On The Mark -- What Is A Blogger?

A research brief from The Center for Media Research:


What's A Blogger?

by Jack Loechner, Friday, Apr 18, 2008 8:15 AM ET

Bloggers are younger and higher percentages are Hispanic & African American than the general population. A higher percentage of Democrats than of Republicans are blogging.

Now that Blogging might better be called a market segment rather than a market niche, it's useful with regard to positioning the marketing message to understand what a Blogger looks like, as distinguished from the rest of the population.

According to the BIGresearch Simultaneous Media Survey, 26% of all adults say they regularly or occasionally blog. Of those:

53.7% are male
44.7% are married
28.4% hold a professional or managerial position
10.4% are students.

Bloggers tend to be younger, averaging 37.6 years old, compared to 44.8 for adults 18+ (the "general population"). Ethnically:

69.7% of Bloggers are White/Caucasian (vs. 76.1%)
12.2% are African American/Black (vs. 11.4%)
3.7% are Asian (vs. 2.0%)
20% of Bloggers are Hispanic, compared to 14.8% of adults 18+

In addition, Bloggers report a lower income ($55,819 vs. $56,811) and are better educated (14.3 years of education vs. 14.2).

Political blogs are becoming increasingly common, especially in this election year, where 24.6% of registered voters say they regularly or occasionally blog. Political affiliation of regular/occasional

Bloggers look like this in 2008:
37.6% of Libertarians regularly/occasionally blog
26.9% of Democrats
25.7% of Independents
22.9% Republicans

Analysis of Bloggers shows that they are using most forms of new media significantly more than the average market.
Regular/Occasional New Media Usage (Top 5)

% of Regular/Occasional Bloggers
% of Adults 18+
Cell Phone
93.0%
87.5%
Instant Messaging
75.3%
49.3%
Download/Access Video/TV Content
72.2%
45.0%
Video Gaming
66.9%
47.5%
Text Messaging
65.5%
45.2%

Source: BIGresearch, January 2008, N=15,727

Although Bloggers are more likely to use new media, the analysis finds that more conventional forms of media trigger their Internet searches. Magazines, at 51.6%, rank highest, followed by:
48.8% reading an article
46.1% broadcast TV
44.5% cable TV
42.5% face-to-face communication
39.7% newspaper

Gary Drenik, President of BIGresearch, concludes ?"Bloggers are a diverse group and not who you would expect..."

For more information, please visit BIGresearch here.
Center for Media Research

Did I, Or Didn't I?The Perils of Co-blogging

Earlier today, the Misanthrope and I were speaking about Toner Mishap. He mentioned how much he would enjoy reading a post I had been considering, and though I didn't commit to posting it, the conversation quickly drifted to the efficacy of regular, daily posting in building and maintaining an audience. So did I promise to post for Friday, or didn't I? I honestly don't think I did, but I'm not sure our misanthropic friend would agree. And so, as I haven't prepared the post to which I earlier referred, you get this. Woo hoo!

New Blogger and New York Playwright

The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life.
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), playwright

I am pleased to add the blog of a former colleague who has followed her dream and moved to New York to pursue her goal of becoming a major playwright. She has already won numerous awards and has been produced around the country.

Please do me a personal favor, stop by at Blindsquirrel, and say hello. She has even earned a position on the coveted boldface blogroll link because she is that good; and I want her to remember me when she becomes the next “overnight” playwriting sensation.

Johnna was also the one who encouraged me to take a class with her and write my two plays. I spent a couple of weeks writing my first 10-minute play, then the day before class, Johnna writes hers during lunch and it was great. The class busted a gut laughing at one of her scenes. I am not exaggerating it was truly a great scene and she pulled it all together in less than one hour.

Our loss of a co-worker and friend will soon be yours and New York’s gain.

New York, New York
I want to wake up in a city, that never sleeps
And find I’m a number one, top of the list, king of the hill
A number one
I’m gonna make a brand new start of it - in old New York
And if I can make it there, I’m gonna make it anywhere
It's up to you - New York, New York
As sung by Frank Sinatra