credibility of sports blogs compared to other media with entertainment content. Time spent on blogs had positive correlations with the differences between the credibility of beauty and fashion blogs and the credibility of the other media. Time spent on blogs also had the strongest correlations in Table l with the credibility of beauty and fashion blogs compared to other media. However, hypothesis 1 was not supported because these correlations were very weak. The interesting finding was that time spent on blogs was always positively correlated with the credibility of the four kinds of blogs compared to other media with 29 the same content. That is to say, the more time students spent on blogs, the more they would perceive blogs to be more credible than other media with the same content. The weakness of the correlations might reflect the limited range of values for the comparisons (0-4). Pearson correlations assume at least interval-level data with a large range of values. When this range is limited, correlations are typically weak. A better test of these hypotheses would come with a larger range of scale values. 30 Table 1 Correlations of Time Spent 0n Blogs and Perceptions of Blog Credibility Compared to Other Media Correlations Blog Blog Blog Blog time time time time A minus I .093 B minus 1 .095 C minus 1 .093 D minus 1 .138 A minus 2 .064 B minus 2 .089 C minus 2 .068 D minus 2 .122 A minus 3 .078 B minus 3 .089 C minus 3 .095 D minus 3 .131 A minus 4 .079 B minus 4 .096 C minus 4 .084 D minus 4 .158 A minus 5 .051 B minus 5 .056 C minus 5 .051 D minus 5 .096 A minus 6 .045 B minus 6 .065 C minus 6 .050 D minus 6 .100 A minus 7 .070 B minus 7 .083 C minus 7 .086 D minus 7 .141 A minus 8 .055 B minus 8 .073 C minus 8 .061 D minus 8 .141 A minus 9 .062 B minus 9 .067 C minus 9 .065 D minus 9 .111 A minus 10 .092 B minus 10 .115 C minus 10 .098 D minus 10 .154 A minus 11 .098 B minus 11 .107 C minus 11 .117 D minus 11 .154 A minus 12 .070 B minus 12 .085 C minus 12 .077 D minus 12 .140 A minus 13 .065 B minus 13 .071 C minus 13 0.77 D minus 13 .115 A minus 14 .047 B minus 14 .067 C minus 14 .076 D minus 14 .102 A minus 15 .060 B minus 15 .072 C minus 15 .077 D minus 15 .121 A minus 16 .061 B minus 16 .078 C minus 16 .067 D minus 16 .145 A minus 17 -.016 B minus 17 -.010 C minus 17 -.013 D minus 17 .029 Note. Variables represented by the letters are credibility of: A News blog Entertainment blog B C Sports blog D Fashion blog _ C‘IJIAUJN Newspaper Entertainment news on newspaper Sports news on newspaper Fashion news on newspaper Entertainment news on TV 7 8 9 10 ll 12 l3 14 TV local, national and international news 15 16 I7 31 TV sports shows TV fashion shows Radio local, national and international news Radio entertainment shows Sports on radio Fashion shows on radio News magazine Entertainment magazine Sports magazine Fashion magazine Video sites, such as Yourube Hypothesis 2 studied the relationship between the types of college students’ participation in blogs and their perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media. Similar to hypothesis 1, the study asked students to rate their degree of blog participation. The types of participation included how often college students update their own blogs, how often they read other people’s blogs, and how often they put comments on other people’s blogs. The study then correlated these three with college students’ perceived credibility of four kinds of blogs compared to 17 other media. There were only a few very weak correlations between how often college'students update their own blogs and their perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media. These 5 correlations were between how often college students update their blogs and their perceived credibility of sports blogs compared to other media. Table 2 showed the correlations. Pearson Correlation in Table 3 showed the correlations between how often college students read other people’s blogs and the credibility of blogs compared to other media were very weak and negative. The correlations of how often students read other people’s blogs with the credibility of news blog compared to radio fashion shows (r= -.208) and compared to radio entertainment shows (r= -.213) were weak. Compared to Table 2, the correlations on Table 3 were slightly stronger and the correlations of the sports blogs 32 compared to other media were negative. The result might explain that the more students read other people’s blogs, the lower they perceive sport blogs compared to other media. Contrary to the above correlations, the correlations of how often students post on other people’s blogs and the credibility of blogs compared to other media were positive. Table 4 showed the Pearson bivariate correlation matrix. Table 2 Correlations of How Often Students Update Their Own Blogs and Their Perceptions of Blog Credibility Compared to Other Media Correlations How Blog Blog Blog often time time time A minus I -.045 B minus I -.065 C minus 1 .062 D minus I -.046 A minus 2 -.017 B minus 2 -.045 C minus 2 .077 D minus 2 -.026‘ A minus 3 -.039 B minus 3 -.063 C minus 3 .080 D minus 3 -.044 A minus 4 -.045 B minus 4 -.077 C minus 4 .084 D minus 4 -.069 A minus 5 -.013 B minus 5 -.034 C minus 5 .042 D minus 5 -.019 A minus 6 .011 B minus 6 -.012 C minus 6 .085 D minus 6 .004 A minus 7 -.012 B minus 7 -.O37 C minus 7 .108 D minus 7 -.009 A minus 8 .002 B minus 8 -.022 C minus 8 .095 D minus 8 -.009 A minus 9 -.056 B minus 9 -.073 C minus 9 .043 D minus 9 -.059 A minus 10 -.036 B minus 10 -.065 C minus 10 .062 D minus 10 -.049 A minus 11 -.069 B minus 11 -.091 C minus 11 .034 D minus 11 -.077 A minus 12 -.022 B minus 12 -.045 C minus 12 .124 D minus 12 -.036 A minus 13 -.060 B minus 13 -.075 C minus 13 .124 D minus 13 -.059 A minus 14 -.023 B minus 14 -.052 C minus 14 .063 D minus 14 -.035 A minus 15 -.002 B minus 15 -.026 C minus 15 .124 D minus 15 -.011 A minus 16 .015 B minus 16 -.005 C minus 16 .1 11 D minus 16 .011 A minus 17 -.029 B minus 17 -.057 C minus 17 .060 D minus 17 -.038 Note. Variables represented by the letters are credibility of: ~Unm> OLA-bub.) News blog Entertainment blog Sports blog Fashion blog Newspaper Entertainment news on newspaper Sports news on newspaper Fashion news on newspaper 7 8 9 TV local, national and international news 15 Entertainment news on TV 16 TV sports shows TV fashion shows Radio local, national and international news Radio entertainment shows Sports on radio Fashions shows on radio News magazine Entertainment magazine Sports magazine Fashion magazine Video sites, such as Yourube Table 3 Correlations ofHow Often Students Read Other People Is Blogs and Their Perceptions of Blog Credibility Compared to Other Media Correlations Blog Blog Blog Blog time time time time A minus 1 -.115 B minus 1 -.040 C minus 1 -.087 D minus I . -.044 A minus 2 -.l37 B minus 2 -.O97 C minus 2 -.120 D minus 2 -.091 A minus 3 -.l66 B minus 3 -.101 C minus 3 -.l68 D minus 3 -.105 A minus 4 -. l 81 B minus 4 -. l 35 C minus 4 -.165 D minus 4 -.159 A minus 5 -.109 B minus 5 -.O40 C minus 5 -.082 D minus 5 .044 A minus 6 -.l92 B minus 6 -.l67 C minus 6 -.181 D minus 6 -.157 A minus 7 -.l66 B minus 7 -.107 C minus 7 -. l 70 D minus 7 -.158 A minus 8 -.l70 B minus 8 -.l28 C minus 8 -.157 D minus 8 -.158 A minus 9 -. l 3 B minus 9 -.067 C minus 9 -.l 14 D minus 9 -.074 A minus 10 -.208 B minus 10 -.168 c minus 10 .193 1) minus 10 -.165 A minus 11 -.l76 B minus 11 -.l 13 C minus 11 -.l80 D minus 11 -.123 A minus 12 —.213 B minus 12 -.l70 C minus 12 -.l62 D minus 12 -.l93 A minus 13 -.125 B minus 13 -.053 C minus 13 -.162 D minus 13 -.058 A minus 14 -.I75 ' B minus 14 —. 145 G minus 14 -201 D minus 14 -.I37 A minus 15 .155 B minus 15 .094 C minus 15 -.l62 D minus 15 -.103 A minus 16 .173 B minus 16 -.129 C minus 16 -.l61 D minus 16 -.l60 Aminus 17 .162. Bminusl7 -.l2l Cminus 17 -.152 Dminus I7 .113 Note. Variables represented by the letters are credibility of: A News blog B Entertainment blog C Sports blog D Fashion blog 1 Newspaper 2 Entertainment news on newspaper 3 Sports news on newspaper 4 Fashion news on newspaper 5 6 Entertainment news on TV TV local, national and international news 15 35 TV sports shows TV fashion shows Radio local, national and international news Radio entertainment shows Sports on radio Fashions shows on radio News magazine Entertainment magazine Sports magazine Fashion magazine Video sites, such as Yourube Table 4 Correlations of How Often Students Posted on Other People 3' Blogs and Their Perceptions of Blog Credibility Compared to Other Media Correlations Blog Blog Blog time time time A minus 1 .092 B minus 1 .083 C minus 1 .033 D minus 1 .037 A minus 2 .065 B minus 2 .079 C minus 2 .018 D minus 2 .024 A minus 3 .129 B minus 3 .129 C minus 3 .089 D minus 3 .081 A minus 4 .109 B minus 4 .118 C minus 4 .062 D minus 4 .082 A minus 5 .078 B minus 5 .071 C minus 5 .023 D minus 5 .027 A minus 6 .053 B minus 6 .063 C minus 6 .008 D minus 6 .013 A minus 7 .132 B minus 7 .137 C minus 7 .093 D minus 7 .057 A minus 8 .085 B minus 8 .096 C minus 8 .038 D minus 8 .057 A minus 9 .082 B minus 9 .076 C minus 9 .029 D minus 9 .033 A minus 10 .090 B minus 10 .102 C minus 10 .042 D minus 10 .050 Aminusll .153 Bminusll .152 Cminusll .119 Dminusll .112 A minus 12 .109 B minus 12 .117 C minus 12 .087 D minus 12 .080 A minus 13 .072 B minus 13 .067 C minus 13 .087 D minus 13 .021 A minus 14 .104 B minus 14 .125 C minus 14 .065 D minus 14 .069 A minus 15 .125 B minus 15 .128 C minus 15 .087 D minus 15 .085 A minus 16 .092 B minus 16 .103 C minus 16 .047 D minus 16 .067 A minus 17 .027 B minus 17 .029 C minus 17 -.020 D minus 17 -.015 Note. Variables represented by the letters are credibility of: A 00w C‘M-hb-DN News blog Entertainment blog Sports blog Fashion blog Newspaper Entertainment news on newspaper Sports news on newspaper Fashion news on newspaper TV local, national and international news Entertainment news on TV 36 TV sports shows TV fashion shows Radio local, national and international news Radio entertainment shows Sports on radio Fashions shows on radio News magazine Entertainment magazine Sports magazine Fashion magazine Video sites, such as Yourube After comparing the three tables, the data do not support a relationship between the degree of participation with blogs and credibility for blogs. The degree of participation varied a great deal and the correlations were weak—most were close to 0. The compared credibility was not related to different levels of participation. Students might read other people’s blogs everyday for other reasons such as to kill time or to gossip. For example, one student said, “Sometimes I read my friends' blogs when I'm bored and want to procrastinate on other more important things, such as reading my textbooks or studying.” Students might also seldom use blogs but still have positive perceived credibility of blogs. One student said, “Honestly, I only use blogs once every . few months. There aren't many places where a people can post information—even if it is oftentimes pointless information—and restrict or permit whoever they want to see it.” Students might read blogs often but seldom post comments. One student said, “I read other people’s blogs but I don’t post because I don’t like to be judged. Everyone can have their own thoughts but we don’t all have to share them. I talk about certain topics with my friends but I don’t need to discuss them with strangers.” Students might post comments for other reasons such as: “I posted to let the bloggers know that I read their blogs,” and “I like writing them because I can put my opinions on blogs.” When students blog for a while, they might perceive blogs in different aspects. 37 One student said, “I think blogs have turned into a new type of journalism. At first I wouldn't have considered blogs journalism, but then I read more of them and my thoughts changed. It's a new form of journalism that is quick and easy to inform.” However, most students had their own standards and requirements of credibility of blogs. Therefore, the data didn’t support hypothesis 2. However, it showed that the reasons college students participated in blogs are complicated and varied. Preceived Credibility and Blog Presentation Forms Hypothesis 3 asked if students would have different perceptions of credibility toward different blog presentation forms. Table 5 showed the college students’ perceived credibility toward different blog presentation forms. Blog presentation forms had moderate effects on college students’ blog credibility perceptions. Generally, using more than one type of presentation in a blog made college students more likely to trust the information. Using video clips, photographs, audio files, or links to other Web sites in blogs also made the students more likely to trust the information. Except for the use of text in a blog had the mean score of 3.98 in a 7 scale, the mean scores of all other presentation forms were all above 4. However, there were no major variations between each presentation form. Thirty-five percent of the 628 college students neither agreed‘nor disagreed that 38 the use of text in a blog made them more likely to trust the information. However, 35.8% of students agreed and 29% disagreed that the blog text presentation form made them more likely to trust the information. That is to say, about one third of the college students agreed, one third neither agreed nolinjihhr disagreed, and the other third disagreed. Nearly 30% of 628 college students slightly agreed that the use of photographs in blogs made them more likely to trust the information. While more than half of the students agreed, 22% neither agreed nor disagreed and 23% of students disagreed. The majority of the students agreed that the use of videos, audios, and links to other Web sites in blogs made them more likely to trust the information. Sixty—five percent of students slightly agreed, agreed, or strongly agreed that using more than one type of presentation form in blogs would make them more likely to trust the information. Only 20.5% of students neither agreed nor disagreed and 9% of students disagreed. To sum up, there were moderate but no major variations of students’ perceptions of credibility toward different blog presentation forms. College students at MSU basically tended to agree‘that the use of these presentation forms in blogs made them more likely to trust the information. Using more than one type of b’log presentation form made them most likely to trust the information. The visual forms such as videos, 39 photographs, and links to other Web sites also made them more likely to trust the information. Using only text to present the information in blogs made students trust the information slightly less. Table 5 Perceived Credibility toward Different Blog Presenting Forms (N =628) The blog Neither presenting agree form makes Strongly Slightly nor Slightly Strongly me more likely disagree Disagree disagree disagree agree Agree agree Mean to trust the I information. