I don't readily agree with this article. Sure, there are a couple blogs that are "mainstream," "for instance, the left-leaning Huffington Post and Daily Kos. My take is that most bloggers cover news and offer insights on a specific or specialized subject they are personally familiar with, whereas with "mainstream media" the exact opposite is true.
In my view the "Paparazzi" would be a much closer analogy to "mainstream media" than bloggers.
However the point is well-taken. I think what they're trying to say is that blogging has gone from a "Deep Thoughts" philosophy, to a more information based professional format, and readers have subscribed to that change in droves.
Blogging Becomes Mainstream - eMarketer Paul Verna, Senior Analyst
Blogging has become so pervasive and influential that the lines between blogging and the mainstream media have disappeared. That is the main finding of a Technorati-sponsored survey of bloggers conducted in July and August 2008 by Decipher.
“Blogs are now mainstream media,” said Richard Jalichandra, CEO of Technorati, in an interview with eMarketer. “We’ve certainly seen that with the number of professional, semiprofessional and passion/enthusiast bloggers who are creating real media experiences. At the same time, you’re also seeing mainstream media come the other direction to add blog content.”
comScore Media Metrix found that blogs had 77 million unique visitors in the US in August 2008.
Among the Technorati survey’s own findings, one of the more eye-opening ones was a 2-to-1 male/female ratio among bloggers worldwide. A closer look at the gender breakdown by geography shows that bloggers in Europe and Asia skewed even more heavily male (73% each), while US bloggers showed a less drastic gender split, with 57% males and 43% females.
Demographic and E-Business Profile of Bloggers in Asia, Europe and the US, July-August 2008 (% of respondents)
Mr. Jalichandra acknowledged that the gender skew could be at least partially attributed to “the type of people that come to Technorati and register.” In other words, if Technorati’s user base leans male, then its survey data would naturally reflect that bias.
Another important caveat to the gender data is that the “State of the Blogosphere” report was limited to adults. Other surveys of blog use among US teenagers indicate that younger bloggers are predominantly female.
One-third of respondents had been contacted by a brand or agency to be a brand advocate. That number correlates closely with the percentages of bloggers worldwide who frequently share personal experiences with companies or brands (34%) and frequently include product reviews (37%).
Blogging has become so pervasive and influential that the lines between blogging and the mainstream media have disappeared. That is the main finding of a Technorati-sponsored survey of bloggers conducted in July and August 2008 by Decipher.
“Blogs are now mainstream media,” said Richard Jalichandra, CEO of Technorati, in an interview with eMarketer. “We’ve certainly seen that with the number of professional, semiprofessional and passion/enthusiast bloggers who are creating real media experiences. At the same time, you’re also seeing mainstream media come the other direction to add blog content.”
comScore Media Metrix found that blogs had 77 million unique visitors in the US in August 2008.Among the Technorati survey’s own findings, one of the more eye-opening ones was a 2-to-1 male/female ratio among bloggers worldwide. A closer look at the gender breakdown by geography shows that bloggers in Europe and Asia skewed even more heavily male (73% each), while US bloggers showed a less drastic gender split, with 57% males and 43% females.
Demographic and E-Business Profile of Bloggers in Asia, Europe and the US, July-August 2008 (% of respondents)
Mr. Jalichandra acknowledged that the gender skew could be at least partially attributed to “the type of people that come to Technorati and register.” In other words, if Technorati’s user base leans male, then its survey data would naturally reflect that bias.
Another important caveat to the gender data is that the “State of the Blogosphere” report was limited to adults. Other surveys of blog use among US teenagers indicate that younger bloggers are predominantly female.
One-third of respondents had been contacted by a brand or agency to be a brand advocate. That number correlates closely with the percentages of bloggers worldwide who frequently share personal experiences with companies or brands (34%) and frequently include product reviews (37%).
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