Research Proposal on "Extracting Information Sentiment From Blogs"

Research Proposal 20 pages (5886 words) Sources: 50

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Extracting Information (Sentiment) from Blogs

Introduction and Theoretical Framework

So-called "Web logs" or "blogs" have become the medium of choice for many pundits who might not otherwise have a ready forum for their views (Flynn, 2006; Lang, 2005; Piper & Ramos, 2005). According to Flierl and Fowler (2007), "A blog (the term is a contraction of 'Web log') is a form of online communication most often described as an online journal. A blog is usually created and maintained by a single individual and does not allow visitors to change the original posted material. Instead, visitors add their comments to the original posting and to one another's comments" (p. 241). Anyone who has used a social networking site such as Facebook is familiar with the easy-to-use features that blogs provide, as well as the inanity of much of the commentary that is being made. This aspect of blogging makes close analysis difficult, particularly given the staggering amount of information that is involved (Chung, Kim, Trammell & Porter, 2007; Nemeth & Gropper, 2008). Some authorities suggest that the term "blog" can be expanded to include the comments made on these social networking sites, but must be differentiated from other online communication techniques such as email (Orr, 2004). In this regard, Finin, Joshi, Kolari, Java, Kale and Karandikar (2008) report that, "Web-based social media systems such as blogs, wikis, media-sharing sites, and message forums have become an important new way to transmit information, engage in discussions, and form communities on the Internet" (p. 77).

Today, tens of millions of "bloggers" are taking advantage of the last true bastion of free speech on the Internet by routinely posting their innermost feelings for the world to see, and in some cases, provide responses the express their own personal reactions, thoughts, insights and sentiments (Sun, 2009; Schultz, 2005; Pikas, 2005; Trammell & Keshelashvili, 2005; Rector, 2008). In fact, at least 8% of American Internet users post blogs on a routine basis and 34% of Internet users in the United States routinely read blogs as an important source for breaking news and hot topics (Sweetser, Porter, Chung & Kim, 2008). In this environment, determining the preponderance of sentiments that are being expressed in these dynamic fora represents a timely and valuable enterprise for social researchers who are interested in gauging these aspects of society. According to Merriam-Webster's New World Dictionary (1991), a sentiment is "an attitude, thought or judgment permeated or prompted by feeling; a complex of emotion and idea" (p. 2069). This definition means that sentiments can capture the entire range of human emotions, but capturing this type of information in ways that can provide meaningful analyses remains problematic, an issue that directly relates to the problem to be considered herein and which is discussed further below.

Statement of the Problem

Given the enormity of the amount of blogging data that is already available online as well as the prodigious amounts that are being added every day, it would be impossible to read all of the blogs in a thousand lifetimes. Indeed, saying there is plenty of blog content is like saying the Pacific Ocean is "moist." Today, there are billions of words already published online and tens of millions more being added by millions of bloggers around the world every day (Catalino, 2006). These blogs pertain to an incredibly diverse range of personal interests, vocational and avocational pursuits, as well as the "gripe du jour" type of forum. Bloggers may spill their hearts out for the whole world to see, and be devastated or rejuvenated by the responses they receive -- or both. When tens of millions of people are engaging in this type of behavior on a regular basis, there is clearly some valuable information that can be gained if the right analytical techniques are used in a thoughtful fashion.

A consistent theme that emerges from these blogs is the fact that people from all walks of life are actively and regularly taking advantage of an open forum to communicate with others in ways that have never been possible in the past. Indeed, it may be that this mode of communication may accelerate the untimely death of print media entirely, with newspaper after newspaper folding across the country in the wake of the digital revolution. The current proliferation of Web sites devoted to blogs is firm testament to the growing popularity of this communication mode, but there remains a paucity of timely and relevant studies concerning how the content of these online posts can be mined for valuable social research purposes, a constraint that directly relates to the purpose of the proposed study which is set forth below.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the proposed study is four-fold as follows:

A. To deliver a comprehensive and critical review of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature concerning blogs and their impact on contemporary society;

B. To identify opportunities to exploit the billions of words that are routinely posted in blogs through an automated information extraction process by identifying how this information can be of value to marketers, policymakers, sociologists and so forth; and,

C. To determine what algorithmic approach is best suited to the content analysis of blogs to ascertain sentimental expressions and the context in which they are used; and,

Review of the Literature

In reality, blogs have been around longer than many observers might think (Quible, 2005). For instance, according to Leight (2008), "One of the newer trends on the Internet is the use of web logs, also referred to as blogs. The term may be new, but blogging has been around since 1999. Anyone with Internet access can view a blog, respond to it, and even subscribe to it. Blogs are so easy to create that anyone with basic computer skills can create their own" (p. 52). A growing number of blog sites exist, including those shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1

Representative List of Blog Sites (Top Three on Google Blog Search)

Site Name

URL

Sample Sentiment-Related Blog Entry as of 12/21/10

The Big Picture

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog / 2010/12 / lunar-eclipse-winter- solstice-awesome / [Re lunar eclipse]: "How often do you get to witness an event that has not been seen since the year 1378, over half a millennium, 632 years ago?"

Big Government

http://biggovernment.com / publius/2010/12/20/fcc-poised-to-regulate-the-internet/

The open Internet is a crucial American marketplace, and I believe that it is appropriate for the FCC to safeguard it by adopting an order that will establish clear rules to protect consumers' access," Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, a Democrat, said in a statement. Yet many supporters of network neutrality are disappointed. Clyburn and the other Democrat, Michael Copps, both said the rules are not as strong as they would like, even after Genachowski made some changes to address their concerns. That sentiment was echoed by some public interest groups.

Daily Kos

http://www.dailykos.com/

There's nothing like antagonizing a nuclear power in a fit of pique over gays being allowed to serve in the military. The Republican obstruction of and posturing over START Treaty ratification is not amusing Moscow:

Each of these representative blog entries has dozens and dozens of comments, and in some cases hundreds and even thousands of responses from other interested or, in many cases, outraged fellow bloggers who weigh in on every subject under the sun. Not surprisingly, blogs have also attracted the attention of people who are more interested in making money from the medium than they are in communicating their own innermost thoughts and feelings, and an increasing number of businesses are using blogs as a way of keeping in touch with their valued customers and attracting new ones (Marken, 2005). Likewise, politicians have actively embraced blogging as a way of keeping in touch with their constituents (Gordon-Mundane, 2006; Bichard, 2006). In this regard, Bielski reports that, "Citizen journalists and uppity political bloggers may have seeped into the public lexicon, yet chances are, you haven't thought all that much about blogging in a business context. But all user-generated websites of informal, semi-regular 'e' dispatches aren't strictly personal, radical, or unserious. A handful are kept by CEOs and other key execs at Fortune 500 firms" (p. 8). The robust nature of even business-related blogs makes their analysis an important element in the overall content analysis of blogs (Stepp, 2006). As Bielski points out, "These forums blend in commentary, opinion, and forecasting on corporate and industry undertakings with oblique marketing references designed to generate product or service buzz with a ring of authenticity" (p. 8).

In response to the growing popularity of business-related blogs, researchers at the University of Massachusetts (Dartmouth)'s Center for Marketing Research conducted a survey of bloggers that resulted in the following key points from its executive summary:

1. Blogs take time and commitment (the worst blogs are updated infrequently).

2. Blogs must be part of a plan. Have a designated focus and key objectives outlined for the site in advance of that first post.

3. Blog posts should be, in effect, a form of conversation. That is,… READ MORE

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