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Text , 5.7% 15.1% 8.3% 35.0% 20.1% 13.5% 2.2% 3.98 Photograph 4.0% 9.7% 10.2% 22.0% 29.9% 21.0% 3.2% 4.40 Videos 3.2% 8.9% 10.0% 24.5% 26.9% 21.3% 5.1% 4.47 Audio . 3.2% . 10.8% 10.4% 30.6% 26.3% 15.3% 3.5% 4.26 recordings Links to other 2.5% 6.8% 9.1% 24.4% 29.1% 21.8% 6.2% 4.61 Web Site More than one type 2.4% 5.9% 6.2% 20.5% 26.0% 27.7% 1 1.3% 4.90 After comparing the mean scores of the people who own blogs and the people who don’t own blogs, the data in Table 6 showed that there was very slight but no major differences between these two groups. Students who have their own blogs perceived slightly higher credibility toward text, photographs, and links to other Web sites than 40 students who don’t own blogs. Both groups had the same mean scores of credibility toward the use of more than one type of the presentation form in blogs. Table 6 showed the differences between the students who have blogs and those who don’t have blogs. Table 6 Compare Blog Presenting Form Credibility Mean Score between Students Who Own Blogs versus Students Who Don ’t Own Blogs The use of the presenting form in a blog makes Do you own Mean Std. Std. Error me more likely to trust the information your blogs? Deviation Mean Text Yes (N=215) 4.07 1.477 .101 No (N=413) 3.94 1.460 .072 Photographs Yes 4.49 l .456 .099 No 4.35 1.455 .072 Videos Yes 4.45 1.465 .100 No 4.49 1.444 .071 Audio recordings Yes 4.24 1.399 .095 No 4.27 1.396 .069 Links to other Web sites Yes 4.69 1.377 .094 No 4.57 1.405 .069 Using more than one type of presentation Yes 4.90 1.448 .099 No 4.90 1.446 .071 However, when separating the students into those who read blogs and those who don’t read blogs, the result in Table 7 showed that the former group perceived higher credibility toward each blog presentation form than the latter group. The mean score of 41 the perceived credibility of blog text form from students who read blogs (M=4.13, SD=1.47) is about 0.5 higher than students who don’t read blogs (M=3.64, SD=1.46). Students who read blogs perceived the blog text form above neutral when students who don’t read blogs slightly disagreed that the blog text form makes them more likely to trust the information. Students who read blogs slightly agree that using more than one type of presentation forms makes them more likely to trust the information (M=5.04, SD=1.44) when students who don’t read blog perceived it neutrally (M=4.58, SD=1.44). Overall, students who read and don’t read blogs all perceived the credibility of using more than one type of presentation forms higher than other different forms. The result also indicated that people may be willing to read blogs more because blogs have credibility. Table 7 showed the differences between students who read blogs and who don’t read blogs. 42 Table 7 Compare Blog Presenting Form Credibility Mean Score between Students Who Read Blogs versus Students Who Don ’t Read Blogs The use of the presenting form in a blog makes Do you read other Mean Std. Std. Error me more likely to trust the information people’s Blogs? Deviation Mean Text Yes (N=442) 4.13 1.477 .101 No (N=185) 3.64 1.460 .072 Photographs Yes 4.5] 1.456 .099 No 4.16 1.455 .072 Videos Yes 4.57 1.465 . 100 No 4.26 1.444 .071 Audio recordings Yes 4.36 1.399 .095 No 4.04 1.396 .069 Links to other Web sites Yes 4.75 1.377 .094 No 4.28 1.405 .069 Using more than one type of presentation Yes 5.04 1.448 .099 No 4.58 1.446 .071 College Students ’ Blog Participation Research question I asked how college students participate in blogs. Among the students, there were 264 (39.1%) male students and 352 (52.1%) female students while there were 60 (8.9%) students didn’t provide their gender information. Twenty-five percent of students were freshman; 16.4% were sophomore; 33% were junior; 16.4% were senior students; 0.3% were graduate students; 8.9% didn’t provide the information. 43 Students who live on campus versus those who live off campus were 47.9% and 43.3%, and 8.7% of students didn’t provide the information. About 87.4% of students used broadband lntemet connections; 2.4% of students used dial-up services; only 1.2% of students didn’t have connections. Note that 9% of students didn’t provide the type their lntemet connections are. Sixty-five percents of students’ major were in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences; 13% of students were from the College of Business and Management; 4% were from education; 3% were engineering; 3% were natural science; 3% were social science; 2% were arts and letters; 1% were agriculture and natural resources. Table 8 Students ’Majors UV=622) Major Field Number Percentage College of Communication Arts and Sciences 406 65.3% The College of Business and Management 81 13% No Preference 31 5% College of Education 30 4.8% College of Engineering 19 3% College of Natural Science 17 2.7% College of Social Science _ 17 2.7% College of Arts and Letters 1 3 2% College of Agriculture and Natural Resources 7 1% College of Nursing 2 0.30% College of Human Medicine 1 0.10% College of Law 1 0.10% 44 College students who own blogs Of the 676 college students, 224 (33.1%) students had their own blogs and 452 (66.9%) students didn’t have their blogs. More female students had blogs than male students, with 39% of female students owning blogs and 27% of male students owning blogs. Among all the students, 145 (21.4%) students had 1 blog, 60 (8.9%) students had 2 blogs, 13 (5.8%) students had 3 blogs, 2 (0.3%) students had 4 blogs, 5 (0.7%) students had 5 or more blogs. Within all the students who had blogs, 28 (12.4%) students started their first blog within the past 6 months; 39 (17.3%) students started 6 months to about 1 year ago; 54 (24%) students started 1 year to 2 years ago; 59 (26.2%) students created their first blog 2 years to 3 years ago; 45 (20%) students started more than 3 years ago. The result showed that college students who had blogs had been participating in blogs for 1 to 2 years On average. Higher percentage of female students started their first blogs earlier than male students. About 24% of 130 female students had blogs started their first blog more than three years ago compared to the 15% of 77 male students. What topics did college students discuss in their own blogs? Among the students who had their own blogs, 87% students discussed personal topics; 56% students discussed entertainment to ics; 54% students wrote lifest le to ics; 24% students P y P 45 discussed sports; 23% students put on beauty and fashion topics. Other topics included music, travel, web comics and school stuff. Table 9 showed the topics discussed in students ‘own blogs. Table 9 Topics Discussed in Students’ Own Blogs (N=211) Topic Number Percentage Percentage within bloggers within the topics . Personal 1 82 87% 22% Entertainment 1 l 7 56% 14% Lifestyle (ex. dating ) 113 54% 14% Sports 51 24% 6% Beauty and fashion 48 23% 6% Political 44 21% 5% Games 43 20% 5% Faith and Spirit 41 20% 5% Business 29 14% 4% News-oriented 29 l 4% 4% Religious 29 14% 4% Internet (Web design) 27 13% 3% Technology 27 1 3% 3% Environment 24 l 1% 3% Arts, photos, and music 7 3% 0.9% Travel 4 2% 0.5% Current events 3 1% 0.3% Female students discussed personal topics, lifestyle topics, and beauty and fashion topics more than male students. On the other hand, male students discussed sports and technology more than female students. The other topics were almost equally discussed between male and female students. 46 On average, students updated their own blogs once per week. Four (1.8%) out of 221 students who had their own blogs put new content on their blogs more than once a day. Ten (4.5%) students updated their blogs once a day; 30 (13.6%) updated blogs once every three days; 74 (33.5%) students updated blogs once per week; 71 (32.1%) updated blogs once per month; 32 (14.5%) students put content on blogs once per half year. The reasons college students wanted to have their own blogs in Tab] 10 were mostly for personal purposes, such as document and share their experiences, being entertained, to kill time, or get in touch with friends and family. Of the 224 students who had blogs, 160 (76%) students said they documented their personal experiences or shared them with others. About 137 (65%) students said having blogs enabled them to express themselves creatively; 134 (64%) students said it was to entertain people and themselves; 130 (62%) students thought they could stay in touch with friends and family; 107 (51%) students said it was for killing time; 86 (40%) students thought having blogs could record information or photos that were important to them. Some students used blogs to influence and network with others. Thirty-nine (18%) students said having blogs could network or meet new people; 35 (17%) students thought they could share practical knowledge or skills with others; 29(14%) students said they could influence the way other people think. Twenty-two (10%) students created their blogs to get 47 information, and only 2 (0.9%) students said it could make money. Other reasons for having blogs were personal purposes and for school work. One student said he enjoyed writing and the other students said she could “let off the pressures of everyday life and express myself through written words to my friends rather than verbally.” The other student said he created and maintained the blog because he was practicing PHP and MySQL programs. Table 10 Reasons College Students have blogs (N=224) Reasons to have their own blogs Number Percentage Percentage of bloggers of all the topics To document your personal experiences or 160 76% 17% share them with others To express yourself creatively 137 65% 15% To entertain people and yourself. 134 64% 15% To stay in touch with friends and family 130 62% 14% To kill time 107 51% 12% To record information/photo that is important 86 40% 9% to you To network or to meet new people 39 18% 4% To share practical knowledge or skills with 35 17% 4% others To motivate other people to action 29 14% 3% To influence the way other people think 29 14% 3% To get information 22 10% 2.4% Other reason to blog 10 4% 1% To make money 2 0.9% 0.2% 48 Read other people 's blogs Within all the 676 students, 461 (68.2%) students read other people’s blogs, 198 (29.3%) students didn’t read, and 17 (2.5%) students didn’t provide information. A higher percentage of female students read blogs than male students; 72% of female students read blogs compared to 66% of male students. Among all the students who read other people’s blogs, they started reading blogs from 1 year to 2 years ago on average. Table 11 showed the blog topics students read. Sixty-three (13.7%) out of 461 students started reading blogs 6 months or less ago; 96 (20.9%) students started 6 months to about 1 year ago; 140 (30.4%) students started reading blogs 1 year to 2 years ago; 93 (20.2%) students started 2 years to 3 years ago; 68 (14.8%) students started more than 3 years ago. There was no major difference between male and female students of how long ago they started reading blogs. More male students started reading blogs 6 months to 1 year ago than female students. Students read other people’s blogs once per week on average. Among all the students who read blogs, 10 students (2.2%) read blogs more than once a day; 58 (13%) students read blogs once a day; 143 (32%) students read blogs once every three days; 206 (46.1%) read blogs once per week; 26 (5.8%) students read blogs once per month; only 4 (0.9%) students read blogs once per half year. Male and female students did not 49 differ on how often they read blogs. Similar to the topics students discussed on their own blogs, most students read personal topics, entertainment, lifestyle, beauty and fashion, and sports topics on blogs. Two hundreds and eighty-eight (62%) out of 461 students read entertainment topics on blog topics; 280 (61%) read personal topics; 159 (34%) students read lifestyle topics; 144 (31%) students were interested in sports; 12] (26%) students read beauty and fashion topics on blogs. Some students paid attention to political, news, internet, technology, business, faith and spirit, and religious topics in blogs. Others said they read photos, music and travel topics. Table '1 1 Blog Topics College Students Read (N=461) Topic Number Percentage of Percentage of all bloggers the topics Entertainment 288 62% l 7% Personal 280 61 % 1 7% Lifestyle (ex. dating ) 159 34% 10% Sports 144 31% 9% Beauty and fashion 121 26% 7% Political 103 ‘ 22% 6% Games 94 20% 6% Technology 8 l 16% 5% lntemet (Web design) 80 17% 5% News-oriented 80 1 7% 5% Business 71 15% 4% Faith and Spirit 58 13% 3.% 50 Table l 1 (cont’d) Topic Number Percentage of Percentage of all bloggers the topics Religious 48 10% 3% Environment 37 8% 2% Others 8 2% 0.5% Arts, photos, and music 6 1% 0.4% Travel 2 0.4% 0.1% Sum 1,660 100% Most of students read other people’s blogs for fun, to kill time, and to stay in touch with friends and family. Table 12 showed the reasons why college students read other people’s blogs. Among the 461 students who read other people’s blogs, 369 (80%) said they read for being entertained; 287 (62%) students read blogs for keeping in touch with friends or family; 272 (59%) students were for killing time; 175 (38%) students read blogs to get information. A few students read for other reasons that 85 (18%) students said they read blogs to network or meet new people; 49 (l 1%) students read blog to record information that is information to them; only 3 (0.6%) read blogs for making money. Students who chose “other reasons” said they read blogs for class assignments or listen to music. 