The bloggers in this study consist of three groups of people: diaspora Nigerians, home-based Nigerians and a few non-
Nigerians blogging on / about Nigeria. The 2007 Elections provided an avenue for Nigerians at home and abroad to
collaborate on the electoral process via weblogs and offer suggestions about the way forward for the country politically.
5. CHARACTERIZING BLOGGERS' ACTIVITIES
Linguistic elements, particularly textual devices, are the main building blocks with which bloggers construct ideals and
report events for their audiences. As social workers, bloggers employ texts to convey sentiments, transmit ideas,
criticize anti-social practices, confront anti-people policies, and proffer plausible solutions (either implicitly or
explicitly) to fundamental problems in society.
We commence our classification of bloggers' activities by briefly commenting on the humorous but satirical blog post
by Ijebuman's Diary (11 April 2007):
Characteristics of a naija politician
sElection 2007 (4 days(state)/11 days(federal) to go)
a blog entry on the Nigerian elections in April 2007.
Politicus Naijarius
Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.
- Nikita Khrushchev
Creepy, crawly, slimy, lying, thieving bastard are just a few of the words used by many to describe this
creature.
Character: chameleon like in nature, this creature is well known for its ability to quickly change sides,
political party or affiliation to suit any dispensation. Highly skilled in the art of deception, this creature
can not be trusted.
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Convention