Raced White Researcher studies Conservative Few Black Bloggers

I read about Antionette Pole's study from Dr. Lester K. Spence's spot. After reading the study I went back and left this comment on Spence site.:

I found the article and comments informative.
Thanks for the link to the “scholarly” paper. The paper did answer a question I had about African-American bloggers. Who is blogging? Although the sample was very small, it was interesting to learn the ages of 20-49, gender males, education master to law in the sampling.

I strongly disagree with the finding on discrimination, from my own experience. Plus, have had several bloggers express a degree of discrimination toward them
based simply on the assumption they are African-Americans or writing about topics about African-Americans.

I found it interesting that two of the bloggers cobb and prometheus 6 participated in the survey. Which suggest to me that the blackosphere is really small or they have a wide reaching audience.

Earlier, Spencer Overton had asked the question about emailing vs blogging among African-Americans on BlackProf. I comment there:

Interesting I write about Women and blogging and Spencer Overton over on BlackProf writes about the email usage among African-Americans. An email posted on the BlackProf spread like wildfire through the email community. Overton ask the question,

While there are a number of successful African American blogs, why does email continue to be such a big driver of political discourse in the African American community?

Well, let's see email is pretty much free. Yahoo and other makes it pretty simple to set up an email.


Once someone sends you something to read, with a click of the mouse you can send it to another person, effortless.

If they get an email that is from a friend or family marked urgent, it is sent to everyone they know. And if you check the chain mail list and find a friend or family member name missing you send it to the next person.


It's easy to get away with sending stuff on email on the job.

Email spam is easy to do when you are bored.

Email does not require you to know how to write.


Now blogging.

Blogging can be time consuming.

Blogging requires you to write.

Blogging requires you to post

Blogging may cost you money.

Blogging may require you to have your own computer.

I would suggest that many bloggers are young technically savvy folks.

Of course blogging does not require either, but that's my take.

I also believe many African-Americans bloggers are college students.

I suggest that the young students use myspace.


Email generation tend to be older African-Americans are unwillingly to give up time to learn about utilizing the internet beyond being a consumers. Many of the younger generation are using IM or texts on their cellphone. Blogging reaches a broader network than the more personal email.

Another person E.C. Hopkin posted:

A few more possible reasons why some Black folks aren't sharing their ideas with the whole world via popular Black-focused blogs?

THE TOO SMART TYPE
Some people believe they are too advanced to involve themselves in the good blog conversations my fellow commentators and I often have in these threads. Engaging us would be a waste of their time or would require them to spend to much time educating us.

THE LEISURE-LESS TYPE
Then there are some who would like to, but simply have too little time to mix it up with us in these blog threads. Those who do have too little time to contribute to our conversations make me even more grateful for the fact that I do have a few leisure hours each week I can afford to spend on these blog conversations. I'd hate to be so burdened by my labors and familial obligations that I would not be able to devote a few hours per week to engaging smart Black folks in these digital conversations.

THE TIMID TYPE
There are some whose skins are not quite thick enough to engage others in argumentative exchanges. And things can get aggressive on the best blogs, where some of the best commentators share their controversial ideas. Some are so afraid of an antagonistic rhetorical environment or an embarrassing confirmation that they got something completely wrong that they simply avoid these potentially traumatizing events by staying quiet.

THE CAUTIOUS ACADEMIC TYPE
There is also the type whose livelihood or self-esteem depends upon others believing he or she is exceptionally erudite, authoritatively scholarly, or incapable of making silly mistakes. These types are often careful not to share their unstudied ideas. Perhaps, they think they have too much to lose. Indeed, every time I see a lengthy (more than 100 words), unedited, unstudied, and controversial comment by a professional scholar in a blog thread, I view it as an act of courage and confidence.

THE DISCOURAGED BY BIG CROWDS TYPE
I suspect there are some who won't comment in a thread after a few dozen folks have packed it full of dozens of comments. Perhaps some believe that because so many conversations and debates have already begun or finished in the thread, too few folks are likely to pay attention to their comments. The threads that get filled up with dozens of comments quickest (the controversial political and cultural posts usually get a lot of attention here) might discourage these types.

EMAILS AS SHIELDS
Emails shield the fearful from widespread professional or social embarrassment, traumatizing blows to their self-esteem, disillusionment concerning their erudition, or simply having to deal with smart strangers' opposing viewpoints. Sharing one's speech via a blog, in ways that actually cause one to risk having a smart person disagree or expose an error, probably causes some to tremble in fear.

Closing comment from Overton:

When we started blackprof.com in September 2005 we appreciated the various attributes of blogs, and we suspected that blogs would eventually play a critical role in African American debate. How far are we from that tipping point? I don’t know. I continue to believe that it will happen. But for now, I think that email plays a constructive role in African American political discourse, and I’m thankful for that.

Other places to read about the study:

African American Political Pundits,Jack and Jill Politics and Francis L. Holland