51 Table 12 Reasons College Students Read Other People 29 Blogs (N =4 61) Number Percentage Percentage of bloggers of all the topics To be entertained 369 80% 30% To stay in touch with friends and family 287 62% 23% To kill time 272 59% 21% To get information 175 38% 14% To network or to meet new people 85 18% 7% To record information that is important to you 49 1 1% 4% Others 10 2.1% 0.8% To make money 3 0.6% 0.2% The questionnaire also asked students to comment about the reasons they read or don’t read other people’s blogs. Most of the descriptions showed that personal interests and whether their significant others such as friends or family blog were key factors affecting their willingness to keep up with the updated content on blogs. Students didn’t read blogs mostly because they didn’t have time or they were not interested in the topics and content on blogs. One student said, “It is a waste of time, and I have stuff to really do like COLLEGE.” Some students mentioned their friends. For example, one said: “Most of my friends don’t write blogs. The people that do write blogs, I’m not really interested in what they say.” Another added, “I don't have the time 52 in my schedule to do so, and I also feel that talking with a person head on is more realistic and caring.” Other students doubt blog credibility, which is why they did not read blogs. Some of the comments included: * “They're just opinions, and I would rather have the facts.” * “I do not read other people's blogs simply because I feel that the people who run them don't have any credibility with what they are saying. I feel as though I also don't know where to go to find a good blog to read.” * “Most people who blog tend to not know what they are talking about or are paid by corporations.” *“1 don't often read other people's blogs because they are so opinionated. Sometimes you may get some interesting information but on things like politics and news, I'd rather read a newspaper or see it on TV.” * “I think that blogs are useless. They don't provide a credible source of information. They taint the media as a whole.” Some students discussed the personal content on blogs. Their comments included: * “I believe online blogs are at times too personal— a cheap way for people to express their sometimes illiterate points of view, and it is an addicting habit which I never want 53 to get involved with. It also spreads gossip and rumors quite easily, causing unnecessary drama in our already dramatic society.” * “I do not read other people's blogs because I feel that it is just another way for someone to brag about themselves, to talk about their lives, and how amazing or horrible it is, most of the time people just want the attention and pity. It's disgusting.” * “I think that blogs are useless. It is putting your life out in the public even more so than Web sites like F acebook and MySpace.” Students who read blogs had a variety of reasons. Some students read blog for personal reasons such as kill time, to be entertained or out of curiosity. Their comments included: * “I like to kill time online sometimes, as well as check up on sports and when they play soonf’ * “Sometimes I read my fiiends' blogs when I'm bored and want to procrastinate on other more important things, such as reading my textbooks or studying.” * “I read certain celebrity blogs, like Dane Cook and John Mayer, because they're really witty and entertaining and we like to look into the lives of celebrities.” Students also read blogs to keep in touch with their fiiends or family. Their comments included: 54 * “I mostly see what is happening in my friend's lives that I don’t get to talk to very often.” * “I do read other people's blogs to know what's going on in their lives. It's easy to fall out of touch with people, but when you read what they write online, it's a way to learn what they are doing, who they are hanging outwith, and the important events they had.” * “I read other people's blogs to keep in touch with my friends and family members because I'm alone in America while everybody is in my home country.” * “I read a friend of mine's blog because she was backpacking across Europe last summer. She would post fun and interesting things that she did and it was an easy, fast and cheap way to communicate with her and see what she's been up to.” Students also network to meet people with same interests. One student said, “I read blogs to get information and to meet new people with interests that are similar to mine.” Some students enjoyed the gossip and entertainment content on blogs. Their comments included: * “I find it interesting and in a sense a way to get ‘juice’ or gossip on someone or whatever it is they are mentioning in their blog. I don't think I could handle having my own blog at this point in my life, however I do enjoy reading other people’s blogs.” 55 * “Curiosity. It's really expedited the gossip mill. As much as 1 hate to admit it, 1 read the blogs of my ex-boyfriend's girlfriend.” Other students who read blogs thought that reading blogs expand their worlds. Their comments included: * “I read blogs to view the world through other people's eyes or to get a more intimate insight on someone's life that is nothing like mine.” * “I read other people's blogs because I find entertainment in creative writers, and they are often found in blogs.” * “I read other people's blogs to expand my horizon, to learn as much as I can from as many people as possible. I think blogs are a great form of expression that can be interesting and sometimes educational and informative.” * “I read them, mostly, because they are entertaining and a great way for one to express themselves. They are quite interesting and you can really understand a person to a new level.” * “It is a great way to read the perspectives of people who have experienced things much different than what I have. Some students read blogs to get information from sources other than from other media and because they respected the writer. Comments included: 56 * “-It helps me keep up with what’s going on in the political and social arenas. I don't always have time to watch the news or listen to NPR, and I'm not always near a television or radio in between classes.” * “I read a few blogs: one of a writer I admire and a few of my friends' blogs. I read the writer's blog because I admire her and her lifestyle. I read my friends' blogs to keep up with them without the effort.” * “I am interested in what other people have to say. Many times you're getting very current and factually correct information that has a different spin than what the media wants you to see.” * “I read other people's blogs for some of the same reasons I pick up a newspaper or start a conversation. Blogs are a place to have a. digital conversation where ideas and information are exchanged, but the lntemet makes it possible to have more conversation” Some students liked the broad topics as well as in-depth content. Comments included: * “I think that other people's lives are very interesting. Also, there are a number of fabulously entertaining and witty writers. It's like reading a book, except their stories never end.” 57 * “I read other people's blogs for mainly two reasons. The first is research-based. When I'm trying to develop knowledge about an academic topic, blogs are a good resource. The second is to read blogs of friends and acquaintances as a source of entertainment.” The above answers showed that big factors which drove college students to read or not read other people’s blogs were blog content and credibility. Friends-and family also affect their participating degree of reading other people’s blogs. Post comments on other peopls ’ blogs Among the 676 college students, 254 students posted @ut information/ comment) on other people’s blogs, 367 students never posted, and 55 students didn’t answer. Table 13 showed the topics college students posted in other people’s blogs. Within the 254 students who posted comments on other people’s blogs, 191 (75%) students posted comments 1-5 times per month. Thirty-two (12.5%) students posted 6-10 times per month; 20 (7.9%) students posted 1 1-20 times a month; 6 (2.4%) students posted 21-30 times a month; only 5 (2%) students posted more than 30 times per month. No gender differences were found. College students posted various topics on other people’s blogs and most of the . topics were similar to the topics students read and updated on their blogs. Most of the students discussed personal, entertainment, lifestyle, games, sports, and fashion topics 58 on other people’s blogs. One hundred and sixty-seven (66%) students posted personal topics on other people’s blogs; 123 (48%) students discussed entertainment topics; 82 (32%) discussed lifestyle topics; 62 (24%) students discussed sports; 47 (19%) students posted game topics in other people’s blogs. Thirty-five (14%) students posted beauty and fashion topics; 36 (19%) students paid attention to politics; 32 (13%) students discussed faith and spirit topics; about 11%-12% students were interested in technology, intemet, news, and religious topics. Other students discussed environment, business, arts, photos, music, and travel topics on other people’s blogs. Table 13 Blog Topics College Students Posted in Other People Is Blogs(N=254) Topic Number Percentage of Percentage of all bloggers the topics Personal 1 67 66% 22% Entertainment 123 48% 16.2% Lifestyle (ex. dating ) 82 32% 10.8% Sports 62 24% 8.3% Games 47 19% 6.2% Political 36 14% ' 4.7% Beauty and fashion 35 14% 4.6% Faith and Spirit 32 13% 4.2% Technology 3 1 12% 4% Religious 29 1 1% 3.8% lntemet (Web design) 29 l 1% 3.8% News-oriented 28 1 1% 3.6% Business 23 9% 3% 59 Table 13 (cont’d) Topic Number Percentage of Percentage of all bloggers the topics Environment 20 8% 2.6% Others 12 5% 2% Arts, photos, and 2 0.8% 0.2% music Most college students used blogs to network with others, express themselves, or to be entertained. Table 14 showed the results of why college students posted in other people’s blogs. Among the 254 students who posted in other people’s blogs, 163 (64%) students said they could stay in touch with friends and family; 131 (52%) said they posted for entertaining people and themselves; 10] (40%) said they posted for expressing themselves creatively; 98 (39%) said they posted for killing time; 96 (38%) said they posted for documenting their personal experiences or sharing them with others; 85 (33%) students posted for sharing practical knowledge or skills with others. Some students posted for influencing the way other people think, motivating other people to action, networking or meeting new people, recording information that is important to them, and getting information. One student posted because “to let them know that I read their blogs.” Few students said they posted for class assignments. 60 Table 14 Reasons College Students Posted in Other People ’s Blogs (N =254 ) Reason to have their own blogs (N=2] 1) Number Percentage Percentage of bloggers of all the topics To stay in touch with friends and family 163 64% 18% To entertain people and yourself. 131 52% 15% To express yourself creatively 101 40% 11% To kill time 98 39% 11% To document your personal experiences or 96 38% 10.4% share them with others To share practical knowledge or skills with 85 33% 9% others To influence the way other people think 61 24% 7% To motivate other people to action 46 18% 5% To network or to meet new people 43 17% 5% To get information 34 13% 4% To record information/photo that is important 32 13% 4% to you Other reason to blog 4 2% 0.4% To make money 2 0.8% 0.2% Relationships of College Students ’ Time Spent on Blogs and Other Media Research question 2 asked is there any relationship between the time college students spent on blogs and the time they spent on other media. Other media include newspapers, TV, magazines, radio, online news sites, online TV news, online magazines, online radio, 61 and other online sites. On average, college students spent 156.53 minutes per day on non-online media and spent 135.51 minutes per day on online media. College students spent 19.32 minutes on blogs per day, 17 minutes on newspapers, 100 minutes on TV, 13.39 minutes on magazines, 26.14 minutes on radio, 23.2] minutes on online news sites, 13.59 minutes on online TV news, 5.72 minutes on online magazines, 5.84 minutes on online radio, and 67.83 minutes on other online sites per day. The result showed that college students spent about the same time on blogs as with most other media. Students especially spent more time on TV and other online sites. Data in Table 15 shows that for students, the relationships between the time they spent on blogs and the time they spent on other media were not strong. Most of the relationships between each media were slightly positive or negative. Time spent on blogs had weak and positive correlations with time spent on online news sites, time spent on TV news, and with time spent on online magazines. The scores of the three correlations were .117, .310, and .152, respectively. Time spent on radio had slight correlations with time spent on TV (r=.101), on magazines (r=.154), on online news sites (r=.105), and on other online sites (F086). Time spent on radio had a positive correlation with time spent on TV (r=.101). It also had a positive correlation with time spent on magazines (r=.154). Furthermore, it had a 62 positive correlation with time spent on online news sites (r=.105), and it had a positive correlation with time spent on other online sites (r=.086). Time spent on online news sites had positive correlations with time spent on blogs and on radio. It also had stronger positive correlations with time spent on newspapers (r=-.332) and with time spent on TV (r=.123). Time spent on online TV news had moderate and positive correlations with time spent on blogs (r=.310), magazines (r=.083), online news sites (r=.151), and on online magazines (r=.252). Time spent on other online sites had a positive correlation with time spent on TV (r=.081). Basically, all the correlations were weak. However, the result showed that the time spent on blogs had positive correlations with other online media. Most of the time spent on different online media was positive correlated to each other. Time spent on traditional media also had positive correlations with time spent on online media. For example, time spent on newspapers positively correlated with time spent on online news sites (r=.322). Time spent on magazines positively correlated with time spent on online magazines (r=.167). The similar content had positive correlations too such as news, magazines, and online media. Time spent on radio had positive correlations with time spent on other media. For example, time spent on radio had a positive correlation to time spent on magazines (r=.154). 