Blogs, a form of web journaling created by individuals, are increasingly influential in the business world. This month, two of the trendiest terms that everyone seems to be talking about are “iPod” and “blog”—words that barely registered five years ago.
If the iPod represents a high-fashion icon in the digital lifestyle (beyond just its music-playing capabilities), the personal blog may be small in the digital realm, but its impact is anything but minor. Blogs now express style, status, information, and personality for their users.
According to David Sifry, founder of the technology company Technorati, which specializes in blog research, there are currently 37 million blogs in existence, with a new blog created every second. By this weekend, Sifry estimates the number of blogs will rise to 39.6 million.
And that’s not all…
According to Wikipedia, the blogosphere has grown more than 60 times compared to three years ago, with 1.2 million new blog updates and approximately 50,000 updates daily.
Surprisingly, English is not the dominant language in this blogging world. Can you guess which language it is? It’s Japanese. Indeed, 37% of current blogs are written in Japanese, followed by English at 31%, and Chinese at 15%.
A recent study by Jupiter Research indicates that blogs are spreading their influence on business at an unprecedented level. Why is this the case? The key is the blog readers.
Research on blog usage in Europe has shown that internet-savvy residents, although a small segment of internet users, are dominating youth forums and directly influencing the consumption behavior of young people.
For instance, AOL Music, a major player in the music industry, acknowledges that blogs can elevate one artist’s popularity while diminishing another’s. Through song rankings, information, and RSS feeds, blog users are continuously updating and directly influencing current music trends.
Many events today are first reported on blogs before major newspapers like The New York Times or The Washington Post catch up. Moreover, blogs have infiltrated media companies that are sensitive to ongoing updates and the behavior of blog users.
MySpace, a well-known blogging platform, currently boasts 1.4 million new updates and 250,000 active bloggers each day. According to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project in April 2006, about 88% of young people aged 18 to 29 in the U.S. and 84% of those aged 30 to 49 are online.
Thus, the impact of blogs will continue to expand, not only affecting communication styles and work habits but also consumer behavior, which is crucial in business.
BA CHI
