BLOGGING POLL RESULTS: Part Two

Now we are on to the general questions that were asked. I have quoted the responses given, and provided links where possible. Because the results here were so varied, I am letting the participant's quotes stand on their own. General analysis and thoughts will be Part three of this sucker! On to the results:

General questions

Do you work a full time job? Do they let you use the computer for personal use during office hours? During breaks?

Full time job question: Yes 11, No 5
Personal use question: Yes 2, No 5
During breaks: see comments

Comments given:

“Yes, I work a full time job, and no we’re not supposed to use our PC’s for non-work acitivities. Which doesn’t mean we don’t. I consider checking library blogs as part of my job as a librarian, ditto other blogs about the internet, info sources, books, publishing, etc”

“I use the computer for work, but can post sometimes”

“I do work a full-time job. Technically, I’m not supposed to use the computer for personal stuff, but everyone does, and it’s pretty much an accepted, unspoken fact. I don’t have breaks, really, my job isn’t like that. I work the overnight shift at a radio station and it’s pretty low-stress, so if I blog, I do it when I’m not doing anything else.”

“I’m currently a stay-at-home mom and, in theory at least, fairly flexible in terms of scheduling. My computer use is entirely at my own discretion. That said, I can’t be stupid about it.”

“Yes. My workload varies a lot so I spend a lot of time doing personal stuff online at work (plus I don’t have a net connection at home anymore and need to rely on the local net café).”

“I do work full-time plus (usually 60 hours a week, give or take). We can use our computers for personal use, though that’s coming to an end soon. I don’t blog from work, unless I have my laptop with me during lunch.”

“Yes, but I’m an academic with a flexible schedule and ready access to technology.”

I decided to blog because: ??

Comments given:

“I was curious and it turned out to be fun.”

“Because it helps me vent and move past stuff that drives me nuts.”

“On a whim, really. I liked Ragnell’s and Marionette’s and Yours and other blogs and decided I wanted in.”

“I originally thought I had a unique perspective as a female and librarian; but now I have found many women in comics blogs. Now I think being a librarian and running my own comicon gives me a different voice.”

“Chris coerced me into it, via a great bribe too”

“I guess I kind of stumbled upon the comics blog community and wanted to plug myself into it. I don’t have a lot of comic-reading friends off the net, so blogs and message boards are really the only places I get to talk about comics.”

“I had discovered the world of comic blogs and no one was talking about the particular things I wanted to talk about (comics and kids, although I don’t stick solely to that topic).”

“I was invited by friends.”

“Write down some of the thoughts so I wouldn’t drive my co-workers crazy.”

“Mainly because I recently moved overseas and it’s an easy way to let others keep in touch. Plus I’m a writer so there’s a little bit of “self-publishing” going on.”

”I had wanted to do a comic book/medical website for two years, but couldn’t figure out the best way to do it. When I discovered blogging, it all clicked into place.”

“I enjoy the process of writing, mostly. Blogging forces me to write, which keeps my mind sharp.”

“I wanted to interact with others with similar interests.”

“To keep my writing chops up initially, and then because I like it so much.”

“I wanted to talk about my love of comics and blogging wasn’t too technical, so it really felt like my best option.”

Do other blogs inspire you? If so, which ones?

“Posts I see on other blogs inspire me, but I can’t recall specifics”

“Pretty, Fizzy Paradise”

“See above. It’s really hard to pick out the most inspirational ones.”

“Redhead Fangirl blogroll; tons more on the Comic Book Legion site”

“Not really, though I was fascinated with the World Cup blogs I viewed. A couple do actually, and usually not in a good way, but not off the top of my head”

“Too many blogs inspire me to name. Whenever I feel like I’m full of crap, I go over to Alan Doane’s blog to get a taste of someone who doesn’t pull any punches. I think Chris Allen is perhaps one of the best comics bloggers, simply in terms of writing skill.”

“When Fangirls Attack is always my first stop. I also particularly enjoy Pretty, Fizzy Paradise, Ragnell’s Written World, postmodernbarney.com and many more that I can’t think of right off the top of my head. (There are 91 feeds on my Bloglines roll, not all are favorites but all have something interesting to say on occasion, and many do regularly”

“Yours, Dan Simmons, Orson Scott Card, David Gerrold, too many to recall”

“Everyone I read”

“Some. I like Heidi’s The Beat and Dan Rezni’s How Was Your Day Dan. I like blogs that are more personal really.”

“I wish I could be funnier, like Dave (Longbox) and Chris (Invincible). I wish I had as much comic book knowledge as Mike (Progressive Ruin) and Scipio (Absorbascon). I wish I had the communications skills and phrase-ology of Johanna (CWR) and Chris (Comics 212). I wish I had access to the Eye of Agametto like Neil (alieN).”

“The Absorbascon, Blockade Boy and Project Rooftop, Progressive Ruin, Pretty, Fizzy Paradise”
“You, Ragnell, and Kalinara were actually my first readers and comenters”

“Myself”

“Heidi MacDonald’s Beat, Newsarama, and Comic Book Resources for news ideas”

“When Fangirls Attack”

"Dr. Scott's Polite Dissent rules!"

My ultimate goal with blogging is: ______________

“None. I just have fun doing it and I think it’s cool that other people want to read what I have to say.”

“I don’t think I have one.”

“To build up a power base to take over the world! Or more likely just to have fun and talk to folks with similar interests.”

“Sharing the comic and graphic novel community; writing exercise in a bite-sized way.”

“Become the governor of a state and annex Cuba. Or the Baja.”

“My ultimate goal with blogging is just to be engaged in dialogue with other people, and maybe getting some free review copies. (smily face).”

“Hm. I probably don’t have one, really- I suppose to some extent I’m just thinking aloud. It’s nice to have contact with other comic fans, as I don’t know any in RL. And it’s nice to hear other’s perspectives, learn about different books I or my daughters might enjoy. But that’s all more to do with reading other folks’ blogs. For my own blog? Clarifiying my thoughts. Entertaining myself. Maybe being interesting to someone else once in a blue moon. (smiley face).”

“To keep up with friends real life and online, keep up with comics books, politics, and so on. I also use it to vent a lot…”

“To build discipline as a writer.” “To foster the belief that everything I say is hugely important and needs to be read by the millions on the ‘net … well, that and letting me blow off some steam.”

“World domination.”

“To rule the world! Bwahahahaha! Okay, probably not. I don’t think I have an ultimate goal: it’s fun, so as long as it continues to be fun, I’m good.”

“To be read and be a part of the wider conversation about comics and the arts online.”

“To get an independent say on how I feel about the world of comics during a time of flux in the industry.”

“To piss people off… Not. To have my say in what I feel is important.”

This hereby ends the results portion of our program. Conclusions and random thoughts to follow in the "wrap up".