We blog. We're not ace journalists breaking news exclusives and we're not trying to get famous. But we blog: We talk about what's going on in our lives, and we like it. And a new survey by America Online, Inc. shows that we are not alone. The AOL Blog Trends Survey, conducted by Digital Marketing Services, Inc. (DMS) asked 600 bloggers from around the Web: "Why do you blog, and what do you blog about?"
Why Do We Blog?
▪ Nearly 50% of bloggers do it because it serves as self-therapy.
▪ One-third of bloggers write frequently about self-help and self-esteem topics.
▪ In times of need or high anxiety, 31% of bloggers say they either write in their blog or read the blogs of other people who are experiencing similar issues; that's six times as many people who seek help and counseling from a professional (5%), and second only to those seeking advice from family and friends: 32% vs. 31% who turn to blogs.
Why Don't We Blog?
▪ Only 16% of bloggers say they blog because they're interested in journalism.
▪ As few as 12% say they blog in order to break or stay ahead of the latest news and gossip.
▪ A fractional 8% blog in order to expose political information.
Bloggers Write for Their Favorite Audience: Themselves
▪ Fifty-four percent like to share their thoughts and feelings with others, and 43% like to chronicle their life and interests.
▪ Bloggers don't blog because of peer pressure: Only 16% blog because it's the latest Internet trend, and 21% because their families or friends do.
▪ Most bloggers (66%) feel free to write on "anything and everything."
▪ Only 12% worry that their blogs are funny and witty.
▪ A significant percentage (47%) say they feel no pressure at all when they know they have an audience reading their blog. Although, 54% admit it may take them a little longer to write an entry when others may read it.
▪ Only 13% of people feel disappointed if other people's blogs attract more readers or responses.
▪ Sixty-six percent of respondents say they don't feel pressure to update their blogs frequently (although they do care about how often the blogs they read are updated.)
Blogging Etiquette
▪ Forty-percent of bloggers say it is important to address messages people have posted in their blog in a timely manner.
▪ Sixty-one percent of bloggers feel that posting a comment on another person's blog is the "right thing to do."
▪ One in five bloggers (23%) worry about offending people in their blogs.
▪ More than three out of five bloggers (65%) admit to feeling disappointed when people post negative or abusive comments to their blogs.
More Blogging Factoids
▪ Twenty-nine percent of people write blogs to improve their writing skills and 41% to stay in touch with family and friends.
▪ Survey respondents write and maintain an average of two blogs.
▪Consumer bloggers spend an average of four hours per week writing their blogs.
▪When asked why they read other blogs, most (53%) say for entertainment, 44% say to get a new or fresh perspective on the news, and 36% say to interact with other participants through posting.
▪ Sixty-percent consider themselves to have a 'laid back" blogging personality. A small number (3.8%) describe themselves as blogging perfectionists, obsessive and compulsive.
About the Survey
The survey was conducted from July 17-22, 2005 through Opinion Place, an online research site operated by DMS. Opinion Place utilizes real-time, randomized assignment of respondents to surveys based on a scientifically process. A total of 600 Web users completed the survey. The screen qualifications for this study were males and females aged 18 and above who write one or more blogs on the Web.
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