Asking and sharing information in the blogosphere: The case of slimming blogs

The study examines the extent to which blogs are used as interactive forums in which people can ask and share information. These activities were investigated as constituents of interaction taking place in blogs. The study draws on the analysis of the postings and comments submitted to eight Finnish blogs on slimming issues. The data were examined using the category system of Interaction Process Analysis. The findings indicate that blogs provide emotionally supportive forums that mainly serve the ends of sharing information and opinion. In contrast, blogs are seldom used for articulating information needs and seeking for information. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.