63 oo._ 0:» o.5:o 550 So. oo._ 0.62 05:0 omo. Nmo. oo._ cinemas: e5:0 3o. mmo. mmm. oo._ v.30: >._. o:__:O .NN. mmo. 03. _m_. oo._ 85 v.30: o5:0 owo. woo. w _o.- ooo. mo _. oo._ 053. wmor omo. no _.. mwo. ooo. em _. oo._ oEwamE _wo. vmor __o.- o_o. m2. 3.. ono. oo._ >._. So. a _ o.- as. MS. Nmm. Sc. 8o. _ 5. oo._ consumauz 3o. mmo. N2. oz. 5 _. mmo. moo. o_o.- wmo oo._ moi 88 05:0 058 o:.~awaE mac: 28 £502 850 05:0 05:0 >._. 05:0 05:0 053. 05$me >._. coomomkoz wo_m «Roux/Q 5535 :55ka no 26%. 25s . fiesfiém. owohobsxo 29:33:30 2 2an 64 Although there were no strong relationships between the time spent on blogs and on other media in all students, there were still some other relationships found in different groups of students. First, students were separated into those who own blogs and those who don’t. Students who own blogs had a moderate and positive correlation between time spent on blogs and time spent on online TV news (r=0.39). The strongest positive correlation was time spent on online TV news and time spent on TV news (r=0.632). There was also a moderate correlation between time spent on online TV news and online magazines (r=0.3 l 7). Simply put, time spent on online TV news positively correlated to time spent on TV news and other online information sources such as blogs, online news sites and online magazines. In addition, students who own blogs had moderate positive correlations between time spent on online news sites and time spent on newspapers (r=0.446), time spent on online news sites and time spent on other online sites (r=0.359). Students who own blogs also had weak positive correlations between time spent on online news sites and time spent on online TV news (r=‘ 0.165), and time spent on online news sites and time spent on radios (F0. 1 41 ). Students’ time spent on magazines slightly and positively 65 correlated to the time spent on radio (F0.18). Furthermore, students’ time spent on online magazines slightly and positively correlated to the time on newspapers (F0.168), online news sties (F0237), and online TV news (F0.317). Overall, students who spent more time with certain topics in online media would likely spend more time on the same topics in traditional media and would spend more time on other online media. Students who don’t own blogs had a weak and positive correlation of time spent on blogs and time spent on online news sites (F0.168), and so did the correlation of time spent on blogs and time spent on magazines (F0129). Students also had a slightly positive correlation between time spent on online magazines and time spent on magazines (F0205) as well as time spent on online magazines and time spent on online news sites (F0.275), which were the similar phenomena compared to the students who own blogs. Second, students were divided into those who read other people’s blogs and those who don’t. Basically there were no major differences between these two groups. Students who read other people’s blogs had very weak correlations between time spent on blogs and time spent on magazines (F0.11), time spent on blogs and time spent on online news sties (F0.12), time spent on magazines and time spent on radio (0.121), time spent on magazines and time spent on online magazines (F0.144), and time spent 66 on online news sites and time spent on radio (0.103). Students who read other people’s blogs also had slight correlations between time spent on online news sites and time spent on online magazines (F027), and time spent on online news sites and time spent on other online sites (F0268). Students who don’t read other people’s blogs had a weak correlation between time spent on online news sites and time spent on online TV news (F0.16). They also had moderate correlations between time spent on magazines and time spent on radio (F0302), time spent on magazines and time spent on online magazines (F0.239), and time spent on online magazines and time spent on online TV news (F0.244). It is apparent that both groups of students had weak to moderate correlations between time spent on magazines and time spent on online magazines, and time spent on magazines and time spent on radio. Third, students’ time spent on different media was compared by gender. Interestingly, female students had more and stronger correlations between time spent on blogs and other media than male students. Female students had slightly positive correlations between time spent on blogs with time spent on magazines (F0228), with radios (F0134), with online news sites (0.13), with online TV news (F0. 1 37) and with online magazines (F0. 1 35). Male students had less but slight correlations between time 67 spent on blogs with online magazines (F0178) and with online news sites (F0201). In addition, female students had no correlation between time spent on online news sites and newspapers (F-0.028), while male students had slightly positive correlation (F 0.212). Furthermore, female students had a moderate correlation between time spent on online TV news and time spent on online magazines (F0421 ), while male students had no correlations. Female students also had slight correlations between time spent on online magazines and time spent on magazines (F0241), while male students had moderate correlations (F0371). Female students also had slight correlations between time spent on online magazines and time spent on online news sites (F0222), while male students had no correlations. Male students had very weak correlations between time spent on online magazines and time spent on other online sites (F0152). While male students had no correlations between time spent on radio and time spent on other media, female students had very weak correlations between time spent on radio with blogs (F0134), with magazines (F0188), with online news sites (F0158), and with other online sites (F0121). These correlated media with radio can be used at the same time, which is multitasking. That is to say, female students might be prone to listen to the radio when blogging, reading magazines, visiting online news sites, and 68 surfing on other online sites. Female students might also just like to spend time on these media, and the data didn’t explain the reasons. To sum up, there were slight differences of correlations between students’ time spent on blogs and other media when inspected the relationships under subgroups such as whether college students had their own blogs, whether they read other people’s blogs, and their gender. Basically, female students had more and stronger correlations between time spent on blogs and other online media than male students. The data of the whole population also showed that if students spend time on certain traditional media, they will also spend time on the online version of the certain media. The positive correlations between time spent on online magazines with time spent on magazines and with radio were the same no matter the students had their owns blogs or not, read other people’s blogs or not, and their gender. Relationships of College Students ’Perceived Credibility between Blogs and Other media Research question 3 asked if there is any relationship between college students’ perceived blog credibility and their perceptions of credibility for other media. We first look at the mean score on a 5-point scale in Table 16 of all college students’ perceived credibility of each media. Overall, students had the lowest perceived credibility of 69 online video sites (M=2.56). In addition, students perceived blog credibility lower than other media with same category of content. Newspapers had the highest credibility for college students and TV had the second high credibility. News and sports content had higher credibility than entertainment and fashion content. Table 16 showed the result. Table 16 College Students ’Perceived Credibility of Diflerent Media (N=61 7) Media News Entertainment Sports Fashion Blogs 3.29 2.78 3.43 3.04 Newspapers 4.11 3.51 4.14 3.47 TV 4.00 3.06 3.87 3.31 Radio 3.93 3.18 3.82 3.08 Magazines 3.92 3.08 3.86 3.33 To look at the relationship between college students’ perceived credibility of each media, the study used the Pearson correlation. Table 17 showed the correlation of college students’ perceived credibility toward different media. Most of the correlations between each other were moderate and positive. Fashion, sports, and news content had strong and positive correlations between different kinds of media. Four kinds of blogs, news-oriented, entertainment, sports, and fashion, had generally positive correlations with other media but were moderate with most of the scores falling in the 02-045 range. 70 The four kinds of blogs had stronger positive correlations with each other than with other media, while they also had strong correlations with the news magazines. The strongest correlation was on fashion categories that the credibility of fashion magazines was strongly positive correlated to the credibility of TV fashion shows (F0721). - The credibility of fashion magazines also had strong and positive correlations with the credibility of fashion blogs (F0502), fashion newspapers (F0507), and fashion radios (F0485). It also had moderate correlations to the credibility of entertainment content in different media. Moreover, the credibility of fashion magazines also had a moderate correlation to the credibility of sports magazines (F0478). 71 Table 17 Correlations of College Students 'Perceived Credibility toward Different MediaflV =6] 7) A B C D E F G H I J K A 1.00 .337 .496 .319 .275 .079 .130 .109 .234 .016 .148 B 1.00 .383 .447 .103 .377 .121 .244 .090 .329 .197 C 1.00 .473 .155 .071 .325 .105 .092 .059 .340 D 1.00 .144 .245 .135 .437 .110 .218 .237 E 1.00 .479 .524 .351 .559 .199 .361 F 1.00 .440 .593 .374 .443 .347 G 1.00 .395 .392 .192 .548 H 1.00 .362 .361 .315 I 1.00 .313 .420 J '1 .00 .382 K 1.00 L M N O P Q R S T U Note. Variables represented by the letters are: =News-oriented blogs l=TV local, national and international news P=fashion shows on radio B=Entertainment blogs l=TV entertainment shows Q=News magazines C=Sports blogs K=TV sports shows R=Entertainment D=Fashion blogs L=TV fashion shows magazines E=News section of newspapers M=Radio local, national and international S=Sports magazines F=Entertainment news in newspapers news T=Fashion magazines G=Sports news in newspapers N=Radio entertainment shows U=Video sites, such as H=Fashion news in newspapers G=Sports on radio YouTube 72 Table 17 (cont’d) L M N O P Q R S T U A .087 .177 .087 .106 .040 .242 .092 .137 .092 .071 B .294 .048 .281 .070 .166 .121 .377 .168 .268 .275 C .116 .112 .090 .298 .061 .147 .106 .375 .134 .138 D .519 .141 .235 .178 .339 .171 .269 .266 .502 .130 E .268 .517 .262 .314 .176 .508 .193 .343 .242 -.110 F .468 .338 .486 .325 .416 .365 ‘ .464 .345 .440 .086“ G .249 .386 .246 .501 .209 .369 .152 .535 .284 -.058 H .627 .370 .456 .330 .585 .297 .366 .310 .507 .042 I .334 .623 .312 .338 .216 .515 .229 .347 .308 .001 J .570 .254 .495 .235 .379 .214 .528 .311 .497 .297 K .466 .404 .346 .574 .299 .389 .257 .686 .381 .101 L 1.000 .358 .519 .341 .590 .315 .486 .412 .721 .145 M 1.000 .426 .458 .272 .492 .202 .326 .308 .028 N 1.000 .459 .533 .293 .473 .297 .442 .212 O 1.000 .384 .352 .184 .559 .264 .032 P 1.000 1.84 .338 .263 .485 .143 O 1.000 .337 .483 .371 .009 R 1.000 .373 .562 .239 S 1.000 .478 .097 T 1.000 .179 U 1.000 Note. Variables represented by the letters are: A=News-oriented blogs B=Entertainment blogs G=Sports blogs D=Fashion blogs E=News section of newspapers F=Entertainment news in newspapers G=Sports news in newspapers H=Fashion news in newspapers l=TV local, national and international news l=TV entertainment shows K=TV sports shows L=TV fashion shows M=Radio local, national and intemational DCWS N=Radio entertainment shows O=Sports on radio 73 P=fashion shows on radio Q=News magazines R=Entertainment magazines S=Sports magazines T=Fashion magazines U=Video sites, such as YouTube The sport categories had correlations similar to the fashion categories. The credibility of sports magazines was strongly correlated to the credibility of sports blogs (F0375), newspaper sports news (0.535), TV sport shows (F0686), and sports on radios (F0559). It also moderately positive correlated with the credibility of news magazines (F0483). The only two negative correlations were the credibility of online video sites such as youtube with the credibility of news sections in newspapers (F-0.11) and with newspaper sports news (F-0.058). The results showed that the more students believe the newspaper news and newspaper sports news, the less they believe that online video sites were credible, and vice versa. However, these two correlations were very weak and were almost no correlations. The credibility of news magazines had strong and positive correlations with newspaper news (F0508), with TV local, national and international news (F0515), and with radio local, national and international news (F0492). The credibility of news magazines had weaker correlations with four kinds of blogs than the other media. Basically, the results showed thai college students had strong and positive correlations between the credibility in different media with news content. The credibility of entertainment categories moderately and positively correlated to 74 the credibility of entertainment content in newspapers and TV and also had strong correlations with media which contain fashion media. To sum up, different media with the similar content had stronger positive correlations between each other than with other media. The data also suggested that content more than distribute system is related to credibility. The credibility of media with fashion content had moderate correlations to the credibility of media with entertainment content. There was no major difference when comparing the correlations of different media credibility between male and female students. Both groups had similar frequencies compared to each other and to the overall population. When comparing the correlations of blog credibility with other media, students who don’t have