Social Media

A recent post over at Forbes claims Facebook and Twitter are replacing blogging. Written by Jeff Bercovici, it uses statistics from the just-released State of the Blogosphere report by Technorati, one of the leading blog resources on the web.

In the post, Jeff points out that Facebook and Twitter are replacing blogging with the argument that less people are spending time blogging, but more time on Facebook and Twitter. From Technorati’s findings, “pure bloggers” like hobbyists are blogging less as their time is allocated more to the micro-blogging sites.

While Jeff uses the Technorati stats to paint his position, I can’t help but feel he’s missing the bigger picture.

Technorati and Blog Claims

While there’s no doubt that Technorati is one of the leading blog resources when it comes to statistics, it also only counts blogs that’s registered with the service.

So while there might be 180 million blogs registered (I think that was the number from the last report), there are a ton more that aren’t registered. Chinese bloggers, for example, are restricted by the Internet laws in China – you can quickly add a few hundred million onto the numbers there.

So while it may appear to Jeff that blogging is going down (at least from the hobbyist angle), not having the full picture skews the results a little.

Numbers and Interpretation

It’s not just the registered versus non-registered numbers that are important, though. Dig a little deeper into the Technorati stats, and you’ll see a lot of information that Jeff either fails to mention, or conflicts with his view.

• In Technorati’s introduction post, they mention that they spoke to 7,200 bloggers to put the report together this year. Look at that number again – 7,200. Out of more than 100 million blogs registered with Technorati. While not insignificant, can less than 1% of your audience be a reflective number?

• Part-time bloggers (13% of the blogosphere) spend at least three hours per week on their blogs, with at least a third of them posting at least once a day.

• At Forbes, Jeff mentions that less time is being spent on blogs since they’re content to post on Twitter or Facebook. Yet according to Technorati, 49% of part-time bloggers and 62% of self-employed bloggers are blogging more because it helps promote them and their business.

But here’s the kicker. Jeff mentions that micro-blogging is taking away bloggers, and giving numbers over to Twitter and Facebook instead. Yet again, look at the Technorati report, and their exact quote is:

The key driver of decreased blogging is an increase in work and family commitments, which is reported as a factor by 63% of respondents who are blogging less. Compared with last year’s findings, slightly fewer of those who are blogging less said that their devotion to microblogging (30%) and social networks (28%) has curtailed their blogging.

So, while micro-blogging sites are becoming more popular with ex-bloggers, it’s actually less than last year’s figures. So blogging is more popular this year?

The Truth About Blogging

The phrase ?drinking from the Kool Aid? is a strange one. Originating from a cult mass suicide, it?s also used to describe belief in perspective. I still can?t decide whether I?m a fan of the term or not, but that?s neither here nor there.

Either way, if I was to drink from the Kool Aid and share with you, here are ten bottles of Kool Aid that would fill your creative juice needs anytime. I hope you enjoy.

1. How to Choose the Right Blog Tool. Informative post from Arik Hanson about how to decide which blogging platform to use for your business needs, with reasons why each of the covered platforms might be better.
2. The Mad Men Guide to Changing the World with Words. Okay, I’ll admit it – I still haven’t watched a single episode of Mad Men. But this post from Jon Morrow over at Copyblogger might change that – and it’s a damn fine post on the power of words.
3. Unethical Social Media at Its Worst. Uber-smart PR guy Dave Fleet shares a sordid tale of politics, social media and the recent Toronto mayoral elections. Interesting views in the comments as well.
4. Lessons Learned at a Parking Garage. Not as naughty as it sounds, this is a great post from Frank Dickinson on why businesses should think smarter, or end up with BMW customers (you’ll have to read the post for the acronym!).
5. Over 140 Marketing and Business Development Ideas for You. One of my favourite marketing bloggers is Jim Connolly. This post, and the resources in it, shows why. Read, bookmark, use.
6. Blogging Through Storytelling. We all know the power of a good story – but are you using that power in your blogging? Andrew Rondeau shares his storytelling advice over at Kikolani.
7. Will It Matter in One Year? Oftentimes, we let so many situations take control of us when we don’t need to. Andrew Weaver shows us how, in the long run, a lot really doesn’t matter after all.
8. Moderating Blog Comments. Always guaranteed to be a hot topic, the question of whether blog comments should be moderated didn’t disappoint over at Spin Sucks. Read the post, then join the great debate inside the comments.
9. 10 Smart, Thought-Provoking Comments from the Future Buzz Community. I’m a big believer in a blog only being as good as its community makes it. Adam Singer clearly agrees, as he highlights some of the best from his.
10. The Boy with the Bread. Okay, I’m cheating a little here by sharing one of my own. But this might help you understand why size doesn’t always matter; it’s how you share bread that does.

Hopefully I?ve satiated your thirst with these drinks. But now I?m thirsty. So, what would you suggest I drink ? any recommendations?

image: dolmansaxlil