Survey Says...

by Sean Keeley on Dec 14, 2009 1:40 PM EST

Unrelated to anything Syracuse specific, I wanted to pass along this below survey opportunity from Toby. There's no vested or financial interest in it for me, just a cool thing that I think could help in figuring out these wonderful college sports blogs we love to read and work on. Toby would really appreciate your help as he tries to work on his Master's degree. Take a few minutes and read the section below and if you have some time, hit his survey. Thanks kindly...SK.

My name is Toby Hopp and I’m a longtime college sports blogger/blog reader. I’m also a graduate communications student at San Diego State University who is interested in studying how and why Internet users generate content online. What precisely, you may be asking, is "user-generated content?" Well, "user-generated content" includes comment sections at the end of news/blog articles, messageboards, diaries, polls, and the like.

To me, one of the great parts of the blogosphere is the interaction it enables between readers. As a community, we’re able to provide feedback and discuss issues in real time. However, the concept of "user-generated content" and its subsequent social applications has not, at this point, been thoroughly studied by communications researchers and is, in my estimation, completely misunderstood by the mass media.

So, if you have 10-15 minutes to spare and support empirical media research (and the social sciences in general), please click the survey link below. Even if you NEVER create/read content on blog or newspaper websites, PLEASE consider taking the survey as your answers are as important to me as the answers supplied by individuals who DO regularly create content. Rest assured that all answers and provided information will be strictly anonymous and kept totally confidential.

Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WSQGPZ2

For those of you interested in statistics, all collected information will be scientifically analyzed and utilized to create an inherently unique structural equation model. To that end, I’ll send a report out to each participating blog which details general trends and reader utilization issues of note.

Again, please consider taking this survey (Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WSQGPZ2) whether or not you ever create or read "user –generated content" on blogs or newspaper sites. The survey itself will take 10 – 15 minutes and, I promise, will be quite painless. As stated above, research on the topic of "user-generated content" is incredibly sparse and your participation will go a long way in understanding the environmental factors that encourage meaningful intra-community participation. And, of course, you’ll be doing me a great and immeasurable favor.

The survey will be active from Monday, December 14 through Friday, December 18. Please feel free to e-mail me at thopp@mail.sdsu.edu if you have any questions relating to the survey or my over-arching methodology/conceptual framework (obviously, there’s a lot more to the study that can be reasonably described here).

Thank you for your time and please know that your participation really does mean a great deal to me on both a professional and personal level.

Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WSQGPZ2

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The honest answer to your question

and what should be the thesis to the paper: Everyone on the internet thinks they are an expert and know more than everyone else.

by ryanwk628 on Dec 14, 2009 2:09 PM EST reply actions

True but how many of us post at a lot of different blogs? I think there is a growing difference between blogs. Ones that want to let you show you are smarter than everyone else or allow you to take pot shots at everyone under the sun. And ones that have more of a focus on the actual sports discussions and exchanging ideas not yelling at each other. Think, 1st and 10 with Skip Bayless vs. PTI.

The main reason I like this blog so much is because it is about looking at the same event through a number of people’s eyes, as opposed to what a Barstoolsports or Deadspin have become in the comments section where it is more about one upsmanship. This may be because this blog has a narrower target audience than those two examples or even the ESPN comments section on individual articles.

Where else could I talk about something that is happening at Cuse is almost real time from Boston with people who are 10 years removed from college, students in college and local residents who are life long fans.

that’s my two cents on the blog thing. I’ll try to get to the survey for you this week.

by Otis Hill on Dec 14, 2009 2:27 PM EST up reply actions

Hooray Internetz

Where else could I talk about something that is happening at Cuse is almost real time from Boston with people who are 10 years removed from college, students in college and local residents who are life long fans.

Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.

by Sean Keeley on Dec 14, 2009 3:13 PM EST reply actions

Thanks!

Thanks to all of you that have participated or plan to participate!

Otis, I agree. Blogs, especially the sporting kind that we’re all fans of, play an interesting role. Sure, there’s the journalistic element and the analytical element. But they also act as media facilitators; outlets that utilize local sources (e.g. beat reporters) in a multi-dimensional and, perhaps, more meaningful way. Sure, there’s a lack of centrality in the blogosphere, but I think it’s worthwhile to consider the fact that niche audiences are and always will be important elements of mass communications. ESPN wants us to forget that, but we won’t. Or, at least I hope we don’t.

Again, thanks all. Feel free to drop me a line if you’re interested in talking about this project in a more in-depth fashion.

PS: SK is doing God’s work. What an excellent blog; you’re all spoiled.

by toby_h on Dec 14, 2009 9:17 PM EST reply actions