their own blogs had slightly higher correlations than those who have their own blogs. The similar correlations applied to the students who read other people’s blogs and those who don’t read blogs. When controlling for how often students post comments on other people’s blogs, students who never posted comments on other people’s blogs had similar correlations with students who posted 1-5 times a month. The correlations of blog credibility and other media became very different under groups which students who posted comments 6-10 times per month, “-20 times a 75 month, 21-30 times per month, and more than 30 times a month. The correlations between news blog credibility and other media of students who posted 6-10 times per month were the lowest among all the groups. However, the credibility of entertainment blogs, sports blogs, and fashion blogs had strong and positive correlations with the credibility of the similar content in other media. Students who posted 11-20 times per month had strong and positive correlations between news blogs and sports content in each media, and between entertainment credibility and fashion credibility. For example, the credibility of news blogs had strong correlations with sports blogs (F0736), sports news in newspapers(F0.746), TV sports shows (F0729), sports on radio (F0559), and sports magazines (F0724). Students who posted 21-30 times per month had strong and polarized correlations between blogs and newspapers, TV, radios, and magazines. For example, the credibility of news blogs had strong and positive correlations with the credibility of sports blogs (F0542), the news sections in newspapers (F0632), TV entertainment news (F0548), and news magazines (F0548). However, the credibility of news blogs also had strong and negative correlations with the credibility of entertainment neWs in newspapers (r=-0.632), sports news in newspapers (F-0.533), fashion news in newspapers (F—0.768), TV sports shows (F-O.548), TV fashion shows (F-O.701), sports on radio 76 (F-0.759), fashion shows on radio (F-0.701), sports magazines (F-0.548), and fashion magazines (F-0.8). Students who posted more than 30 times per month had very strong correlations that all the scores were close to 1 and there were a few correlations were 1 between blogs and entertainment magazines, and sports magazines. However, the numbers of students under these groups were very few. There were 20 students out of 621 students who posted comments on other peoples’ blogs 11-20 times per month, 6 students posted 11-20 times, 6 students posted 21-30 times, and only 5 students posted more than 30 times per month. Factors that Correlate with College Students ’ Perceived Credibility Research question 4 asked what factors were correlated with college students’ perceptions of blogs’ credibility. The results in Table 18 showed that the types and the presentation forms had a greater effect than bloggers’ backgrounds and information. Students had lower trust if blogs had spelling or grammar mistakes. Results showed that 41.4% of students decreased their trust toward blogs slightly and 34.5% decreased trust greatly if blogs had spelling or grammar mistakes. Around 21% of students didn’t think that blogs with spelling or grammar mistakes would affect their perceived credibility. Blogs with factual errors lowered students’ credibility. Of the respondents, 67.6% 77 of students said it would decrease their trust greatly, and 21.6% of students said it would decrease their trust slightly. Slightly more than 8% of students said it doesn’t matter, and only 2.4% of students said it would increase their trust. Thirty-nine percent of students reported that blogs with corrections of previous mistakes would increase their trust slightly, and 24.3% of students thought it would decrease their trust slightly. Twenty-six percent of students said it doesn’t matter, 6% said it would decrease their trust greatly, and about 4% of students thought it would increase their trust greatly. Blogs that use unnamed sources decreased 45.8% of students’ trust slightly and decreased 30.4% of students’ trust greatly. Still 22% of students said it doesn’t matter, and only 2.2% of students said it would increase their trust. More than half (52. 1 %) of the students reported that blogs with advertisements on them didn’t affect their trust of blogs. However, 27% of students thought it would decrease their trust slightly, and 14% of students thought it would decrease their trust greatly. Only 7% of students thought it would increase their trust. 78 Table 18 Factors that Aflect Students ’Perceived Blog Credibility (N =626) 1 2 3 4 5 Mean Decrease Decrease Doesn’t Increases Increases my trust my trust matter my trust my trust greatly slightly slightly greatly Blogs that have Spelling/ 34.5% 41.4% 21.6% 1.9% 0.6% 1.93 grammar mistakes Blogs that have factual 67.7% 21.6% 8.3% 1.8% 06% 1.46 errors Blogs that have 6.4% 24.3% 26.4% 38.8% 4.2% 3.10 corrections of previous mistakes Blogs that use unnamed 30.4% 45.8% 22% 1.1% 0.6% 1.96 sources Blogs that have 14.2% 26.7% 52.1% 6.5% 0.5% 2.52 advertisements on them Blogs that give only one 19.2% 43.6% 34.7% 2.2% 0.3% 2.21 side of controversy Blogs that have in-depth 1.6% 2.7% 18.7% 55.9% 21.1% 3.92 information Bloggers who want to 8.9% 25.4% 54.6% 9.9% 1.1% 2.69 change my opinion about something Bloggers who publish 13.3% 25.7% 58.5% 2.1% 0.5% 2.5] under nicknames Bloggers who a. 13.3% 20.4% 57.2% ’ 8% 1.1% 2.63 celebrities The political background 5.4% 14.4% 65.8% 12.8% 1.6% 2.91 of a blogger Forty-four percent of students said blogs that give only one side of controversy would decrease their trust slightly, and 19% of students said it would decrease their trust 79 greatly. Thirty-five percent of students thought it doesn’t matter, and only 2.5% of students in total thought it would increase their trust. Contrarily, if the blogs have in-depth information, 56% of students said it would increase their trust slightly, and 21% of students said it would increase their trust greatly. Still 19% of students said it doesn’t affect their trust of blogs, and only 4.3% of students in total said it would decrease their trust. F ifty-five percent of students said bloggers who want to change their opinions about something doesn’t affect their trust to the information of blogs. However, 34.3% of students in total thought it would decrease their trust compared to 11% of students in total who thought it would increase their trust. Nearly 60% of students reported that bloggers who publish under nicknames and bloggers who are celebrities wouldn’t affect their trust. However, 39% of students thought bloggers with nicknames would decrease their trust compared to only 2.6% of students thought it would increase their trust. Thirty-four percent of students in total thought bloggers who are celebrities would decrease their trust compared to only 9.1% of students who thought it would increase their trust. When it comes to the political backgrounds of bloggers, 65.8% of students said it doesn’t affect their trust to blogs, 20% of students said it would decrease their trust, and 80 14% of students thought it would increase their trust. See Table 11 for the result. The fiequencies and mean scores were similar between the group who have their own blogs and the group who don’t have. However, students who own blogs had slightly higher mean score than those who don’t have. Students who own blogs had around 0.2 mean score higher than students who don’t have blogs in all the factors, which meant that the former group had slightly higher trust or lower levels of mistrust because of these factors than the latter group. When comparing the frequencies and mean scores between the group who read blogs and the group who don’t read blogs, the results were similar. However, a higher percentage of the group that read blogs thought these factors would increase their trust than the group who don’t read. Similarly, most of the students who don’t read blogs said all the factors would decrease their trust. The similar result was produced when dividing the college students into those who post comment on others’ blogs and those who don’t. Overall, the factors that correlated with students’ perceived blog credibility were consistent with the previous newspaper credibility study. Blogs that have spelling and grammar mistakes, that have factual errors, that have corrections of previous mistakes, that use unnamed sources, that only give one side of controversy, and that have in-depth content were factors which would affect college students’ trust toward the blogs. Most 81 of the students thought blogs that have advertisements on them, bloggers who want to change their opinions, who publish under nicknames, who are celebrities, and the political backgrounds of bloggers would not affect their trust. However, still some students thought these factors above would decrease their trust. The result indicated that college students cared more about the factual presentation and the precise of the content rather than bloggers’ political backgrounds, if bloggers are celebrities, or blogs’ exterior elements such as advertisements. How Students View Blogs Blogs and Journalism The questionnaire asked students if they think blogs are a form of journalism, and 621 out of 676 students answered the question. Among the 621 students, 58 (9.3%) students didn’t think blogs are a form of journalism; 331 (53.3%) students occasionally thought blogs are a form of journalism; 130 (20.9%) students often viewed blogs as journalism; 33 (5.3%) students viewed blogs as journalism all the time; 69 (11.1%) students never thought about the idea before. Table 19 showed the result. 82 Table 19 College Students’ Thoughts of Viewing Blogs as A Form of Journalism Valid Ctunulative Frequency Percent Percent Percent Valid Not at all 58 8.6 9.3 ‘ 9.3 Occasionally 331 49.0 53.3 62.6 Often 130 19.2 20.9 83.6 All the time 33 4.9 5.3 88.9 Never thought about it 69 10.2 1 1.1 100.0 Total 621 91.9 100.0 Missing System 55 8.1 Total 676 100.0 The questionnaire then asked students to express the reasons why they selected the answer. Students compared journalism and blogs to seek the similarities and differences and all the characteristics were related to the definitions of journalism and blogs. Students who answered “not at all” were concerned about the credibility and the presenting way of blog content. One student said, “Journalism is unilateral where someone expresses their opinions or informs of facts. Blogs are bilateral because someone post something, then it gets a response, and then others’ posting are made in response, etc.” Another student said, “Journalism includes several sides to the story and blogs don't always present that. I see them as a creative outlet or for entertainment 83 purposes but I wouldn't rate them highly in terms of where I would go for hard, accurate news.” One student said, “When I think of journalism I think of facts. When I think of blogs I think of opinions. Facts and opinions are two completely different things.” One student expressed the way using blogs, “Because I don’t necessarily believe a blog for truth or news. I just use them to see what issues people are thinking and talking about.” Some students didn’t trust blogs at all. As one said, “I just don't trust, nor read, blogs.” Students who answered “occasionally” focused on the variety topics of blogs. One student said, “It greatly depends on the type of blog. Sometimes they are more like a personal online journal, other time it is like a 24 hour news source.” Additional comments included: * “Depending on what the general topic of the blog is, people can benefit from the information given, somewhat like articles in the news.” * “If the purpose of the blog is to inform and entertain similar to that of a newspaper, magazine, etc, I would consider it journalism. Most blogs I read are personal opinions and emotions though, which 1 would not consider journalism.” Students also were concerned about the bloggers’ credibility and their editing processes. The below are some comments: * “It depends on the nature of the blog. If it’s a 6th grader telling about their day at 84 school, that’s in no way a form of journalism. If the nature of the blog is educational, political, and entertainments then yes it can be a form of journalism.” "‘ “I think blogs are an unprofessional form of journalism because any one can have one. A journalist went to school and proved to be worthy to land a job.” * “I think blogs can be a form of journalism because we discussed this question in my JRN 108 class. And from that discussion I came to the decision that regularly completed regulated blogs on a creditable site by a creditable source are a form of journalism.” * “Sometimes they can provide a service of informing and entertaining, but because the person writing usually doesn't have an editing and isn't responsible for their mistakes, it's hard to give them the label.” Contrariety, some students had different thoughts of the different forms of publishing. One student said, “You can do some informal writing on issues on it.” Another student said, “I define journalism as any type of expression through media that reaches other people. Often times blogs may not contain accurate or newsworthy information, but they can tell stories... which I consider to be journalistic.” Students who “often” thought that blogs were a form of journalism compared blogs with other media as well as joumalism’s characteristics. One student said, “It is just an easier means of media then waiting on a television show.” The other student said, 85 “News is going online whether we like to admit it or not. For example, the Brian Ross . Investigative Unit on ABC News now has their own blog called the Blotter that employs real people.” Another student said, “I think blogs are a new form of journalism. I spend the majority of my day reading recognized (established) newspapers, magazines, and news shows through online blogs than I do reading or watching their printed or televised forms.” Some students pointed out their definitions of journalism and why blogs fall under journalism. Comments included: * “Journalism is a form of expressing yourself through words and so is a blog.” * “They include writing, grammar, and published information.” * “Joumalism requires skill and some type of training, so in that way it isn't. Journalism does give us news and info, so in that case it is.” * “Because some people use their blogs to better their writing as aspiring journalists, and also some blogs publish facts by capable writers that can be considered as strong and thought-out or even better than some of the opinions and facts published in news.” * “Most blogs give false information, but false information can still count as journalism. It is bad journalism, but it still counts.” Other students discussed the style and presentation forms of journalism and blogs. 