Dave Sifry presentation from the TWS2009. State of the Blogosphere - WHO are the bloggers?

1. Background Technorati has been publishing our State of the Blogosphere study since 2004 This year we went beyond size, geography and technological trends We surveyed Technorati’s registered user base to understand: Role of blogging in their lives Tools, time, resources used for their blog How blogging has impacted them personally, professionally and financially Survey fielded in July 2008, and received 1290 responses

2. WHO are the bloggers? State of the Blogosphere

4. Two thirds-of bloggers are 25-44, and one in four are 45+

5. 44% of bloggers are parents; among them, half have one or more children under the age of five

6. Bloggers are a highly-educated group

7. 70% have college degreesWhat is your gender? n=1,290 What is your marital status? n=1,290 Are you a parent? n=1,290 What are the ages of the children who live at home with you?n=1,290 In which group does your household income fall, before taxes? n=1,032

8. U.S. bloggers are more educated and affluent than the general Internet population Source: ComScore Plan Metrix, July 2008

9. Blogging is a truly global phenomenon Bloggers responded from all six continents, live in 66 different countries and publish their blogs in 20 languages 43% of blogger respondents live in the U.S. 72% publish their blog in English (survey was only provided in English) What country do you live in? n=1,290 In what language do you publish your blog n=1,290

14. Blogging topics are also more likely to be personal: Personal musings (66% vs. 47%), Family updates (36% vs. 16%)

15. Women blog to stay connected and make connections. Why they blog:

16. To keep friends and family updated (45% vs. 25% of men)

17. To meet and connect with like minded people (69% vs. 58% of men)

19. Twice as likely to sell through an ad network (16% vs. 7%)

20. And more likely to have affliate links (41% vs. 32%)

21. They are also savvy about driving traffic to their blogs

22. More likely than male bloggers to participate in a blogroll link to other blogs, get listed on a blog directory, produce content for other blogs

26. One in three bloggers are concerned about blog readers learning their identity Of those concerned about exposing their identity, primary concerns surround the impact on family and friends How important is it to you to conceal your real identity on your blog?

27. Blogging also has opened up unique opportunities for them Have you been invited to any of the following as a result of your blog? n=1,290

29. Younger

30. 17% are 18-24 (vs. 8% of U.S. bloggers

31. Only 10% are over 50 (vs. 21% of bloggers

32. Concerned about privacy

33. 36% don’t want people to know their identity (vs. 26% in the U.S.)

35. Less likely to participate in Web 2.0 activities

36. 17% are 18-24 (vs. 8% of U.S. bloggers

38. More likely to get offered free products

39. electronics (26% vs. 14% for U.S. bloggers)

42. 42% of bloggers report that they blog more frequently than when they started

43. 23% blog less frequentlyOn average, how frequently do you update your blog? n=1,290

44. Median investment in blogs is minimal However, select bloggers invest $100k annually Corporate bloggers have highest investment How many dollars have you invested in your blog over the past year? n=1,290

46. Median links from other web sites to blog: 30 (mean=4,816)Which of the following activities do you participate in to attract visitors to your blog? n=1,290 How many links do you have from other sites to your blog? How many links do you have from your blog to other sites? n=1,290

47. And they are sophisticated with the use of tools Which of the following tools do you use with your blog? n=1,290

49. The majority of bloggers have some advertising on their site Professional and corporate bloggers have more search ads, display ads, and affiliate marketing on their sites Do you have advertising on your site, or receive cash or products through the following means? n=1,290

51. Minority sell through an ad network or have a sales personHow do you manage advertising on your blog? n=610

52. Average annual blogger revenue is over $6,000 However, this is skewed by the top 1% who earn $200k+ Mean among those with 100,000 unique users is $75,000 in revenue What is your annual estimated revenue from advertising on your blog? n=406

54. 57% have had a readership event (vs. 32%)

56. 81 monthly blog posts (vs. 37)

57. 57% spend more than 10 hours weekly blogging (vs. 24%)

59. International CPC rates are also much higher What is the average CPC (cost per click) that you receive for advertising on your site? n=130

60. Halfof corporate bloggershavecreatedaneventfortheirreadership The majority of these events are in person 30% of personal bloggers have created an event for their readers One in five bloggers have hosted an in-person event Have you ever worked with your readership to create an event either online or in person? n=1,290

62. Corporate bloggers are most likely to be approached to be brand advocates (46%)One third have been approached to be product advocates, and 5% are “spokesbloggers” One third of bloggers have received free products

63. Brands enter the blogosphere Corporate and professional bloggers are more likely to blog about company information and less likely to post product/brand reviews Men and women equally likely to blog about products or brands Do you talk about products or brands on your blog? n=1,290

64. Blogs and traditional media State of the Blogosphere

66. However, 1 in 5 bloggers think that newspapers will not be able to surviveHow much do you agree with the following statements? n=1,290

70. Bloggers are active Web 2.0 participants Please tell us which of the activities you do online regularly. n=1,290

71. Among bloggers, other blogs are the most influential form of brand messaging What types of advertising or content entice you to learn more about a product or service? n=1,290