[Air-L] blogs and confidentiality

[C Sosnowy]

For my dissertation on personal health blogs, I will be conducting a visual content analysis of 40-50 blogs. I will then be conducting an online discussion with 10-12 bloggers on a closed site. Their identity will be protected by a username of their choice, but can I use the real URL and name of their blogs (I would tell them that I'm doing this)? I'm of the opinion that I can because they are publicly-available, but one of my more traditional advisers has doubts. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Collette Sosnowy