Blog Audience

Constructing an effective blog demands tailoring the blog to the intended audience. Although this may seem simple, customizing an entire web page requires the modification of various minute details. Everything from design and advertising to the post content and participation can shape the audience’s perception upon viewing. To effectively analyze how these elements interact, we will take a closer look at the MMA Mania blog.

To customize a blog one must first identify the target audience. MMA Mania’s target audience are males between 15 to 25 who avidly follow mixed martial arts (MMA). To appeal to this audience, MMA Mania creates an ‘alpha male’ theme whereby viewing the blog resurrects a feeling of masculinity.  

When first entering the blog, we immediately see an octagon cage bleeding out. The site uses an octagon, which is the official shape of mixed martial art’s rings. The use of the octagon gives the appearance to MMA fans that this blog knows the intricacies of MMA and will yield important information.  This expertise is furthered by the blog’s title, MMA Mania, reflecting the extreme priority that is given to the sport.

The blood that descends from the octagon highlights the brutality of mixed martial arts. Viewers of ultimate fighting like to see vicious matches where men rip one another to pieces. For this reason, blood is shown frequently throughout the blog. One quick scroll down the page reveals gruesome pictures of a person’s head cut open while another shows an individual getting pummelled with blood streaming across his face. Having a red background colour for titles and red text for important links and information furthers the alpha male theme as it a constant reminder of the dangers in MMA.

Advertising on the side of the page also appeals to the target audience as commercials range from Bruce Lee kung-fu breakdowns to attractive blonde women wearing videogame t-shirts. These advertisements were placed on the blog as they convey masculinity and reassure the target audience that they are in the right place.

This clever use of colour and advertising create a theme that delays the target audience from exiting and thus allowing time the target audience to browse the various blog posts. The entries are comprised of pre-fight hype post-fight analysis. One such entry named “UFC146 results recap” is riddled with facts and an in-depth look at how each fighter in UFC 146 was victorious. The descriptions that the blog incorporates (“Rosario’s lethal kicks versus Miocic’s crisp punching combinations”) stirs the imagination and gives a feeling of excitement. After reading the post, the audience is left with strong opinions regarding the fight's outcome and a greater loyalty to the blog itself for the thought-provoking commentary.  

To express these opinions, the blog allows readers to debate what they feel after reading the post. The post is a continuation of the alpha male theme as reader’s square-off against one another to prove their MMA expertise. In this way, audience participation facilitates engagement in discussions and ensures the blog's success as readers often return to see if their comments face opposition.

Blog Credibility

With the Internet becoming evermore influential in our decision making, the concern whether information obtained comes from a credible source has come to the forefront. Ensuring the validity of data has become increasingly challenging as the Internet provides everyone the ability to voice their own opinions as factual. This is especially true of politically motivated blogs. The Journal of Computer MediatedCommunication concluded in a 2007 study that American’s who are “politically interested” view blogs as more credible than the mainstream media. Although I am surprised by these findings, I can understand why so many people are persuaded to perceive political blogs as trustworthy. To elaborate on the tactics blogs use to appear reliable, I will use the Glenn Beck blog as an example.

Upon entering Glenn’s blog, I immediately noticed his attempts at appearing bipartisan and reliable. For instance, his homepage is overflowing with pictures of Glenn wearing a suite and reading glasses, attire that lends audiences to deem that he is knowledgeable and responsible.

The design of the blog also reaffirms professionalism as posts are neat and orderly and appear as they would on a news blog. The top of his blog even reads “Glenn Beck The Fusion of Entertainment and Enlightenment” while the sides reveal other news stories he has commented on in the past. These factors combined with his connection to Fox news make it seem as though Glenn would be a bipartisan journalist. Upon a detailed analysis; however, his political biases become apparent.

The very first post Glenn Beck has on his blog is the “Obama’s Life History Multiple Choice Challenge”. At first one assumes that the answers to questions are based on facts and not political propaganda but that quickly changes as the game is played. The questions are asked in ways that assume Barrack Obama (President of the United States) is anti American. When the answers are revealed, they show that the president and his parents are anti-American; an assumption routed in fiction but presented as factual. To appear credible, the post also includes links of another right wing blog that verifies Obama’s ‘resentment of America’ restating the Glenn Beck post (with links back to Glenn’s blog for their vindication). Although these links may initially seem legitimate, quoting only sources that agree with your position is neither a fair nor impartial way to present a political issue.