86 Their comments included: * “I believe that any kind of writing is a form of journalism. It doesn't matter what format it is presented in.” * “Even if the person is simply writing about their day and what went on it, it's a form of recording information that someone, somewhere in the world might find useful.” * “Blogs are a source of news, whether novel or not. They also provide comment and analysis, albeit sometimes skewed.” * “Bloggers are usually describing an event or experience, in a way a journalist writes about news events.” Students who thought blogs as journalism “all the time” had similar concepts as those who chose “often” thought of the idea. In addition, they discussed more about the nature of journalism. The below were some of their comments: * “Journalism is in fact a journal of current occurrences. So whether the blog is personal or political it is documenting life and the random events that newspaper and other news programs bring.” * “It is a format of publishing one's thoughts and/or reporting on an event people are interested in.” * “Blogs are sequences of one's thoughts or ideas, which fall under journalism.” 87 * “I consider journalism any kind of free speech that is written down, as long as there is no slander in it.” Other students focused on the conversations between readers and blogs compared to journalism. Comments included: * “Because you are writing and allowing others to view it and obtaining the news or knowledge you are sharing in your blog. Even if you're not getting paid or even you’re doing it for a reason other than fun, it's still journalism.” * “I write in my blog to practice my writing. I write about personal things, but I write in a journalistic way. I don't write like normal teenagers do, using slang and bad grammar. I write in an interesting manner, inviting people to read what is important to me.” * “The Book The diary of a clandestine Iraqi, taken from a blog gave a strong representation of the trials and tribulations.” These answers show that these college students still had certain expectations of professional journalists, concerning their performance. Content was the key factor affecting students’ perceived ways of blogs and journalism. Too many personal opinions wouldn’t be deemed as informative news to most of the students. However, some students said it does not matter if the content is political or personal; they are both information to some degree and can be viewed as journalism. Whether blogs were 88 considered journalism depends on people’s definitions of journalism and blogs. Students also compared the presentation forms and the communicating ways between journalism and blogs to seek the similarity or differences. The credibility was crucial for those students who never viewed blogs as journalism because they barely trusted blog content. Overall, blogs are still a new style of expressing people’s thoughts, especially which everyone can express and communicate with each other conveniently. Due to the broad range of types and topics presented on blogs, students currently defined blogs based on personal experiences and their views of journalism. College Students ' Other Thoughts of Blogs The questionnaire asked students to share their thoughts about blogs and about viewing blogs as a replacement of or supplement to other media. In general, students thought blogs would be a supplement rather than replacement to other media. The mainstream media such as newspapers and TV were more credible to most of the students, and blogs had really different characteristics and standings on media. One student said, “I think blogs can be a great supplement to existing news media, but never a replacement because it is never known exactly where the information is coming from.” Another added, “I don’t usually read blog. The only time I do is when there is nothing else to do. For instance, if there is nothing on TV or on the radio, I use blogs as an alternative form 89 of entertainment.” Credibility was important for students in determining blogs’ relationship with other media. For example, a student said, “I don't think blogs should replace other media; they can be a supplement of newspapers and magazines, but they aren't trustworthy enough to be on their own.” Other comments included: * “The only reason I would be hesitant to replace blogs for another media is that blogs can be used by anyone. It seems to me that other forms of media have a greater screening of people that present information and a more established code of ethics. Blogs are interesting because it seems as though they are a form of media which is uninfluenced and uncorrupted by outside media forces. The information presented in blogs is presented with what seems to be honorable motivation.” * “The only thing I don’t favor in reading blogs is their opinions often sway their dialogue. They lose their credibility when they flame online or use their emotions to hurt others.” * “I feel that blogs provide additional information and thoughts that I may be looking for. Sometimes I feel as if I cannot trust some of the creditability of certain Web sites as they can be biased. However, if I find a blog created by someone who I know I can trust then 1 am more likely to turn to their blog for information.” 90 Other students had different thoughts about blogs. One student said, “I feel blogs are taking over the mainstream media. I believe that blogs have more credible source of information because anyone can blog. Professional athletes’ blog, and they can tell about their daily activities as a professional athlete without someone from the NY Times misquoting them. I like blogs and will continue reading them.” Another student said, “I prefer to read my news on print, but I prefer reading news on blogs over news on TV. With a magazine, newspaper, or blog, I can read what I want when I want, unlike with TV. Personal blogs are a great way to read about what friends have been up to, read about people's opinions, and to get updates on the development of projects. However, I think the best blogs are group ones, like Wikipedia. I think Wikipedia is one of the most important Web sites of all time.” Some students viewed blogs as future media. One said, “I think blogs are the future of journalism, but it’s a long time in the future.” Another said, “I think blogs are fine; it would maybe be okay if they were slowly integrated into regular media use, but not to replace the other forms that we have learned to love.” Some students expressed their feelings of this new kind of communication. Comments included: * “Blogs are a less formal means of communication, and that is why I like them. 91 Information and spelling are less critical, and more fun for me to read.” * “I prefer face-to-face, e-mails, or phone calls as forms of communication; face-to-face' are the most preferred to me. I don't like the fact that we are so distanced in society. It is good for communicating with people far away, but for people communicating locally, it's a shame.” * “The intemet is a rapidly growing source of daily information. I barley watch TV or read the paper anymore. Blogs can help replace some of the editorials found else where.” * “Blo gs are fun because they are regular people, people like you, or people you have or never will have a personal (real-life) encounter with but you can still understand and be apart of their life through what they say in blogs and how they feel or look at the world.” Personal interests and content were also important to students’ motivations to participate in blogs. College students especially like sports and entertainment content. One student said. “I like reading sports blogs more than any other because they generally incorporate humor, and put the spotlight on sports stories you wouldn't see on sports center. Often they will have candid photo of athletes’, and other information you couldn't find on mainstream media. The trick is to understand which blogs to trust, and 92 which blogs to use only for entertainment purposes.” Other comments included: * “I don't really care about blogs. I like sports information. Any blogs with sports information I would read, or entertainment!” * “Personal blogs are dumb. News and ethnographic blogs are an interesting way to share an experience” * “I think good writers can write interesting blogs that would keep reader's attentions. My favorite columnist is ESPN's Bill Simmons who writes many articles as well as blogs or running diaries for the ESPN Web site. I think blogs are more professional than live journals and that’s why I had one going for a while. I wanted to write about the college experience in a creative and humorous fashion, however, it soon became a hassle. But it was fun while it lasted.” lntemet access also affected students’ participating degree. One student said, “I really have no interest in blogs. It could be because I don’t have 24 hour access to a computer, or because I am too busy to sit and read blogs.” Blog environment was also important for students’ decision to share their thoughts. Many online communities such as Myspace and Facebook integrated blog functions for users to post. One student said, “The online community (let's say Myspace) is something I prefer to stay away from. However, I am tempted to start a blog again, but on something that has no or much less 93 advertisement than Myspace—and a better community.” Other students were concerned about the blog information in the public sphere. One said, “I'm worrying about privacy problems.” Another said, “I feel corporate companies should not use blogs. Blogs should not be a way of advertising or public relations. It should only be for entertainment.” To sum up, college students observed the emergence of blogs and felt it is becoming more and more popular. Most students thought blogs were an informal and open way for anyone to communicate directly. Therefore, students see blogs as a supplement to other media such as newspaper and TV, which they trust to a greater degree. Credibility, personal interests and content affected their motivations to participate in blogs. For students who wanted to share their thoughts, they cared about the community and advertisements of blogs. Some students viewed blogs as a form of journalism and admired the way to communicate and the variety as well as the in-depth content. Other students found the unique content that they couldn’t find in other media. Most students read blogs for fun, kill time, to be entertained and get information from their friends as well as other sources they trust. Those who didn’t participate in blogs didn’t trust the content and sources on blogs. They also preferred to get information from the traditional media. Furthermore, they had 94 bad impressions of personal blogs and thought personal blogs were useless. Other students concerned the privacy and blog environment. Overall, students saw blogs as having a certain standing in the media environment and were a supplement to other media. Blog using seems to have become common in some college students’ lives compared to other media because students had easy access to lntemet and they spent lots of time online. College students participated in blogs in a variety ways. In addition, the definitions and concepts of blogs were vague and wide ranging for college students. Every student defines blogs themselves and uses blogs in their own ways. However, blogs’ ways of presenting information and the characteristic that enable everyone to participate are characteristics that give blogs a unique standing among media. Discussion The thesis applied previous studies’ findings to blogs and college students. Overall, two of the three hypotheses were inconsistent with the previous studies. Hypothesis 1 found that college students’ time spent on blogs had very weak to almost no correlations with their perceived credibility of blog compared to other media. Johnson and Kaye (2004) found that blog reliance was the only predictor of bloggers’ perceived credibility of 95 blogs. Greer indicated that users’ time spent online was a strong indicator of their perceived credibility of online information. The finding in hypothesis 1 was inconsistent with previous findings. Unlike previous studies, the thesis studied college students and compared different levels of blog users’ time as the predictor of their perceived credibility of blogs. This different and limited population might be one of the reasons that the study found different result. However, the qualitative descriptions in this study found that the relationships were recursive. It was not only the time spent on blogs would affect students’ perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media, but also that students’ perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media would affect their time spent on blogs. Some students said that if blogs had more credible content then they would like to spent time on blogs. Factors that affected college students’ perceptions of blogs’ credibility were complicated and most were based on personal standards and experiences. Johnson and Kaye (2004) asked bloggers to rate their reliance on blog in a 5 point scale. Rather than reliance, this thesis examined degree of participation with blogs. Therefore, participation degree differed from reliance. Reliance meant that users relied on certain media to find their sources; participation degrees focused on their different levels of behaviors when students participated in blogs. This study classified participation degree as updating 96 content on students’ own blogs, reading other people’s blogs, and posting comments on other people’s blogs. The findings related to hypothesis 2 showed a negative correlation between how often students updated their own blogs and their perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media. How often