Published once per year from 2004 through 2011 and representative of bloggers from 45 countries, State of the Blogosphere (2011) offers statistics concerning blogging, bloggers, social media, marketing, branding, and an assortment of other such goodies, and it's really worth a look for anyone who plans to become a serious blogger.
These reports are especially useful in our discussion about the identity of the blogger. Here are some stats (State of the Blogosphere, 2011):
- 60% of all bloggers are male
- Most bloggers are between the ages of 25-44, but a third are 44+
- California, New York, and Texas, our most populated states, have the highest concentration of bloggers (fair Georgia ranks 9th, boasting 3% of our nation's bloggers)
- Bloggers are an educated bunch: most bloggers have at least a 4-year college degree
- Most bloggers are either married or cohabitating
- Nearly half of all bloggers work full-time, and 25% are self-employed
From this information, we can see that while bloggers can (and do) come in all shapes and sizes, the average blogger seems to be a married, college-educated American male between the ages of 25 and 44 who works full-time, lives in California, New York, or Texas, and looks something like this.
From my unofficial study of library blogs, I have determined that for the most part, library bloggers do follow this pattern. They only differ in one critical area: most library bloggers are women. This difference makes sense, considering that 80% of librarians in the US are women (Schott and Connor, 2010). Why wouldn't the blogosphere mirror the workplace?
In Lesson 5, we will be covering the motivations of bloggers and the audiences different blogs attract.
But before that, I'm opening the floor to you, dear reader.
In Lesson 5, we will be covering the motivations of bloggers and the audiences different blogs attract.
But before that, I'm opening the floor to you, dear reader.
What motivates you to blog?
(other than school assignments)
References
State of the blogosphere 2011: Part 1. (2011, November 4). Technorati. Retrieved April 3, 2013, from http://technorati.com/social-media/article/state-of-the-blogosphere-2011-part1/
When I blogged over at Livejournal (lol it's so passé now) it was really a way for me to connect with people with similar interests. I used to complain a lot about my job or school. But the most of the time, I was sharing what movies I enjoyed, trips that I went on. But I spent most of the time just checking my "Friends" page obsessively.
ReplyDeleteSamantha
I know that my wife does social media and blogging for some ministry organizations. My other experiments in blogging dealt mostly with things that I was interested in, from board games to trips that I went on. I have been out of the blogosphere for a few years now, but having an application on your cell phone really seems to help. I could see myself taking pictures and uploading them to a blog, but I really like my old-school 35mm camera. (I don't seem to be able to connect that to my iPhone).
ReplyDeleteI'm not really a blogger. I just don't like the idea that some random person could stumble upon my thoughts/personal life on the internet. Maybe I just watched too much X Files, haha! The blog I'm writing for our class is the first time I've run a blog and it's been an interesting experience. It really is an art to keep a post informative, but still short enough that it doesn't wear down readers' patience and eyes.
ReplyDeleteI guess I shouldn't really be surprised that most bloggers are male, but I am! Back in the mid-'90s, I had an online journal and was part of a Webring of other teen girls with similar sites. (Our posts were riveting. Really. Think, "This boy in my PE class is sooooo cute! And isn't Tay Hanson dreamy?") At any rate, I wonder why there is such a large gender gap here.
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