In research on the relationship between politics and Internet, blogs may be seen as spaces for communication and political actors that bring a new dynamics to social relations. The present study discusses the use of this new tool and the implications that it has for our understanding of contemporary political life. We present a methodological proposal capable of providing aid for the analysis of blog structure, posts and interactivity. The method we suggest here does not have an explanatory nature but rather functions as a technique for data collection (reading) of political blogs. The information obtained should be analyzed within the wider theoretical framework that characterizes this research. This should enable us to avoid both empiricism and over- theorizing while adopting an innovative methodological approach that places priority on the technical and theoretical aspects that guide this investigation. Lastly, we present results obtained from applying this methodological proposal to the coverage of political blogs during the 2006 presidential elections and during the "Cansei ["I am sick and tired of this!"] movement. These results should make it clear that the proposed methodology is reliable and efficient, an effective tool for new research on political blogs.
Internet; political blogs; electoral analysis; blog analysis; research methodology
