A blog (web log) is a website where posts (commentaries, articles, news) on a particular subject are added regularly.
It is a process of communication, its interactive nature allows blogs to transform from a monolog to a dialog promoting a constant need for conversation.
Bring articles together
May combine text with any of the multimedia elements available on the internet (graphics, photographs, video, sound, podcast, ...)
Are published regularly (e.g. 1 article/day)
Display entries in chronological order
Create interactions amongst users as blogs allow readers to comment articles
The following information describes blogs for market research, but the structure is the same for all blogs. SDA/GIDE creates any type of blog (configuration, set up, sections, access rights, hosting, ...) so you can initiate in the blog world easily.
The blog structure allows for chronological and/or thematic readings, to follow links between posts or search by keyword.
The articles ...
Functionalities
Publication date
Title
Contents
Author
Heading
Open/Secure access
Archives
Calendar
CAWI module
Export of comments
Search box
Access to the blog
Open access to any web user
Secure access (username/password) reserved to selected web users (panelists, experts)
Role-players
1 or several moderators
Several web users
Methodology
The moderator writes and publishes an article
The web users react to the article and write their comments
Benefits and Advantages
Benefits
Advantages
Gathers first hand information
Gathers qualitative data
Implement products, communication, concept, usages and attitudes tests
Create a virtual community on the internet
Obtain web users' opinions via their comments
Interaction amongst web users
Create an exchange of mutual expression of views in the period (weeks, months, ...)
The technology implemented makes the site dynamic, stimulating and facilitating the participation of readers and other blogs
Fast implementation
Easy to use
Ease of publication thanks to the graphic interface to compose an article
Ability for readers to leave comments in real-time in an interactive format
The moderator and Web users
The moderator
Web users
Connects to the blog administration interface
Writes an article (text, images, sounds, videos, hyperlinks)
Publishes the article on the blog
Reacts to the comments responding with a comment or another article
Exports the comments to a file (all entries are time stamped)
Can contact by email the web users if secure blog
Accesses the connection statistics (number of visitors, the most read articles, the most commented on articles, ...)
They connect to the blog (open or secure access) when they wish
Read the articles
Comment on the articles (on average, some sentences)
Can contact the moderator by email
Are kept informed of updates (new article, new comment) via an email or an agregateur (software which picks up the updates published on a blog)
