Bloggers differed in the length of time spent writing posts for their blog and
performing maintenance tasks. Some bloggers reported only one hour per day blogging,
like Hardy and Wilcox. Others, like Matthew Holt of The Health Care Blog
day, but I often find a huge story and then it’s three or four hours a day. Or more.
During Hurricane Katrina, I posted every hour.” Most wrote at least one post a day, but
some did more. Myers writes six to ten posts per day. Not surprisingly, those who spent
more time blogging were the most enthusiastic about the enterprise and had the highest
levels of readership. Bloggers whose blogs overlapped with their professional lives had
difficulty isolating the time spent on efforts for the blog from the research that they
needed to do for their jobs.
The intended audience also ranged from respondent to respondent. Holt said that
his audience was not average people, but rather health care business, policy and media
types, and people in healthcare who want to make things happen. Prof. Goose said that
their audience was more elite and not “joe sixpack– average guys don’t think about this
stuff”. While McIntire-Strasburg said that he was “preaching to the choir. Everyday
average people.”
The primary purpose of the blog for these bloggers is to get the word out.
Elizabeth said, “I see my work as keeping the agenda alive. I want people to see that
work-family policy is a policy issue and not just a personal issue. We’re not just a bunch
of whining mothers.” Hardy said, “the blog is about getting the word out.” Myers said,
“it’s a way to get my ideas out about issues I care about.” Rotherham cautious that “a
blog can get the word out. It can be a platform, a soap box. But you can’t do that all the
time. You want to have an impact. Have to be selective. There’s a way to weigh into
13
Convention