Every other week, I attend a blogging group at the Berkman Center for Internet Life. We often discuss the qualities that “real” bloggers have in common. It’s far more than just writing a blog. There’s an understood blogger code to which the veteran bloggers subscribe.

Here are some of the characteristics of the code:

-The blog accepts comments

-The blog properly cites secondary sources

-The blog displays a Blogroll

-The blog is formatted for users and best usability practices

-The blogger is a citizen journalist in his or her respective field

-The blogger produces original news and / or commentary

-If s/he accepts advertising, it does not cheapen the blog.

-May write one many subjects so long as the perspective is unified

For many of the original bloggers, even word ‘blogger,’ has a special meaning. Like with the word samurai, to some the word ‘blogger’implies not just a set a behaviors and actions, but also a governing identity. Now with blogging going mainstream, even fifteen year old Myspace addicts and AOL empty nesters blog, how will a blogger protect the values associated with blogging? Will they still want to?

Two quick observations:

Slang for taking a great picture: “That’s Facebook quality.”
Meaning good enough to serve as a profile picture on the Facebook.com. This is commonly used in the college crowds (both coasts).

Y’All Ready to Lite it up? Black Eyed Peas inviting fans to light up the stadium with the glow from their cell phones.

For more on this topic, check out the online slang dictionary.

“Grandma is always hip, lol.”
–Linda, Myspace Grandma

I interviewed several grandmothers who use Myspace to connect with friends and family. Grandmothers are hard to find on Myspace. Not because they aren’t there, but rather that ever teenage girl changes her age from 17 to 70. This makes searching for them rather difficult. However, once you’ve spoken with one grandmother, her profile leads you to a community of them. He’s what I found:

Sue Ellen is a 61 year old grandmother with a graduate degree, a passion for family and American idol. We spoke about her life on Myspace.

Q&Q: Why did you join Myspace?
Sue Ellen: I had heard about it in the media. I must admit, it was rather negative publicity, because there was a hint of people getting into pretty salacious places from links there. But I really joined because my two beautiful daughters, Kassie and Julie, had pages and told me about them. I thought I should have one, too.

Q&Q: What features do you most enjoy?

Sue Ellen: The addition of music to one’s space. But I wish they’d add Clay Aiken and Il Divo.

Q&Q: Do you feel at home on Myspace?

Sue Ellen: Yes, I guess.

Q&Q: Many people blame Myspace for encouraging bad behaviors. Do think Myspace is necessarily bad? Should children use it without parental supervision?
Sue Ellen: I haven’t really had any bad experiences in the six years I’ve been on the ‘net and I’ve been very out there with my identity and personal information. So far, so good. Just really nice people. A few trolls, but that’s not bothersome since you know they trash everyone for their idea of ‘fun.’ If I had young children at home now, I’d probably be spot checking what they were into on the computer. It’s a very scary world out there.

Q&Q: Do people think you’re hip for having a Myspace account?

Sue Ellen: I don’t know. Like I said, I hoped to impress my son just a wee bit with the news that I was going computer. But I don’t feel particularly hip for having an account. I only feel hip about getting a replacement for that recently aching part…

Q&Q: What are your top 5 favorite web sites?

Sue Ellen: (1) I dearly love SoapNet’s message board for an old soap named ‘Ryan’s Hope.’ The nicest people are attracted there and I’ve made some wonderful friendships. (2) I’m a Clay Aiken fan, so I check out ‘The Clack House.’ Very literate, sharp people hang out there. (3) for the same reason, I check with Clay’s official fan site. Not nearly as good as the Clack House, but Clay occasionally blogs (that sounds so anal!) and that’s interesting. (4) I’m a Russell Crowe fan, so I go occasionally to ‘The Crowe’s Perch.’ (5) I also like ‘Il Divo,’ so I check their official fan site occasionally.

I spoke with other Myspace grandmothers in my research. Linda is a retired nurse with flowers falling on her Myspace page and her profile song set to Secret Ambition. I asked her about her life on Myspace.

Linda: “I joined MySpace at the encouragement of my daughter and granddaughter. I speak to both of them daily and we now enjoy MySpace as a new way to communicate. I speak to them on instant messenger also. I am sorta new here, but I am meeting new friends, including other grandmothers…we can become good friends, even if just on the computer.”

In closing…The thing I most about speaking with Myspace grandmother is their sense of humor! Of course, it’s delightful to speak with people whose e-mails end with “Huggs!!”