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Communication Technology and New Media Commons™
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Full-Text Articles in Communication Technology and New Media
Communicating Via Knoxblab, Roger Kevin Gray
Communicating Via Knoxblab, Roger Kevin Gray
Masters Theses
This study is a Uses and Gratifications based look at motivations surrounding long-term participation in an internet discussion forum and perceived effects of this participation on users’ social lives. Members of the Knoxville, TN based web forum “Knoxblab” were interviewed for the study. Participants indicated that the forum is a tool by which social ties are maintained and developed, and they indicated that membership in the forum community is perceived as having positive effects on social activity. Consistent with traditional Uses and Gratifications Theory, results suggest that participants are motivated by reasons related to information sharing and entertainment, though web …
Projecting A Preferred Identity: How Five Government Contractors Frame Their Corporate Brands Online, Nicole A. Merrifield
Projecting A Preferred Identity: How Five Government Contractors Frame Their Corporate Brands Online, Nicole A. Merrifield
Masters Theses
This study expands framing research as a competitive intelligence tool for discerning the message strategies of a company’s competition. A content analysis of five Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ competitor websites was conducted to determine key subject areas and how each competitor positioned their business to a variety of publics. Using Entman (1991, 1993) and Hallahan’s (1999) framing research as the theoretical framework, the study reviews extant literature on corporate use of websites to frame reputations and cultivate relationships. Key findings reveal that ORAU’s competitors are more likely to promote new business, new hires/promotions, awards/honors, and project completions when issuing press …