IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Mar 2009

Tech Talk: An Investigation of Blogging in Technology Innovation Discourse

Elizabeth Davidson University of Hawaii System ; Emmanuelle Vaast Long Island University

Abstract

Web logs, or ldquoblogs,rdquo are fast developing in diverse social and business contexts as influential sources of discourse, knowledge, and community development. In this paper, we investigate an aspect of blogging highly relevant to professional communication: the fast-developing world of ldquotech blogging.rdquo Tech blogs are blogs that focus on information technology innovation and the high-tech industry. We examine nine months of blog entries gathered by an internet aggregator site dedicated to technology news and commentary. Our analysis provides insights on the discourse of tech bloggers and an elite subgroup (ldquoA-list bloggersrdquo), on the discursive practices of this virtual community, and on issues of identity and legitimacy. Our findings hold implications for tech bloggers as well as for managers who need to navigate the expanding blogosphere and for technical communicators who can benefit from using the information that tech bloggers produce.

Journal
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published
2009-03-01
DOI
10.1109/tpc.2008.2012285
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
discourse analysis technical communication professional writing digital rhetoric
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Friess (2019)
    Scrum Language Use in a Software Engineering Firm: An Exploratory Study
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Pitt et al. (2011)
    The Social Media Release as a Corporate Communication Tool for Bloggers
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

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CrossRef global citation count: 24 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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