Blogging is here to stay
Blogging and web logs are here to stay. Over a quarter of Internet users now read blogs, and blog technology is rapidly being adopted:
* Blog readership grew 58% in 2004
* 27% of Internet users read blogs
* 12% of Internet users have used blogs' interactive features
* More than 8 million Americans are blogging
The information, from a Pew Internet Report, suggests that blogs are shifting from the cutting edge to mainstream adoption. Pew attributes some of the rapid growth to media attention on blog campaign coverage in 2004.
Another reason for the growth is that there is a growing body of content being published using web logging tools like Movable Type and Blogger.
Gawker Media uses the inexpensive blogging tool Movable Type to create its growing list of publications. Gawker sites include Gawker, Wonkette and Gizmodo. These sites focus on niches that would be difficult to tackle using mainstream tools and processes.
Micro-publishers like Gawker Media don't compete directly with traditional content providers. Instead, they are creating businesses under the radar of more traditional publishers. They generate content quickly and inexpensively, and connect to the blogging world using standards like RSS.
The rise of newsreaders
Along with the growth of blogs has come a rise in the use of news readers. RSS newsreaders automatically gather information in RSS XML format from sites that users subscribe to. Users then can read the headlines and news summaries in their newsreader, without opening a web browser and visiting each site. If they see content that they are interested in, they can click through to the source website for more information.
The use of newsreaders has several implications for e-businesses:
* A growing number of users want news feeds
* Good headlines and summaries are more important than ever
* News feeds are emerging as an alternative to the Web
* Users are adopting alternatives to the Web browser
Most significantly, companies need to include newsreaders in their proofing process. Because news readers are a very different medium than the Web, web-specific formatting can look strange if it slips into news feeds.
Summary
While blogs are a fast-growing category of web content, many web users are still baffled by talk of blogs, bloggers and the blogosphere. Only about 38% of Internet users even know what blogging is. Those that do know about blogs, though, are well-educated veteran Internet users.
Blogging is moving from cutting edge to mainstream. Web publishers need to provide news feeds, or risk missing out on a growing segment of Internet users. News readers should also be incorporated into sites' proofing processes.
RESOURCE
ITworld.com, Ecommerce in Action
Symantec Backup Exec 12 and Backup Exec System Recovery 8 deliver industry leading Windows data protection and system recovery. Download this whitepaper to find out the top reasons to upgrade and how to get continuous data protection and complete system recovery.
Data and system loss — from a hard drive failure, malicious attack, natural disaster, or simple human error — can happen anytime. Don’t leave your business vulnerable. Make sure you have a secure recovery strategy in place. Symantec's latest backup and system recovery technology can efficiently restore critical applications, individual emails and documents and even restore your entire system in minutes in the event of a loss.
Businesses face a growing challenge to ensure that the IT environment is properly protected. Backup Exec 12 integrates with other applications in the Symantec family of products, to complement your current data protection strategy, keep your data securely backed up and make it recoverable when you need it most.
