Weblogging: a study of social computing and its impact on organisations

Abstract

This article reviews weblogs and their role as a social networking device for young people and its probable evolution to the organizational computing medium. The motivation of young webloggers, based on an analysis of 33 interviews, and the evaluation of the fit between technology features and the needs of these webloggers are reported. Four user types with their unique profiles and technology needs, and a needs–technology fit model, are described. The findings support the conjecture that organizational computing will (or should) take advantage of employees' social computing expertise and acceptance and to further capture the attention of customers.