Personal records on the web: Who's in charge of archiving, Hotmail or archivists?

This examination of how the general public uses commercially provided e-mail and blog services to keep their personal documents and history supports exploration into how information professionals can assist the general public in archiving their data, with a view to preservation for future generations and historians. An online survey was conducted to gather data on the current status of e-mail and blog usage, users’ perceptions on archiving their contents in e-mail and blogs, and the expectations for and functionalities of archiving tools users find useful or necessary. A total of 345 e-mail and blog users participated in the survey. Participants were found to be well aware of the risk of losing their content in e-mail and blogs, and of the fact that most e-mail and blog services do not provide any method of backing up content. Participants valued the content related to their personal history highly and would have liked to have it preserved; however, they had not located many acceptable tools for preservation. Despite this, information professionals have not been actively engaged in meeting such users' needs.

► The majority of survey respondents used e-mail and blogs extensively and maintained multiple accounts for a significant period of time. ► The main reason people used e-mail and blogs was personal documentation and communication, but many used those services creatively for a variety of purposes. ► Users were well-aware of potential risks of losing data online, and some actively preserved their contents online, but reported difficulties. ► Information professionals need to actively communicate their knowledge of archiving to users, who are highly skillful in using e-mail and blogs, and well-motivated to preserve.