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Dave Sifry presentation from the TWS2009. State of the Blogosphere - WHO are the bloggers?
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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
WHO ARE THE BLOGGERS?State of the Blogosphere
Who are the bloggers?
Male66%
Fe-male34%
Gender
Less than $20,000
$20,000 - $49,999
$50,000 - $74,999
$75,000 - $99,999
$100,000 - $150,000
More than $150,000
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
15%
22%
13%
10%
13%
8%
Household Income
What 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
• Two-thirds of bloggers are male
• Two thirds-of bloggers are 25-44, and one in four are 45+
• 44% of bloggers are parents; among them, half have one or more children under the age of five
• Bloggers are a highly-educated group
– 70% have college degrees
18-24 yrs13%
25-34 yrs36%
35-44 yrs27%
45-54 yrs15%
55+8%
Age
U.S. bloggers are more educated and affluent than the general Internet population
Demographics BloggersGeneral internet
population*
Male 57% 50%Age
18-24 years old 8 1525-34 years old 34 1935-49 years old 37 4750+ 11 22
Single 26 19Employed full-time 56 47Self-employed 20 8Household income >$75,000 50 43College graduate 74 56Some graduate school 42 20
Source: ComScore Plan Metrix, July 2008
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
Europe27%
Asia13%
North America48%
South America7%
Australia3%
Africa0%
Geographic Distribution of Bloggers, by Continent
PERSONAL BLOGGERS
(79% of total)
PROFESSIONAL
BLOGGERS
(46% of total)
Bloggers self-identified as Personal, Professional, or Corporate bloggers
CORPORATE
BLOGGERS
(12% of total)
CORPORATE: blog for your company in an official capacity
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
There is overlap between the segments
Corporate bloggers:
• 69% are also personal bloggers
• 65% are professional bloggers
Professional bloggers:
• 59% are also personal bloggers
• 17% are corporate bloggers
Personal Bloggers do it for Fun … But Wouldn’t Mind the Cash• More than 4 in 10 personal bloggers hope to make money on their blog some day.• One in five are already making money on their blogs
My blog is my primary source of income
I consider blogging to be my full-time job
My blog is a source of supplemental income for me
Right now I blog for fun. I would like to make money on my blog some day
I blog for fun. I do not make any money on my blog
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
2%
4%
15%
42%
54%
Why I blog
Which best describes your involvement with blogging? n=646. BASE: [Is your blog personal, professional, or corporate?: Personal (blog about topics of personal interest not associated with
your work)
PERSONAL
Some expected truths:
• More likely to be personal bloggers (83% vs 76% of men)
• Blogging topics are also more likely to be personal: Personal musings (66% vs. 47%), Family updates (36% vs. 16%)
• Women blog to stay connected and make connections. Why they blog:
- To keep friends and family updated (45% vs. 25% of men)
- To meet and connect with like minded people (69% vs. 58% of men)
• Their blogging style more likely to be conversational (75% vs. 59% of men)
FEMALE
Blogger Highlights
34% of blogger population
Only 9% of female bloggers are 18-24 (vs. 15%
male)
And less expected truths:
• Female blogers are more sophisticated about advertising:
- Twice as likely to sell through an ad network (16% vs. 7%)
- And more likely to have affliate links (41% vs. 32%)
• They are also savvy about driving traffic to their blogs
- 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
• 36% have converted business leads from their blogs (vs 27% of men)
THE WHAT AND WHY OF BLOGGINGState of the Blogosphere
Blogging topics are diverse
CelebrityGamingSportsHealth
Religion/spiritualityScience
TelevisionFamily updates
BusinessTravelFilm
MusicComputers
PoliticsNewsOther
TechnologyPersonal musings
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
13%13%
16%18%
19%22%
23%23%
27%28%
30%31%
34%35%
42%43%
46%54%
Blog Topics
What topics do you blog about? n=1,290
• News and business topics are as prevalent as personal topics
“Other” blog topics include: 2008 election, alternative energy, art,
beauty, blogging, comics, communication, cooking/food, crafts,
design, environment, internet/Web 2.0, Jamaica, LGBT,
media/journalism
Self expression tops the reasons for blogging
To attract new clients to my offline business
To enhance my resume
To make money or supplement my income
To get published or featured in traditional media
To keep friends and family updated on my life
To meet and connect with like minded people
To share my expertise and experiences with others
In order to speak my mind on areas of interest
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
14%
21%
24%
26%
32%
62%
73%
79%
Why do you blog?
