Blogging is here to stay

January 4, 2005 —

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

The state of blogging

ITworld.com, Ecommerce in Action