Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Rhetorical Analysis of Bloggers

Earlier today I searched for a couple different blogs pertaining to my field of interest for my own (Identity, Privacy, and Safety). I found a blogs called Kim Cameron's Identity Blog and Yes 2 Privacy & Identity Blog and conducted a rhetorical analysis of both; this is what I found:

Kim Cameron's blog focuses on the particular blogger's opinion on certain identity and privacy issues they want to discuss. The few blogs that I read discussed digital identity framework and other types of safety for identity like giving out certain personal information. Cameron used links as informal references like most people do for blogs. This helps with establishing author credibility and evidence to prove the opinion or point being made. She uses spacing, capitalization, and italics to anunciate the point she's trying to introduce to her readers. She uses expert references like Microsoft, the Burton Group, and CNN.  Her diction is one of the elite and educated and not necessarily easy for the general public to understand. This limits her audience. She doesn't touch on balance, so her overall purpose is to state her opinion on different subjects.

Yes 2 Privacy & Identity Blog is more of an informal blog.  The writer touches on subjects like Google Earth adn their street view application affecting privacy. The blogger uses links to certain Google Earth examples for readers to see for themselves. The author doesn't use expert references to state credibility or evidence. Balance isn't discussed or really any type of rhetorical devises.  Overall the purpose of the blog is to express opinion lightly on subjects pertaining to identity and privacy on the internet.

Honestly, if I were to read now a days it is to read for education but sometimes people like to read for entertainment. I believe blogs can both be educational and entertaining, but if one is looking for more on the educational scale, be sure to look for rhetorical devises to establish the blogger's intended purpose.

-C