Investigating the Personal Blogging World

The first two blogs I investigated are written by women that I know through mutual friends. One of them I almost never see and the other I see frequently in group settings. Since we don't have a deep friendship I only knew the basic details of their lives prior to reading their blogs. This was a fascinating exercise because I normally wouldn't feel good about cyber-stalking people and reading their blogs, but the assignment made me feel like it was okay! Now I feel like we have just spent hours talking...I hope I don't creep them out at our next get together with my detailed knowledge about their personal lives!

Zoe's Blog:
Intended Audience: Her friends (she gives some information but directs people to her facebook page or to email her for more photos, more info, etc.), scientists, female scientists, people interested in growing their own food, DIYers
Tone: casual, comic
Use of graphics: visually engaging all the way through, from font choice to photos 
Use of links: lots of videos and sometimes music that she suggests playing while reading post 
Use of ethos,pathos,logos: science related posts appeal heavily to pathos as well as logos but in general her posts appeal to pathos
Purpose: I think the blog started as an online resume, but she has since moved that aspect to a personal website. The blog now seems to function as a kind of online journal with the hope that other like minded people will join the conversation.  

Caroline's Blog:
Intended Audience: vegetarians, vegans, foodies
Tone: pithy, intelligent, reads like a magazine
Use of Graphics: beautiful, mouth watering images, they all seem to be personal photos 
Use of Links: usually at least one link per post, takes you to the inspiration for the recipe or a restaurant that serves similar food, etc.
Use of Ethos, Pathos, Logos: lots of pathos, food is talked about in emotional terms (i.e. why I chose to become a vegetarian, why I love this dish, what this food makes me feel, etc.)
Purpose: this blog was actually picked up and turned into a column, so I think it's safe to say the purpose was to write about her passion while showcasing her writing talents: http://www.missionmission.org/author/caroline-mccormick/

The following blogs I just stumbled across and found interesting:

The Feminist Teacher:
Intended Audience: feminist teachers K-12 and college
Tone: informational, inspirational, call to action
Use of graphics: text heavy, about one graphic per post
Use of Links: lots of links for resources, further info, etc.
Use of ethos, pathos, logos: all over the place! This blog is an ongoing persuasive argument
Purpose: explicitly stated: "This blog intends to expand the circle of discussion to educators in the k-12 sector who consider their teaching practices to be feminist in design and implementation.  My goal is to make us visible to each other and to the larger world of educators, as we move forward with our important work.  For this reason, I hope it will be a place of community and conversation, both inspiring and invigorating"(Ileana Jiménez)

RubberTramping 
I love this photoblog, it's stunning!
Intended Audience: anyone, very open
Tone: almost completely visual
Use of graphics: captivating photography, beautiful graphics in the template, font, etc.
Use of Links: very few
Use of ethos, pathos, logos: lots of appeal to pathos, the photos and poetry interspersed create an emotional reaction in the reader, as do phrases like "dear reader", "oh reader", etc.
Purpose: as with many travel photoblogs, the goal is to get people to support the traveling photographer, either by donating directly or through purchasing their photos 


Dancing with Columbia
I found this blog through a link in the previous one. The author seems to be her traveling partner, since the same faces, dogs, and locations show up. However, this blog is very different! I find this blog very difficult to engage with, it is difficult to see the font on the page, the photos are much less interesting, and the intended audience seems to exclude me. Perhaps the audience is simply the author. This is probably the most "personal" blog I read.