Looks at first glance that most of the blogs are actually quite "fresh" - i.e. they have a post in the last 3 months, if not this month or even this week.
At least this criterion filters out pretty much all of the abandonned blogs. Maybe a stricter criterion or a random sample is needed to ensure feasibility. My time will be limited once I start work next month.
I'm beginning to lean towards using the same kind of scheme as Lee and Bates' paper, since that seems to be a pretty acceptable technique, even in a PhD paper. As long as I am applying their technique to a new dataset, a new geographical area and a new sector, I think I am very much producing something original.
Showing posts with label Samples and populations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Samples and populations. Show all posts
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
The real life of a postgrad researcher
After an hour of tramping round a deserted campus with a building site obscuring the cashpoints and no food outlets open at this hour, I am safely ensconced in the 24-hour computer lab to complete a 1-day pilot test of the blog currency criterion. Oh! for the 24-hour library... mind you, the aircon is good in here!
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
First supervision
I had my first supervision this morning and I'm just writing up the action points which came out of it. Things seem a bit clearer now and I'm quite happy that I'm more or less on the right track.
I need to work on clarifying the statement of my research questions and getting them out of my head and onto paper. I was trying to link the actual content of the blog posts to SCONUL's information literacy model but hadn't developed any clear understanding of how to do that. I think it may be more possible than I expected, given the next point:
The sample is potentially huge, since it's more or less the whole known population of these blogs, correct to the current date! However, if I cut it down to only what's current, i.e. updated in the last month, fortnight or week, it could end up being quite manageable. Hence I would only be looking at a few tens of blogs, and a more in-depth content analysis, with clear categories and some synonyms maybe, could be feasible.
So I plan to brain-storm everything I am planning so far as a mind-map, assess previous studies' coding instruments for relevancy, and go through my current draft dissertation write-up, and maybe aim to do a pilot study of the currency of the blogs to see what size sample I get left with. If it's good I may try out the SCONUL model as a source of categories (somehow!).
I need to work on clarifying the statement of my research questions and getting them out of my head and onto paper. I was trying to link the actual content of the blog posts to SCONUL's information literacy model but hadn't developed any clear understanding of how to do that. I think it may be more possible than I expected, given the next point:
The sample is potentially huge, since it's more or less the whole known population of these blogs, correct to the current date! However, if I cut it down to only what's current, i.e. updated in the last month, fortnight or week, it could end up being quite manageable. Hence I would only be looking at a few tens of blogs, and a more in-depth content analysis, with clear categories and some synonyms maybe, could be feasible.
So I plan to brain-storm everything I am planning so far as a mind-map, assess previous studies' coding instruments for relevancy, and go through my current draft dissertation write-up, and maybe aim to do a pilot study of the currency of the blogs to see what size sample I get left with. If it's good I may try out the SCONUL model as a source of categories (somehow!).
Saturday, 14 June 2008
Don't say I never give you anything!
There, the Del.icio.us list is done, and done. All that hard work is now yours for the viewing.
You can view the Big List at http://del.icio.us/ukbiblioblogosphere
The alphabetic tag list shows the blogs sorted into letter categories as well; I tagged them under initial letter (basically following the www.hero.ac.uk list of universities) as well as their city name.
The frequency listing is good for seeing which unis have the most blogs; however, this doesn't indicate how "fresh" they are, if indeed they have any posts at all!
Interesting facts so far:
You can view the Big List at http://del.icio.us/ukbiblioblogosphere
The alphabetic tag list shows the blogs sorted into letter categories as well; I tagged them under initial letter (basically following the www.hero.ac.uk list of universities) as well as their city name.
The frequency listing is good for seeing which unis have the most blogs; however, this doesn't indicate how "fresh" they are, if indeed they have any posts at all!
Interesting facts so far:
- Total UK academic library blogs listed on Del.icio.us: 135 (!)
- Most prolific blogging university library: Warwick (19 blogs)
- Strangest UK academic library blog: "Thing of the Day" at Portsmouth.
And a good night to all, that's quite enough for one day!
Ghost blogs
As I trudge through the overflowing sea of academic libary blogs, I've noticed that there are quite a few "ghost blogs" - either they never got off the ground, or they fizzled out a few feet in the air (to mix my Wild West and firework metaphors).
This is quite a pain for content analysis! I need a criterion for assessing whether the blog is "live" still, without chasing up every single author.
Probably I will borrow Walt Crawford's "any posts in the last month?" technique.
This is quite a pain for content analysis! I need a criterion for assessing whether the blog is "live" still, without chasing up every single author.
Probably I will borrow Walt Crawford's "any posts in the last month?" technique.
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Coding and coders
Having just received the coding scheme from the previous study on which this project is based, I'm quite happy that I can put something together once my supervisor finally materialises.
There are two poles I could aim at; either a large sample and a very statistical overview; or a small sample and a more qualitative investigation.
On the other hand, even with a small sample I could focus more on form (design features) of the blogs, or on their content (post topics and references).
Either way, feasibility is a major factor. One way to avoid the question almost entirely is to base my coding scheme mostly on what's gone before to aim for a good comparison; this would also mean a fairly design-oriented taxonomy which could make for less time-consuming coding.
There are two poles I could aim at; either a large sample and a very statistical overview; or a small sample and a more qualitative investigation.
On the other hand, even with a small sample I could focus more on form (design features) of the blogs, or on their content (post topics and references).
Either way, feasibility is a major factor. One way to avoid the question almost entirely is to base my coding scheme mostly on what's gone before to aim for a good comparison; this would also mean a fairly design-oriented taxonomy which could make for less time-consuming coding.
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
The Big List Part II
Well, I have hand-checked all the 210 emails that pertained to my dissertation, and noted which universities have no blog, and picked up quite a few stragglers.
It transpires that the blog count is now over 130, including all the blogs from various colleges which I doubt will get included. That is quite a few blogs!
Considering I imagine including about 200 blogs as the basic population for this study, that is a pretty high rate of blogging! Of course, a few Unis are responsible for a disproportionate number of blogs, so that skews the average quite a bit. It seems that take-up is rather patchy, with some very prominent institutions lagging behind, and a few unlikely contenders pulling all the weight.
Then again, blogging is not the be-all-and-end-all of librarianship!
It transpires that the blog count is now over 130, including all the blogs from various colleges which I doubt will get included. That is quite a few blogs!
Considering I imagine including about 200 blogs as the basic population for this study, that is a pretty high rate of blogging! Of course, a few Unis are responsible for a disproportionate number of blogs, so that skews the average quite a bit. It seems that take-up is rather patchy, with some very prominent institutions lagging behind, and a few unlikely contenders pulling all the weight.
Then again, blogging is not the be-all-and-end-all of librarianship!
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