A further indication of the blog’s right-wing bias would be the suggestion that gay marriage is not important in the election. On a post titled “Which States Does Obama’s Gay MarriageAnnouncement Affect In The Election”, Glenn points to how the ‘liberal media’ is trying to make gay marriage into an election issue so Obama can increase fundraising even though Americans could care less. He assumes that the media is trying to aid Obama in the election and that this blog is the only source for fair and bipartisan reporting. He backs his judgements with one-sided statistics of how Americans don’t care about gay marriage in an attempt to bestow enthusiasm upon his right-wing base.

To right-wing Americans, information on the Glenn Beck blog seems impartial as it looks professional, has links to other sources, and uses statistics instead of opinions. What is not clearly evident is the right-wing assumptions that are made prior to posting information and the agenda behind the message. Although most Americans may believe blogs to be credible, there is often a hidden message that can render the information unreliable.

Print Newspapers vs. Online News Papers

I often indulge in political conversations with colleagues after reading online news reports. Although the Internet regularly provides me with information, I’ve given little thought as to why I prefer to read news stories online rather than in print.  This week’s entry will gauge my perception of the news between print and Internet sources. To effectively compare the two mediums, I read an article in the Metro newspaper and then read the same article on the metro’s website. 

While reading the newspaper, I gained the impression that the information was some how out of my control. Perhaps the years of crosschecking online content with third party websites has given me an appreciation of a well-cited article. Without references indicating how statistics were generated, evaluating the accuracy of information requires supplementary investigation.

Another difference between the two mediums was the additional credibility given to the print source. While reading an online news article, I find myself questioning whether the information is being provided by someone who is trustworthy and has conducted an appropriate investigation. The freedom of information on the Internet leads me to associate an apparently reliable source like the Metro to the inaccuracies on other web-based organizations. Print sources differ as the reader makes an assumption that information must have been checked and verified more critically by an editor. When data was presented in the Metro newspaper, I perceived that a high standard of journalism was used to gain that information.

I also noticed a significant literary difference between the two sources. Although the two articles were identical, the newspaper seemed to command a higher English mastery than the online source. It appears that due to the types of online activities I am accustom, videos and music, there was an assumption that all Internet activities are for pleasure. The newspaper; however, reminded me of reports and literature I review through academia. This gave the impression that the newspaper’s purpose was not one of enjoyment but of learning instead.

These factors lead to a difference in the way I consumed the information. When I read through the online article, I immediately began to question every line that was written and found myself constantly fact checking through other online sources. I was sceptical of everything I read because I felt that there was a possibility of errors in the author’s judgement. After reading the online article, I surprisingly felt convinced that the information I had just read was accurate. This was because of the constant scrutiny applied during the reading process.

After reading the newspaper; however, I did not get this same sense of gratification that the information was correct. While reading, I continually got the feeling that the newspaper was rushed to print and the story could have changed from the time the paper was printed. Online articles can be updated to account for up-to-the-minute changes but a newspaper is only as accurate as the information found the night before printing. The lack of extremely recent information combined with an inability to confirm facts resulted in my diminished confidence in print news. 

Introductory Post

The first week of spring semester is one of uneasy nervousness combined with the expectation of academic overexertion. Although I have taken spring courses in the past, this semester seems surreal; effort will no longer be devoted to long nights before examinations but steadily throughout the semester in the form of personal blogs.

My excellence in academia stems from a strong sense of urgency I acquire the night preceding a test. This semester, with constant deadlines and a regular schedule of deliverables, I fear that urgency could dissipate resulting in lower performance.

 

A flexible academic schedule does allow for a better work-life balance. Currently working for an oil company, I am expected to work 40 hours per week. Although my job provides me with economic freedom, the time I devote to studying is often limited. I look forward to a semester where this impediment is eliminated.