students read other people’s blogs also had a negative correlation with their perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media. However, how often students posted comments on other people’s blogs had a positive correlation with their perceived credibility of blogs. Overall, the correlations found in testing hypothesis 2 also were very weak. The qualitative descriptions illustrated why. these findings were inconsistent. College students had different reasons to participate in blogs, and blog credibility is not the only factor would affect their participating levels. In addition, Gunther (1992) found that the greater involvement with media content, the higher degree of skepticism the users would have than less involving content, at least for news information. This may explain the negative correlations found in testing hypothesis 2. Hypothesis 3 found that using more than one presentation form in blog content made college students most likely to trust the information. College students had the lowest trust when text was the only the presentation form. The use of links to other sites, 97 the use of videos, the use of photographs, and the use of audios made college students more likely to trust the information on blogs. Students who had blogs and who read other people’s blogs were slightly more likely to trust the information on blogs than those who didn’t have blogs and who didn’t read other people’s blogs. Research question I focused on how and why college students participated in blogs. The findings were consistent with Pew studies (Lenhart & Madden, 2005 ; Lenhart & Fox, 2006), but college students liked entertainment content more than the average bloggers. The same as PSRAI’s study (PSRAI, 2006), college students participated most in personal blogs, but students paid less attention to politics and government blogs than the 233 adult bloggers. In addition to personal blogs, students especially focused on entertainment and lifestyle blogs. They also participated in sports and fashion blogs. The gender differences in blog using were consistent with the teenagers but were inconsistent with adult bloggers. The results showed that different variables such as different ages, affect blog use. Most of adult bloggers in Johnson and Kaye’s (2004) study were male, but female students participate in blogs more than male students in this study. Female students liked fashion and beauty content more than male students while male students focused more on sports and technology. One third of college students had their own blogs; two third of students read other 98 people’s blogs; more than one third posted comments on other peoples’ blogs. Blog credibility and content were key factors that affected their blog participation behaviors. Who wrote the content on blog also affected their willingness to read or not. Most of students participated in blogs to stay in touch with friends and family as well as being entertained. They also liked to seek information and shared experiences to others. Students who didn’t read blogs tended to doubt the credibility of blogs and didn’t trust the blogs. The reasons they didn’t participate in blogs were mostly because they didn’t have time and were uninterested in the topics. Although the quantitative results showed no strong relationship between the time and participation degree college students spent and their perceived credibility of blogs, the qualitative parts did shed light on the blog behaviors of some students. Data addressing research question 2 indicated that the amount of time college students spent on blogs were positively correlations with time spent on online news sites, on online TV news, and on online magazines. Time spent on certain kind of content also had positive correlations between traditional way and online form. Answers to research question 3 found that college students saw blogs as less credible than other media with the same content. Four kinds of blog credibility had positive correlations with most of the media and had the stronger correlations with each other. Different media with the 99 similar content had stronger positive correlations between each other than with other media. The credibility of media with fashion content had strong correlations to the credibility of media with entertainment content. Research question 4 asked what factors were correlated with blogs’ credibility. College students’ said the credibility of blogs would be affected if the blogs had grammar errors, factual errors, used unnamed sources, gave only one side of controversy, and had in-depth content. College students were concerned the correct and balanced blog content more than the backgrounds of bloggers as well as blog environment when talking about perceived blog credibility. This finding could be illustrated by the qualitative descriptions students provided about if they view blogs as a form of journalism. They more or less adopted the standards of journalism to blogs. College students accepted and even admired the informal and free styles of blogs as a way to communicate with each other. In addition, they liked to read interesting content, and they didn’t care much if bloggers were celebrities, blogger’s political backgrounds, and if blogs had advertisements on them. In research question 5, most of the students occasionally viewed blogs as a form of journalism. They also thought blogs were a supplement to other media rather than a replacement. The variety of blog topics and the ability of everyone to blog gave blogs a 100 unique position on media. Students had to judge what to believe, what not to trust, or just had fun and didn’t care. Students also participated in grouped blogs from online communities. Some students were concerned about the communities as good environments to blog and the privacy issues. The most interesting finding in this study to college students is that the traditional concept of blogs has changed. Because of the variety of blog topics and the freedom to participate in blogs, college students view blogs as having many functions. Blogs nowadays are used to present leverage information instead of the traditional concepts of blogs. The traditional “Web logs” have been changed into “We blog” (The Economist, 2006) that one or more people read, discuss, or create content in the certain places online. Students view blogs from a form of journalism to personal diaries. They can not only find information in blogs, but they can also network through these blogs. The more important is that they use blogs to meet their media needs, and they integrated different elements from other media such as newspapers, TVs, magazines, and radios into blogs. Students judge and define blogs themselves, and they are the souls to form blogs. This might explain the different results found in this study compared to the previous studies. 101 Limitations In order to get rich data to explore college students’ blog use and perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media, the study used purposive sampling. It was impossible to generalize to other people, but the data represented 676 college students from different majors, nationalities, and from freshmen to senior students. In addition, the data included students with different levels of blogging from non-bloggers to bloggers. The questionnaire was conducted online and was self-administrated, which might increase the 6% to 9%- missing data of the 676 students because students might drop answering in the middle of the surveys. However, these didn’t affect the results because there were still over 620 students on average to answer all the questions. Conclusions The thesis findings differed from previous studies. First, the relationships of student’s time spent on blogs and their perceived credibility of blogs were inconsistent with past research. It appears the relationships were recursive. It was not only the time spent on blogs that affected students’ perceived credibility of blogs compared to other media, but it also appears that students’ perceived credibility of blogs compared to other 102 media affected their time spent on blogs. However, data indicated that the relationship was weak. In addition, the relationships between college students’ time spent on blogs, participation degrees with blogs, and their perceived credibility of blogs are complicated and are related to each other. Therefore, time and participation degrees were not the only indicators to affect college students’ perceived credibility. Second, college students don’t perceive blog credibility as high as newspapers and TVs. Although most students occasionally view blogs as a form of journalism, the variety of blog topics and the fieedom everyone has to participate in blogs seemed to influence students’ perceptions that other media had higher credibility. Students perceive online video sites’ credibility lowest. When talking about credibility, students pay attention to if the content was accurate, balanced and if the content has in-depth information. Content more than distribute system is related to credibility. They pay less attention to the bloggers’ political backgrounds and if there are advertisements on blogs. They also perceive the credibility of different media with sports and news content high. Among blogs, they like to participate in personal, entertainment, lifestyles, sports, and fashion blogs. However, college students decide what to trust and what not to trust based on their personal experiences. They judge and define the blog credibility themselves and each student varies. 103 Third, college students use lots of different types of online and non-online media. They spend 100 minutes on TV, 67.83 minutes on other online sites, 26.14 minutes on radio, 23.21 minutes on online news sites, 19.32 minutes on blogs, and 17 minutes on newspapers. They also spend their time on magazines, online TV news, online magazines, and online radio. Time spent on blogs had positive correlations with other online media. Most of the time spent on different online media was positively correlated to each other. In addition, time spent on traditional media also had positive correlations with time spent on online media. Different media with the similar content had stronger positive correlations between each other than with other media. Furthermore, time spent on radio had positive correlations with time spent on other media. Fourth, college students use blogs for different reasons. They looked for interesting and entertaining content to network, gossip, research, or to kill time. Personal interests and whether their significant others such as friends or family blog were key factors affecting their willingness to keep up with the updated content on blogs. They set their own rules and personalized blogs, whether they are content creators or blog readers. College students especially like personal, entertainment, lifestyles, sports, and fashion content. The gender differences in blog using were consistent with the teenage bloggers but were inconsistent with adult bloggers. Female students use blogs more than 104 male students and female students started to use blogs earlier than male students. Using more than one type of presentation form makes college students more likely to trust the blog information. The result also shows that blogs present with various elements such as text, Web links, photos, videos, soundtracks, and illustrators. Most college students view blogs as a supplement of other media. Blogs can be anything for college students. What is a blog? The definitions of blogs varied significantly among college students in this study. Because the unique characteristics that users can customized and “you’re your own blogs,” the definitions of blogs were broader and were more flexible. More and more corporations created blogs in order to communicating more directly to their potential audiences. Online communities also integrated the functions of blogs, which enabled users to blog and subscribe. Students can network, discuss things, be entertained, publish online content, or had personal media to broadcast. Blogs presented and acted in different positions in college students’ worlds. Blogs can communicate one way, two ways or multi-ways. Its emerging represented the ideal free speech and the interaction characteristics of Web 2.0. Users enjoyed the way to communicate and also judged blogs in their own ways. The thesis studied blogs’ credibility compared to other media. However, do blogs need to build their credibility? Previous studies focused on seeking blogs’ credibility, especially for 105 political blogs and news-oriented blogs, which engaged to be pundits. For college students, content and entertainment were more important as their reasons to participate in blogs. Students who didn’t use blogs said they didn’t trust the content or sources and even thought blogs were junk. For college students, blogs were not more credible than other media. However, most of them occasionally viewed blogs as a form of journalism and they more or less adopted the standards of journalism credibility to blogs. Why students view certain types of blogs a form of journalism? Why students apply some standards of journalism to different types of blogs? Are these standards important to bloggers? Perhaps the idea of citizen journalism, “people without professional journalism training can use the tools of modern technology and the global distribution of the lntemet to create, augment or fact—check media on their own or in collaboration with others” (Glasser, 2004), can provide some clues for these questions. Some students said they liked to use blogs for in-depth information more than other media. Other than being entertainment, students use blogs to get informed and network with others. Therefore, future studies can try to understand how college students use blogs as a supplement or replacement to other media. Blogs are getting more popular. The concept of blogs has taken on many 106 meanings it did not initially have. Understanding how users and non-users perceive blogs as well as how people use blogs as a supplement to other media is interesting and important. The concept of blogs is still evolving and different age groups have different ways to participate in blogs. This study focused on college students, a new population which previous studies didn’t target in. The different results show