Please tell us why you blog. n=1,290
• Career advancement or monetary reasons are cited by one in four bloggers as motivations for blogging
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
Very important12%
Somewhat
impor-tant20%
Not that important24%
Not impor-tant at
all44%
Other
My employer might disapprove of my blogging while at work
My employer might disapprove of my views
I am concerned about friends/family disapproving of my blog content
I am concerned that my family and friends not be exposed or harassed
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
36%
17%
22%
22%
44%
Why are you concerned about exposing your identity on your blog?
How important is it to you to conceal your real identity on your
blog?
Blogging also has opened up unique opportunities for them
Broadcast media appearance
Speaker or panelist at industry event
Print media contributor
Reviewer or endorser
Blogger roundtable
Interest group event
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
17%
19%
20%
21%
24%
27%
Have you been invited to any of the following as a result of your blog?
Have you been invited to any of the following as a result of your blog? n=1,290
International bloggers are similar to early U.S. bloggers:
• Male (73% vs. 57% of U.S. bloggers)
• Younger
- 17% are 18-24 (vs. 8% of U.S. bloggers
- Only 10% are over 50 (vs. 21% of bloggers
• Concerned about privacy
- 36% don’t want people to know their identity (vs. 26% in the U.S.)
- Of those, main concern is around family harassment (49% vs. 34)
INTERNATIONAL
Blogger Highlights
57% of blogger population
Majority from Europe & Asia
Half are published in English
In some ways less sophisticated:
• Less savvy about driving traffic to their blog
• Less likely to participate in Web 2.0 activities
- 17% are 18-24 (vs. 8% of U.S. bloggers
- Only 10% are over 50 (vs. 21% of bloggers)
In other ways more savvy:
• Twice as likely to include paid postings (8% vs. 4% for U.S.)
• More likely to get offered free products
- electronics (26% vs. 14% for U.S. bloggers)
- computers (30% vs. 11% for U.S. bloggers)
One in four bloggers spend more than 10 hours per week on their blog
On average, how much time do you spend blogging each week? n=1,290
< 1 hour 1 -3 hours 3 - 5 hours 5 - 10 hours 10 - 20 hours 20+ hours0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
15%
19%21% 21%
12% 12%
Time spend blogging each week
• Only 15% spend less than one hour per week on their blog
Half update their blog daily
On average, how frequently do you update your blog? n=1,290
• Bloggers post an average of 38 entries per month
• 42% of bloggers report that they blog more frequently than when they started
- 23% blog less frequently
Several times each day
Daily 2-3 times per week At least once per week
Once every few weeks
Once a month or less
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
14%
32%30%
14%
7%
2%
Frequency of updating blog
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?
