State of the Blogosphere / 2008
Day 1: Who Are the Bloggers?
- Introduction
- Day 1: Who Are the Bloggers?
- Day 2: The What And Why of Blogging
- Day 3: The How of Blogging
- Day 4: Blogging For Profit
- Day 5: Brands Enter The Blogosphere
Bloggers are not a homogenous group, but they are an educated and affluent one: three out of four U.S. bloggers are college graduates, and 42% have attended graduate school. They skew male, and more than half have a household income over $75,000.
They are experienced: although it has only recently exploded into the mainstream, blogging is not a new phenomenon. Half of bloggers are on their second blog, and 59% have been blogging for more than two years.
Over the next several days, we will introduce you to some of the bloggers who participated in our study. We are highlighting bloggers with a range of motivations, topics, profitability, and sophistication, so you can see how diverse the blogosphere really is.
Lori Stewart
Champaign, Illinois
-
Blogs:
Toys-for-Troops.com, This Just In, Notes From Home, Back Talkin’, Just One, Hey, Hey, Good Lookin’ -
Age:
45 -
What I do:
Typesetter (design and layout college textbooks), contribute to six different blogs -
Me at home:
In a relationship -
Thanks to my blog:
I started a non-profit organization — Toys for Troops. We have sent 10,000 Beanie Babies™ and hundreds of care packages to U.S. soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo. I have inventory of 10,000 more Beanie Babies in my garage!
Mort Reichek
New Jersey
-
Blog:
octogenarian.blogspot.com -
Age:
83 -
What I do:
Retired (former senior editor of Business Week) -
Me at home:
Married, grandchildren -
My blog’s beginnings:
Began publishing when I achieved octogenarian status in 2005 -
Why I blog:
As a retired, physically aching 83-year-old man, who once relished playing tennis, blogging has provided a stimulating alternative. -
Focus:
Current events and memoirs as a one-time journalist, World War II army veteran, and first-generation American raised in an immigrant family in the Bronx. -
On the blog’s impact:
I published a piece about a fellow journalist who had been a Soviet air force colonel before defecting to this U.S. This produced responses from two of his children who were very young when he died. They were naturally eager to learn more about their deceased father.
Who are the global bloggers?
- Two-thirds are male
- 50% are 18-34
- More affluent and educated than the general population
- 70% have college degrees
- Four in ten have an annual household income of $75K+
- One in four have an annual household income of $100K+
- 44% are parents
Salary
U.S. bloggers are more educated and affluent than the general Internet population
Compared to the general Internet population, U.S. bloggers are more male, single, and employed full-time.
One-third of bloggers are 25-34 (versus 19% of Internet users), and one in five are self employed (versus 8% of Internet users). Three out of four U.S. bloggers are college graduates, and 42% have attended graduate school. More than half have a household income over $75,000. As a group, they are educated, affluent, and influential.
Within the United States, bloggers are located across the country
The majority of bloggers do NOT live near the largest metropolitan areas.
Within the U.S. we saw the highest concentration of bloggers in the San Francisco Bay Area (followed by New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles). However, we did hear from bloggers across the country, from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Bangor, Maine, with Bentley, North Dakota, in between.
Blogging is a global phenomenon
Although our survey was only administered in English, we heard from bloggers on six continents (although we’re sure someone is blogging from Antarctica). We had respondents from 66 countries, who publish blogs in 20 different languages.
Geographic Distribution of Bloggers, by Continent
- 43% of blogger respondents live in the U.S.
- 72% publish their blog in English (survey was only provided in English)
Nearly half of active blogs have some authority
In looking at the just over 5 million blogs tracked by Technorati who posted in June, 45% have a Technorati Authority number of 1 or more, meaning they can truly claim their place in the active blogosphere.
Blogs with Posts in June, 2008, by Technorati Authority
Hundreds of thousands of individual blogs, which make up the top 10% of blogs as measured by Technorati Authority, and more than 75,000 bloggers have an authority of 50 or more — meaning at least 50 other bloggers found their content worth linking to.
Bloggers Self-Identified as Personal, Professional, or Corporate
Bloggers are not a homogenous group. One way of segmenting bloggers is by their blog type:
-
Personal:
blog about topics of personal interest not associated with your work -
Professional:
blog about your industry and profession but not in an official capacity for your company -
Corporate:
blog for your company in an official capacity
Four out of five bloggers are personal bloggers who blog about topics of personal interest. About half of bloggers are professional bloggers — blogging is not necessarily their full-time job, but they blog about their industry or profession in an unofficial capacity. 12% of bloggers blog in an official capacity for their company.
Of course, these groups are not mutually exclusive. More than half of professional and corporate bloggers are also personal bloggers. This could be on a separate blog, or they may blog about personal interests within their professional blog.
- Corporate bloggers:
- 69% are also personal bloggers
- 65% are professional bloggers
- Professional bloggers:
- 59% are also personal bloggers
- 17% are corporate bloggers
Bloggers: Not New Kids on the Block!
Blogging is no longer a new phenomenon. Half of bloggers who responded are on at least their second (or 8th!) blog, and 59% have been blogging for two years or more.
Percentage of Bloggers by Time Spent Blogging
Non first-time bloggers contribute to four blogs on average, and the average blogging tenure is three years.
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