Browsing by Subject "http://www.yso.fi/onto/yso/p2719"

Objectives. This study examines the way Finnish handcraft blogs approach handcrafting. By exploring handcraft blogs, one can find out how handcrafting is approached in them and how the phenomenon of craft is transmitted through them. It is important to become aware of the ways in which handcrafting is approached, as these ways build and shape our common reality actively. Handcraft blogs are an important part of the Finnish craft culture and they help build handcraft-related phenomena and promote the spread of various ideas and ways of thinking. This study examines what kind of handcrafting discourses could be interpreted in the writings and comments of Finnish craft blogs and what those discourses could tell about the broader representation of handcrafting and being a maker. Methods. The blogs chosen for this study were four popular Finnish craft blogs. The data consisted of a total of 32 blog entries published in October 2016 and their related comments. The data were analysed inductively with discourse analysis. Results and conclusions. Four dominant handcrafting discourses were interpreted from the data. The discourses were related to dreaming, community, success and being a maker. The discourses appeared in the data as their own entities, but overlap and shared attributes could also be found. In the data, handcrafting was approached by discussing completed and unfinished products or processes along with dreaming about doing, especially in the pursuit of finished craft products and the sense of succeeding in something. Based on the set of discourses, handcrafting is a communal activity through which crafters can encounter others and communicate. Handcrafting was approached by both positive and negative ways, but the main thought was the importance of handcrafting and the positive things and experiences that can be achieved with it. Based on the data, the mere fact of dreaming and planning is a significant activity. The discourse-based image of a handcrafter, who has to cope with different expectations and pressures, is complicated and conflicting.

Goals. The goal of this thesis is to find out the motives for following three different food blogs. The research focuses on readers of the blogs 52 weeks of deliciousness, Lunni leipoo and Perinneruokaa prkl, all of which are located at the website maku.fi. The selection of the research subject was influenced partly by the fact that blog readers and their following motives have yet been researched only little. Blogs are associated with communality and therefore it's interesting to know whether readers participate in commenting the blog posts and how do they do it. Methods. The data was acquired with an online questionnaire that contained open and multiple-choice questions. The online questionnaire was an appropriate method for reaching the target group. The theoretic focus was on qualitative methods, but quantitative methods were utilized as well. The results of the questionnaire were processed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Multiple-choice questions were presented graphically, open questions in turn were analysed by defining types and themes. At first every blog was examined individually, after which the whole material was subjected to analysis in order to define different reader types. Results and conclusions. The questionnaire gathered answers from 132 readers. Blog 52 weeks of deliciousness was interesting due to recipes, food ideas and the atmosphere created by the blogger. The blog was also a source for daily inspiration and restaurant tips. Blog Lunni leipoo was followed particularly for its visuality, but the entirety, recipes and stories were also felt important. The readers of blog Perinneruokaa prkl were interested in the blog's theme of traditional food. Although the blog was mainly a source for recipes, the funny and narrative writing style was part of the blog's charm. The reader types defined from the material were information seekers, inspiration hunters and self-entertainers. These types were divided into two types by purposes of use: blogs are either idea banks or entertainment platforms. As an idea bank the blog functions as a source for ideas and information. The information seeker values accessibility and searches the blog for recipes or cooking-related information. The inspiration hunter seeks inspiration, which is basically related to all aspects of the blog, such as the recipes, pictures and the blogger's persona. Both inspiration hunter and self-entertainer use the food blog as an entertainment platform. The self-entertainer is after the blog's atmosphere, looking for fun or just passing time. The blog's visuality, stories and attitude gratify the reader. Commenting in the blogs was scarce. The readers didn't comment, because they didn't find their own thoughts important enough, they didn't feel commenting was appropriate for their behaviour, they felt comments had to have value to other readers and the blogger or they wanted to preserve their anonymity. The readers felt that reasons good enough for commenting were asking a question, sharing an own experience, praising, a particularly interesting or emotive post, testing the recipe at hand and asking for advice.