The Agricultural Blogosphere: A Snapshot of New Agricultural Communicators Online

Journal of Applied Communications vol. 99 (2) Full Issue

“…Those in charge of communicating scientific and applied research information through various media outlets have realized the need for agriculture to stay current and active with the latest advancements in communications technologies (Roth, Vogt, & Weinheimer, 2002;West, 2006). In fact, the continual improvements in the U.S. and international agricultural industries can be related to the ability to communicate those advancements effectively (Rhoades & Hall, 2007). As new technologies evolve, those within agriculture are dedicated to helping others utilize these technologies while sharing their discoveries to advance the industry as a whole.…”

“…Other studies in public relations have used these theories in conjunction to research blogs, how people blog, and how stakeholders use websites (Grunig, 2009;Kelleher, 2008;Kelleher & Miller, 2006;Kent, 2008;Rhoades & Hall, 2007;Sweetser & Metzgar, 2007). The theory of relationship management is used in many fieldspublic relations, interpersonal relations, family relations, organizational studies, group dynamics, and more -as a central concept of managing the relationships between organizations and key publics (Ledingham, 2000).…”

“…Fannin and Chenault (2005) examined how blogs could be utilized in agriculture to attract and disseminate information to journalists and non-media consumers. Rhoades and Hall (2007) conducted the first agriculture-focused blog content analysis, which analyzed the characteristics of blogs in agriculture and what information the blogs contained pertaining to the industry. The content analysis found agricultural blogs at the time were very young, ranged in subject matter, and were not updated as often as other studies had found about blogs focused on other subjects.…”

Journal of Applied Communications vol. 99 (4) Full Issue

“…The current study provides valuable insight into a nascent area of research regarding agriculture's use of a specific form of social mediablogs. While others have examined agricultural blogs (Fannin & Chenault, 2004;Moore et al, 2015;Rhoades & Aue, 2010;Rhoades & Hall, 2007), the current study is the first effort to understand the readers' motivations for accessing this form of online communication.…”

“…Fannin and Chenault (2004) explored how blogs could disseminate agricultural information to journalists and non-media consumers. In a content analysis of agriculture-focused blog content, Rhoades and Hall (2007) analyzed the characteristics of blogs in agriculture and what information the blogs contained. They found although agricultural blogs were a new communications tool, they did address a variety of industry-relevant topics.…”