Blogs. Why should we care?

In a brainstorm session to name the Goff & Howard blog, a suggestion was the “blah, blah blog.” The name didn’t get picked (catchy as it is), but it shows a common perception of blogs . . . that they are just columns of rambling information.

It’s tempting to dismiss blogs, but as business people, we can no longer avoid them. One of the latest blog studies from technorati http://tinyurl.com/4u4fn5 helps prove why.

Here are the highlights . . .

Blogging is not a fad – it’s here to stay.
- In August of 2008, blogs generated 77.7 million unique visitors in the U.S., compared with 41 million for Facebook (and we thought Facebook was huge)
- 59% of bloggers have been blogging for more than two years

While politics, music, and personal interest clearly drive a lot of posts, bloggers are also a resource for corporate marketing:
- One-third of bloggers have been approached to be brand advocates
- Four in five bloggers post brand or product reviews, with 37% posting them frequently
- 90% of bloggers say they post about the brands, music, movies and books that they love (or hate)

And, don’t believe the stereotype of the blogger being someone holed up at home on a basement computer . . .
- Three out of four U.S. bloggers are college graduates
- 42% have attended graduate school
- 44% are parents
- Two-thirds are male
- 50% are 18-34

Moral of the statistics: We can’t avoid or ignore blogs, even though spell check seems to think “blogs” do not yet exist . . . (it’s true, try it).