In Danah Boyd’s article “A Blogger’s Blog: Exploring the Definition of a Medium,” she takes readers through the idea of blogging and analyzes the structure, creation, and aspects of blogs. Boyd hits on the use of blogging the public sphere, but also note how the concept of blogging is misunderstood by viewers. In her article, I found it interesting that Boyd includes a description of the actual action that is blogging. She describes the “practice” of blogging and explains how bloggers build expressions pertaining to one particular topic under “the same roof,” or their specific blog (Boyd). Boyd explains that blogs are different than typical web pages because they are a collection of on going expression and not static information continually updated. Bloggers are able to identify themselves through their blog and the expressions that they include within their blog.
Boyd makes it clear that blogs serve as a medium in addition to the content they provide. Because of this, blogs will continue to play an important role in communication as well as impact “communicative and social assumptions” (Boyd).
Bloggers see their blog as a reflection of their interests and values. They also contend that the blog does not show them in entirely, but only what they choose to perform in that context. This corporeal relationship deeply affects the way in which people choose to manage their blogs. There is a sense of ownership, a sense that a blogger has the right to control what acts and speech are acceptable and to dictate the norms in general. Part of this stems from the sense that whatever others write affects the representation of the blogger, not simply of the blog. In other words, people’s additions are like graffiti on one’s body. As a result, bloggers have varying degrees of openness to how others shape their blogs. Concerns are more present in people who are negotiating larger audiences or audiences with different expectations.