that the concepts of blogs and the ways to participate in blogs are changing. What do blogs mean for college students? In addition to the definition of “a frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links,” what are blogs being used as a tool for different-users? Previous studies showed the growing number of bloggers and the diffusion of blog activities. In the past, studies and media focused on how blogs built their credibility, how blogs informed, and the ways bloggers participated in. Through this study, the data showed that college students view blogs from different angles. Does the term “blog” still convey the same meaning as in the past? When we talk about blogs, are they referring to personal diaries, information sharing discussions, or the in-depth feature issue site? For college students, are blogs still online journals, or are a form of social network tool? Future studies should survey a larger sample to look at the differences of students’ perceived credibility and blog usage between different participation degrees and their 107 using time. Having larger numbers of students in groups with different participation degrees would be better to compare and correlate with their perceived blog credibility. In addition, future researches can use qualitative methods to understand how people use blogs with other media and how they perceive blogs. Furthermore, what are blogs for college students compared to other population? Will blog using affect college students’ other media usage? How will college students use blogs to create contents, to voice, or to network? Will different culture and environments affect college students’ blog using? How do blogs fit in the categories of mass communication, interpersonal communication, or both? In addition to perceived blog credibility of, future studies can also study the community network of blogs and why blogs have certain degree of importance in their media use. 108 APPENDICES 109 APPENDICES Table A1 The Courses Participated in the Survey Course Title Student number ADV3 75 Consumer Behavior 1 1 1 JRN108 Introduction to Mass Media 240 JRN345 Images and Messages 38 JRN 370 Social group 52 COM325 Interpersonal Influence & Conf 63 TC100 The lnforrnation Society 191 TC201 Introduction to Telecommunication Technology 133 Table A2 Questionnaire Thank you for your participating in this online survey. It is being conducted by a graduate student in the School of Journalism, and it concerns your Weblog habits and measures your trust and the believability of content on Weblogs and in other media. The questionnaire will be closed on April 2nd. Here is an online survey in which you may participate. Your participation is voluntary and you may refuse to participate in certain procedures or answer certain questions or discontinue your participation at any time without penalty or loss of benefits. You will receive extra credit in this course if you participate and submit the questionnaire. Although we hope you answer every question, if you choose not to answer some of the questions you will still receive extra credit. It is being conducted by a graduate student in the School of Journalism, and it concerns your blog habits and measures your 110 trust and the believability of content on blogs and in other media. You will be asked about your reading and posting habits on blogs. The study also asks your habits using other media and your trust of different types of content used on blogs. In order that the results will truly represent your perceptions of blogs, it is important that you complete and return the questionnaire. It takes only about 15 minutes to fill out. You indicate your voluntary agreement to participate by completing and returning this questionnaire. There are no known risks associated with participation in this survey. Although you will receive extra credit when you submit the questionnaire, you will receive no other direct benefit from this study. You may be assured of complete confidentiality and your privacy will be protected to the maximum extent allowable by law. Your name will only be used to add the extra credit as the reward of your voluntarily participating in this survey. This study is not connected with any commercial enterprise. Results will be published in master thesis. If you have any questions about this study, please contact the investigator, J ih-Hsuan Lin, at (517) 402-7439, or email me at linjihhs@msu.edu. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your rights as a study participant, or are dissatisfied at any time with any aspect of this study, you may contact - anonymously, if you wish - Peter Vasilenko, Ph.D., Director of the Human Subject Protection Programs at Michigan State University, by phone: (517) 355-2180, fax: (517) 432-4503, email: irb@msu.edu, or regular mail: 202 Olds Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824. Sincerely, Jih-Hsuan Lin linjihhs@msu.edu Master student in Journalism Department Advisors: Stephen Lacy slacy@msu.edu Lucinda Davenport ludavenp@msu.edu Nicole Ellison nellison@msu.edu 111 In order that all survey participants share a common understanding of the nature of blogs, this survey defines blogs as online journals consisting of brief entries displayed in chronological order on a page. They can include texts, photos, audios, and videos. 1. Do you have your own blog? (Please check the box.) (1) DYes (2) 0N0 (11' no, please go to Question 7.) 2. If Yes to question 1, then how many blogs do you have? (Please choose one) C11 C12 D3 El4 DSormore 3. How long ago did you start your first blogs? (Please choose one) (1) SIX months or 1688 (4) TWO years to three yeargm (2) Six months to about a year ( 5) More than three years (3) A year to two years 4. What kinds of topics do you discuss in your blog(s)? (Please check all that apply.) (1) Business Yes No (2) Beauty and Fashions Yes No (3) Entertainment Yes No (4) Environment Yes No (5) Faith and Spiritual Yes No (6) Games Yes No (7) lntemet (Web design.) Yes No (8) Lifestyle (ex. dating) Yes No (9) News-oriented Yes No ( l 0) Political Yes No ( 1 1) Personal Yes No (12) Religious Yes No (13) Sports Yes No ( l 4) Technology Yes No (15) Others Yes No 5. How often do you put new content on your blog(s)? (Please choose one.) (1) More than once a day (4) Once per week (2) Once a day (5) Once per month ( 3) Once every three days (6) Once per half year 6. Why do you create and maintain your blogs? (Mark all that apply) (1) To express yourself creatively (2) To document your personal experiences or share them with others (3) To stay in touch with friends and family (4) To share practical knowledge or skills with others (5) To motivate other people to action (6) To entertain people and yourself. (7) To record information that is important to you (8) To influence the way other people think (9) To network or to meet new people (10) To make money (1 1) To kill time (12) To get information (13) Other 7. Do you read other people’s blogs? (1) Dyes If no:The reason: (2) ENG When finished, please go to Q. 12 8. If you answer yes above, how long ago did you start reading other people’s blogs? (Please choose one.) (1) Six months or less (4) Two years to three years (2) Six months to about a year (5) More than three years (3) A year to two years 9. How often do you read other people’s blogs? (Please choose one.) (1) Less than 1 time per month (4) 11-20 times per month (2) 1-5 times per month (5) 21-30 times per month (3) 6-10 times per month (6) More than 30 times per month 113 10. Why do you read other people’s blogs? (Mark all that apply.) (I) To stay in touch with friends and family (2) To be entertained (3) To'record information that is important to you (4) To network or to meet new people (5) To make money. (6) To kill time (7) To get information (8) Other 11. Do you read blogs with the following topics? (Mark all that apply.) (1 ) Business Yes No (2) Beauty and Fashions _ Yes No (3) Entertainment Yes No (4) Environment f Yes No (5) Faith and Spiritual ' Yes No (6) Games . Yes No (7) Internet (Web design.) Yes No (8) Lifestyle (ex. dating) Yes No (8) News-oriented Yes No (9) Political Yes No (1 0) Personal Yes No (1 1) Religious . _ Yes No (12) Sports Yes No (1 3) Technology Yes No (14) Others . Yes No 12. How often do you post (put information/comment on) in other people’s blogs? (Please choose one.) ’ (1) Never (please go to Q. 15) (4) 11-20 times per month (2) 1-5 times per month (5) 21-30 times per month (3) 6-10 times per month (6) More than 30 times per month 114 13. If you do post in other people’s blogs, do you post about the following topics? (Mark all that apply.) (1) Business Yes No (2) Beauty and Fashions Yes No (3) Entertainment Yes No (4) Environment Yes No (5) Faith and Spiritual Yes No (6) Games Yes No (7) lntemet (Web design.) Yes No (8) Lifestyle (ex. dating ) Yes No (9) News-oriented Yes No (10) Political Yes No (1 1 ) Personal Yes No (12) Religious Yes No (13) Sports Yes No (14) Technology Yes No (15) Others Yes No 14. If you post in other people’s blogs, which of the following reasons explain why you do this? (Please mark all that apply.) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) To express yourself creatively To document your personal experiences or share them with others To stay in touch with friends and family To share practical knowledge or skills with others To motivate other people to action To entertain people and myself To record information that is important to you To influence the way other people think To network or to meet new people To make money To kill time To get information Other 115 Please read the following statements and mark the extent (from strongly disagree to strongly agree) to which you disagree or agree with the statements. 15. The use of text in a blog makes me more likely to trust the information. UStrongly disagree DDisagree DSlightly disagree DNeither agree nor disagree lIlSlightly agree ElAgree UStrongly agree 16. The use of photographs in a blog makes me more likely to trust the the information. DStrongly ClDisagree USlightly UNeither USlightly UAgree DStrongly disagree disagree agree nor agree agree disagree 17. The use of videos in a blog makes me more likely to trust the information. lIlStrongly DDisagree DSIightly DNeither DSlightly ClAgree ClStrongly disagree disagree agree nor agree agree disagree 18. The use of audio recordings in a blog makes me more likely to trust the information. DStrongly disagree DDisagree DSlightly disagree DNeither agree nor disagree DSlightly agree UAgree DStrongly agree 19. The use of links to other Web sites in a blog makes me more likely‘to trust the information. DStrongly DDisagree DSlightly DNeither DSlightly DAgree ClStrongly disagree disagree agree nor agree agree disagree 116 20. Using more than one type of presentation (writing, video, photography, audio or links) in a blog makes me more likely to trust the information. Strongly Disagree disagree Slightly disagree Neither agree nor disagree Slightly agree Agree Strongly agree 21. How do the following characteristics of blogs increase or decrease your trust of the blogs you read? 1 2 3 4 5 Decreases Decreases Doesn’t Increases Increases my trust my trust matter my trust my trust greatly slightly slightly greatly Blogs that have Spelling/ grammar mistakes Blogs that have factual errors Blogs that have corrections of previous mistakes Blogs that use unnamed SOUI'CCS Blogs that have advertisements on them Blogs that give only one side of controversy Blogs that have in-depth information Bloggers who want to change my opinion about something Bloggers who publish under nicknames Bloggers who are celebrities The political background of a blogger 117 How much time do you spend with these types of media each day? (If you listen to the radio and read newspaper at the same time for an hour, please fill out 60 minutes in radio and 60 minutes in newspapers.) 22.Blogs minutes 23. minutes Newspapers 24. minutes Televisions 25. minutes Magazines 26. Radios minutes 27. Online news sites 28. Online TV entertainment sites 29. Online magazines 30. Online radio sites 31. Other online sites 32. Do you think blogs are a form of Journalism? minutes minutes minutes minutes minutes DNOt at all CIOccasionally DOften DAII the time [Never thought about it 33. Why did you select the answer above in question 32? 34. In general, how trustworthy do you find the media listed below? (Please choose one from 1 to 5 for each category.) 1 2 3 4 5 Not trustworthy at all ____> highly trustworthy News-oriented blogs Entertainment blogs Sports blogs Fashion blogs The news section of newspapers 118 Entertainment news in newspapers Sports news in newspapers Fashion news in newspapers TV local, national and international news TV entertainment shows TV sports shows TV fashion shows Radio local, national and international news Radio entertainment shows Sports on radio Fashion shows on radio News magazines Entertainment magazines Sports magazines Fashion magazines Video sites, such as YouTube Please leave your information, and all the information will be confidential. 35. Gender: DFemale DMale 36. Where do you live: Don campus EJoff campus 37. What type of lntemet connection do you have in your current living residence (dorm, apartment, house)? DDial-up ClBroadband (Cable, ..) ClDon’t have a connection 38. What is your major? 119 39. Grade: DFreshman DSophomore ClJunior DSenior DGraduate 40. What is your nationality? 41. If you are US. citizens, what is your race? UCaucasian DAfrican-American DAsian-American DLatino DOthers 42. Please write about any thoughts you have concerning your use of blogs. (For ’ example: How do you feel about blogs as a replacement for or a supplement to using other media? Why do you think blogs are interesting? Do you have interesting experience using blogs?) Redirection page 43. Thank you for your participation. Please enter your PID, and we will add an extra credit to your course. Ex. Al 2345678) 44. Please enter your course code (ex. JRN108...): All the information is for the academic research, and will be confidential. Thank you for your voluntarily participation in this survey! 120 REFERENCES 121 REFERENCES Abel, J. D., & Wirth, M. (1977). Newspaper vs. TV credibility for local news. Journalism Quarterly, 54, 371-375. American Society of Newspaper Editors. (1999). 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