BlogForever: D2.1 Survey Implementation Report

This report outlines a principal study aiming to inform the development of preservation and dissemination solutions for blogs. To achieve this, the study encompassed: [i] a user survey exploring the aspects of blog preservation and blogging practices in general; [ii] an investigation into the use of tools and technologies within the Blogosphere; and finally [iii] an inquiry into the recent theoretical and technological advances for analysing blogs and their networks. The results of the study, as summarised in this report, enable addressing the objectives pursued as part of the D2.1 deliverable of the BlogForever project. More specifically, this report comments on: [a] common weblog authoring practices; [b] important aspects and types of blog data that should be preserved; [c] the patterns in weblogs structure and data; [d] the technology adopted by current blogs; and finally [e] the developments and prospects for analysing blog networks and weblog dynamics. As an account for the conducted work this report includes implementation details and adopted ethical guidelines. The results of the inquiry are discussed within the context of BlogForever – offering directions for further development of the project