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An Introductionto Blogging
”
Blogging is one of the fastest growing trends on theinternet in Europe, and with an estimated 50,000 newblogs created every day
[1]
, it
’
s a social phenomenonthat advertisers can no longer afford to ignore.Blogging is a simple and easy way for people toshare their thoughts, photos, and even audio or video,online. Anyone can write a blog about anything,ranging from teenagers discussing music and gossipwith friends, to gadget lovers sharing hints and tipsto multi-national CEOs talking with their customers.A wide variety of people blog, and you can guaranteea proportion of nearly every social group will beblogging about something.Importantly, blogging is a discursive medium wherea blog
’
s readers engage in conversation with thewriter via comments or on their own blog. In contrast,brands traditionally communicate by broadcasting atightly controlled message, but they are increasinglyfinding that audiences are no longer listeningbecause new technology, such as personal videorecorders, allow people to efficiently filter outadvertising from their day to day life.Blogging offers organisations the opportunity tohold real conversations and develop meaningfulrelationships with their customers and community.It gives companies the chance to both encouragefans of a product who are acting as unofficial brandevangelists and to respond rapidly and effectivelyto negative publicity. Written in a creative, honest,transparent and authentic manner, blogs are anindispensable communications tool.The MSN Blogging Guide offers advice on the dosand don
’
ts of corporate and sponsored blogs anddemonstrates how to use this new medium.
”
Suw Charman, Blogging expert
[1] Blogpulse, September 2005
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Anyone can write ablog about anything,ranging fromteenagers discussingmusic and gossip withfriends, to gadgetlovers sharing hintsand tips to multi-national CEOs talkingwith their customers.
”
Suw Charman
How to Blog for Business: A Guide to Corporate Blogging
What is a Blog?
>A blog, otherwise known as a weblog, is a personal website that allows you topublish your thoughts, opinions and ideas online. Each entry is time stamped anddisplayed in reverse chronological order>Bloggers update their blogs regularly and respond to readers
’
comments, so blogsare effectively constantly evolving online conversations>There are more than 21 million blogs currently in existence around the globe, butwith a new blog created every second, this figure is constantly increasing
[2]
>Bloggers are active participants online
 – 
they don
’
t just use the internet as areference source>Blogs can be accessed, read and updated by anyone with an internet connectedcomputer, PDA or mobile phone
[2] Technorati.com, November 2005
BoingBoingDaily KosInstapunditThe Drudge ReportSlashdotAndrew Sullivan.comTalking Points MemoEschatonWashington Monthly Power LineAlbino BlacksheepLittle Green FootballsengadgetThe Smoking GunMeraFilterWonkette!GizmodoThe Command PostCaptain’s QuartersWizbang!HughHewitt.comThe Volokh Conspiracy Michele MalkinPenny ArcadeInformed Comment0500010,00015,00020,00025,000
TopBlogs2004
 
The Growthof Blogging
>Blogging has seen phenomenal growthsince the first sites were published in themid-nineties. According to Nielsen NetRatings, the number of users visiting thetop 50 blogging and blog-related sitesworldwide increased by 31 percent fromJanuary 2005 to 29.3 million unique visitorsduring July 2005, comprising nearly 20percent of active internet users>MSN launched MSN Spaces in December2004, an easy to use method of setting upa personal blog. To date more than 30million MSN Spaces have been created
[3]
,proving blogging
’
s popularity amongstconsumers worldwide>MSN Spaces is now ranked No. 1 in online year-to-date unique audience growth witha 1000% increase from 300,000 visitors inJanuary to nearly 3.3 million in July 2005
[4][3] MSN Internal data, October 2005[4] NNR Understanding the Blogosphere Survey, August 2005
How to Blog for Business: A Guide to Corporate Blogging
Who AreBloggers?
>Technorati tracks nearly 21 millionblogs and 3 million unique tags(a tag indicates the subject of a blog post),in over 70 languages>Different blogging tools are popular withdifferent sections of the population, withthe demographic for LiveJournal being verydifferent from that of other blogging tools>Forrester estimate that the average age ofa blogger is 41, whereas the averageLiveJournal user is in their late teens>Analysis of the male/female split has alsoproduced varying results. BlogAds surveysestimates that 75.5% of bloggers aremale; Forrester estimate that 58% ofbloggers are men; but for LiveJournalthe figure is 33%>These statistics indicate one thing:bloggers are a diverse social group withdiffering ages and interests
Celebrity Bloggers
Many celebrities have been quick to spotthe potential of blogs as a way to engagedirectly with their fans. Hollywood starstaking advantage of the blogosphereinclude Gwyneth Paltrow, Bruce Willisand George ClooneyThe Huffington Post, dubbed by readersas the
”
Huff
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, is a group blog where lotsof bloggers post on the same siteEstablished by American socialite ArianaHuffington, the blog features regularcelebrity posts by people such as JohnCusack, Diane Keaton and EllenDeGeneres
(Source: BBC Weblog Watch, May 2005)
The blogging phenomenon has alsobrought with it a new raft of
’
bloggingcelebrities
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whose blogs have becomefamous in the blogging communityBlogging celebrities include Microsoftblogger Robert Scoble and authorCory Doctorow who runs top bloggingsite BoingBoing
(Source: BBC Weblog Watch, May 2005)
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The number of users visiting the top 50blogging and blog-related sites worldwideincreased by 31 percentfrom January 2005 to 29.3million unique visitors.
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