Thoughts on "Blogging as Social Action"

Miller and Shepherd's "Blogging as Social Action" inspired in me two thoughts for this particular post, both of which relate well to points I have made either in previous posts or in class discussion.

First, the incidents described at beginning of the article brought me back to the idea of responsibility. We've had myriad discussions (and debates) regarding the responsibilities of bloggers to represent themselves honestly. Even if all bloggers were honest, the incidents described in the article bring into relief the issue of exposure. It seems that many bloggers still use the genre as a means of personal expression on (sometimes) very private issues. Users of blogs (both readers and writers), then, must accept the "risks" inherent to their use. It's an environment of "both buyer and seller beware."

Second, the definition of genre and subsequent application of that to the blog raise intriguing questions. I like the application of the Darwinian model to genres, especially when blogging is the genre under investigation. No one can deny the reciprocal roles that culture and blogging play with one another, and it's hard to imagine blogging will "decay" as Miller suggests genres may do under the pressure of changes in social practice. So should we then break the blogs into subcategories based on form and function? The casual blogger versus the professional? If so, is there any research to suggest which style of blogging might be the fittest and will therefore survive the next evolution, or are they apples and oranges and we can find a place in the world for both?

Jake