Dollars invested in blog over past year
MEAN $ invested
MEDIAN $ invested
MAXIMUM $ invested
ALL bloggers (n=1,290) $1,018 $50 $200,000
U.S. bloggers (n=557) 635 80 75,000
Non-U.S. bloggers (n=733) 1,348 30 200,000
Corporate bloggers (n=156) 4,795 200 200,000
Bloggers with advertising (n=695)
1,822 100 200,000
Bloggers without advertising (n=595)
95 0 5,000
How many dollars have you invested in your blog over the past year? n=1,290
Bloggers are savvy (and resourceful) in generating traffic
Pay for online advertising
Produce content for other blogs or websites
Get listed on a blog directory
Participate in a blogroll
Link to other blogs and hope for reciprocity
Tag your blog posts
List your blog on Google
Comment on other blogs
List your blog on Technorati
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
4%
24%
52%
54%
64%
68%
73%
77%
83%
How bloggers attract visitors
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
• Median Links from blog to other web sites: 29 (mean=3,405)
• Median links from other web sites to blog: 30 (mean=4,816)
And they are sophisticated with the use of tools
Mobile updating tools
Photoblog capabilities
Twitter or any real-time updating apps
Ability for multiple authors to contribute
Photo hosting site
Video hosting site
TrackBack implementation
Ability to assign entry to mult categories
Widgets
Search box
Built-in syndication
Archiving posts by date or category
Commenting system
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
17%
29%
31%
33%
45%
49%
51%
63%
66%
70%
82%
84%
85%
Tools used on Blog
Which of the following tools do you use with your blog? n=1,290
Personal satisfaction is key success metric for 3 in 4 bloggers
Number and quality of new business leads
Revenue
Number of people who are "favoriting" you
Accolades from other media
Your Technorati authority and/or rank number
Number of RSS subscribers
Number of links to my blog from other sites
Number of unique visitors
Number of posts or comments on my blog
Personal satisfaction
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
10%
16%
18%
22%
33%
39%
46%
53%
58%
75%
How do you measure the success of your blog?
• However, bloggers also track a variety of quantitative metrics to measure their success
BLOGGING FOR PROFITState of the Blogosphere
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
I don't have any advertising on my site
Rich media ads
Being a spokesblogger
Paid postings
Affiliate marketing links on your site
Display ads
Search ads
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
46%
4%
5%
6%
20%
28%
38%
Do you have advertising on your site, or receive cash or products through the following means?
Do you have advertising on your site, or receive cash or products through the following means? n=1,290
Among those with advertising, two-thirds use AdSense or other contextual ads
I have a dedicated sales force that sells ads on my blog
I sell my ad inventory through an online ad network
I get paid to post reviews of products on my blog
I sell my ad inventory through a blog ad network
I have a link on the site for interested advertisers and negotiate with them directly
I have affiliate advertising links on my site and get paid for purchases generated from my visitors
I use self serve tools to offer contextual ads or pay per click ads on my blog
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
6%
8%
8%
10%
19%
35%
69%
How they Manage Advertising on their Blog
How do you manage advertising on your blog? n=610
• 1 in 5 negotiate with advertisers directly
• Minority sell through an ad network or have a sales person
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?
Annual revenue from blog
MEAN annual
revenue
MEDIAN annual
revenue
MAXIMUM annual
revenue
ALL bloggers with advertising (n=406)
$6,252 $200 $350,000
U.S. bloggers with advertising (n=173)
5,063 200 350,000
Non-U.S. bloggers with advertising (n=233)
7,135 200 324,000
What is your annual estimated revenue from advertising on your blog? n=406
More sophisticated:
• Use more tools on average
• 57% have had a readership event (vs. 32%)
• More likely to sell through an ad network:
- 15% online ad network (vs. 8%)
- 19% blog network (vs. 10%)
• More likely to have affiliate ads (48% vs. 35%)
HIGH REVENUE
Blogger Highlights
78% male (vs. 66%)
42% self employed (vs. 22%)
60% professional (vs. 46%)
19% corporate (vs. 12%)
Require more resources and invest more:
• Spend more time blogging:
-81 monthly blog posts (vs. 37)
-57% spend more than 10 hours weekly blogging (vs. 24%)
• Average investment is $7,400 (vs. $1,600)
Bloggers are enjoying CPMs on parity with large publishers
• International bloggers are commanding CPMs twice as high as those in the U.S. on average
What is the average CPM that you receive for advertising on your site?
CPM (cost per thousand impressions)
MEAN CPM MEDIAN CPM
MAXIMUM CPM
ALL bloggers with advertising (n=172)
$7.20 $1.00 $300
U.S. bloggers with advertising (n=67)
4.20 1.20 30
Non-U.S. bloggers with advertising (n=105)
9.12 0.80 300
What is the average CPM (cost per thousand impressions) that you receive for advertising on your site? n=172
International CPC rates are also much higher
What is the average CPC (cost per click) that you receive for advertising on your site?
