Table 2.

Blogging-related behaviors of the survey participants (N = 230).

Blogging behavior		n	%
Who suggested blogging? (multiple choices allowed)
	No one	138	60.0
	Family member	33	14.3
	Friend	50	21.7
	Work colleague	10	4.3
	Support group	8	3.5
	Health care provider	6	2.6
When did you start blogging?
	Before 2007	40	17.5
	2007	17	7.5
	2008	26	11.4
	2009	48	21.1
	2010	65	28.5
	2011	32	14.0
Blog is...
	Open to public	194	87.8
	Private, only individuals with password can access	27	12.2
Blog is written under...
	The author’s own name	143	64.1
	A pen name or pseudonym	67	30.0
	An anonymous identity	13	5.8
Blogging frequency
	More than once a day	9	4.3
	Once a day	19	9.0
	A few times a week	91	38.6
	Once a week	41	19.5
	Every few weeks	35	16.7
	Once a month or less	25	11.9
Blogging frequency over time has...
	Increased	75	33.5
	Stayed the same	68	30.4
	Decreased	81	36.2
Have viewers ever left written comments?
	Yes	206	91.6
	No	13	5.8
	Not sure	6	2.7
Blogging platform/hosting used
	Blogger (by Google)	103	54.8
	WordPress	71	37.8
	CaringBridge	10	5.3
	Others	4	2.1
Do you read other people’s health/illness blogs?
	Yes	214	95.1
	No	11	4.9
Have you contributed comments on other’s blogs?
	Yes	202	89.0
	No	25	11.0
Shared own blog with...
	Family members or friends	192	89.7
	Health care provider(s)	90	42.1
Participated in any online health/illness or patient communities?
	Yes	151	72.9
	No	56	27.1
Has reading blog and blogging changed one’s sense of connection with others?
	Yes	163	76.5
	No	22	10.3
	Not sure	28	13.1
Other social media used (multiple choices allowed)
	Facebook	195	84.8
	Twitter	162	70.4
	YouTube	108	47.0
	Foursquare	26	11.3
	Others (LinkedIn, Tumblr, WEGO Health, etc)	43	18.7