CPC (cost per click)
MEAN CPC MEDIAN CPC MAXIMUM CPC
ALL bloggers with advertising (n=130)
$10 $0.20 $330
U.S. bloggers with advertising (n=42)
1.98 0.10 50
Non-U.S. bloggers with advertising (n=88)
13.82 0.20 330
What is the average CPC (cost per click) that you receive for advertising on your site? n=130
Half of corporate bloggers have created an event for their readership
Have you ever worked with your readership to create an event either online or in person? n=1,290
Have you ever worked with your readership to create an event either online or in person?
Type of blogger
Corporate bloggers(n=1,015)
Professional bloggers
(n=590)
Personal bloggers
(n=156)
Yes, in person 10% 8% 6%
Yes, online 13 14 11
Yes, both online and in person 24 17 13
No, I have not created an event with my readership
53 61 70
• 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
Blogging has benefits
Do you attend events to get material for your blog? n=1,290
Do you ever get free admission or other perks in exchange for writing about these events on your blog? n=717
Do you ever get free products to review on your blog? n=1,290
Have you been approached to write as an advocate for a product or service? n=1,290
Were you offered compensation (monetary or product) n=436
One third have been approached to be product advocates, and 5% are “spokesbloggers”
One third of bloggers have received free products
Half of bloggers attend events for their blog
• Among those bloggers who attend events, one third do so for free
One in three bloggers has been approached to be a brand advocate
• Of those approached to be brand advocated, 61% were offered payment
• Corporate bloggers are most likely to be approached to be brand advocates (46%)
Brands enter the blogosphere
Do you talk about products or brands on your blog? n=1,290
• 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?
FrequentlyOccasionall
yNever
I post product or brand reviews 37% 45% 18%
I blog about brands that I love (or hate) 41 48 12
I blog about company information or gossip that I hear about 31 32 37
I blog about some of my every-day experiences in stores or with customer care 34 45 21
BLOGS AND TRADITIONAL MEDIAState of the Blogosphere
BLOGS ARE GAINING CREDIBILITY
Newspapers will not be able to survive in the next 10 years
Blogs are often better written than traditional media articles
I get more of my news and information from blogs than other media sources
Blogs are just as valid media sources as traditional media
More people will get their news and entertainment from blogs than from traditional media in the next 5 years
Blogs are getting taken more seriously as sources of information
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
21%
37%
43%
49%
51%
71%
Perceptions of Blogs & Traditional Media
How much do you agree with the following statements? n=1,290
• 37% of bloggers have been quoted in traditional media based on a blog post
• However, 1 in 5 bloggers think that newspapers will not be able to survive
Bloggers spend 3.5x time on the Internet compared to TV
On average, how much time do you spend weekly doing the following activities? n=1,290
Internet Television Mobile Radio Newspaper Magazines Gaming0
5
10
15
20
25
3026.9
7.86.9
4.5 3.8 3.4 3.4
Time Bloggers Spend with Media (hours/week)
• Bloggers spend almost as much time on their mobile devices as watching TV
Bloggers are active Web 2.0 participants
Download podcasts
Share videos online
Share bookmarks or searches
Participate in a professional networking site
Photo sharing
Participate in a social networking site
Watch videos online
Subscribe to an RSS feed
Comment on articles or blog posts that you read
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
30%
33%
41%
41%
45%
48%
64%
68%
69%
84%
Please tell us which of the activities you do online regularly
Please tell us which of the activities you do online regularly. n=1,290
AMONG BLOGGERS, OTHER BLOGS ARE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FORM OF BRAND MESSAGING
Mobile advertising
Rich Media Advertising
Any online video content
Banner advertising
TV, Print, or Outdoor advertising
Web content (non-blog sites)
Other blogs
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
4%
12%
14%
16%
33%
46%
61%
Types of Advertising & Content that entice Bloggers to Learn more about Products and Services
What types of advertising or content entice you to learn more about a product or service? n=1,290