Some three years ago, when I first started blogging, the consensus seemed to be that it was only a matter of time before everybody started blogging. I seem to remember the total having already reached 60 million, and the growth clearly continued because, according to Universal McCann, a year ago the figure had reached 180 million (of which a surprisingly low 26m were in the USA). However, most of these are inactive. According to Technorati, only 7.4m blogs were updated in the last 120 days, 1.5m in the last week and 900,000 in the last 24 hours. Most blogs are personal, rather than professional and I doubt if many of these are updated regularly or attract more than a handful of readers.
Blog postings differ enormously in character. To the extent that they record a quick thought or point to another blog or resource, the chances are that this is now achieved using Twitter. If they merely record what a person is doing at any point in time, that activity will first have migrated to Facebook and other social networking sites and will be moving on again to Twitter. Which leaves those postings which take a more in-depth look at an issue, maybe just a paragraph but just as likely 500 words plus.
As far as I'm concerned, this is journalism - amateur journalism typically (although most blogs have ads and the most popular blogs raise considerable amounts this way), but journalism nonetheless. There is no way the average person is going to have the time or the inclination to become an amateur journalist. After all, the 90:9:1 rule tells us that only 1% will create a blog, 9% will make comments and the rest will enjoy the read. Blogging will never become the pastime of the majority because most people would rather stick pins in their eyes than have to come up with new material every week for ever.
So regular blogging is for mad enthusiasts and those with a professional interest. It's journalism. That's why, when I have a column to write for a magazine, I usually just reach for a recent posting. It's the same thing. And in fact many journalists are bloggers - some 95% of the top 100 US newspapers have reporter blogs (see The Bivings Group).
I never intended to be a journalist, but I'm happy to have become one, at least on a part-time basis, even though many people trust journalists only slightly more than estate agents and lawyers. It is important in my view to confound the stereotype and maintain integrity - every now and then I will get some free software or free admission to an event, but I'm pleased to be able to say that no-one can buy my opinion.
Thanks Clive, interesting stats. I wonder how many blog last 6 months, a year or even longer.
ReplyDeleteIt may only be amateur journalism but there is great content out there and the diversity delivers a main course for any appetite. I subscribe to around 20 blogs on learning alone and the range of content is outstanding. I know I'm generalising a little here, but the same cannot be said for the professionals who have a vested interest (maintaining a wage) in continually being read.
I think it is an astute observation that blogging activity is distributed across various platforms and the ecology is constantly changing.
ReplyDeleteAren't blogs a lot more than journalism? And a lot less.
Respected publications are offering an old-fashioned guarantee of quality (or at least pretend to). Blogs are read on a caveat emptor basis.
Because blogs speak to niches, they extend the range of information available. They also allow discussion.
I agree Brit papers dominate the blogosphere here (and kill it). They are also highly selection about the conversation they allow and coming from Zimbabwe, I can assure you their choices tend towards the LCD.
Personally I use my blog to think. I used to be one of those people you describe who hate to write. Now I feel deprived if I cannot write every day. And I suspect there is a book buried in my blog. What we need from wordpress is the ability to move our blog onto a wiki so we can edit and publish them!
Good post. Yes, it is an effort to keep a blog up to date - I don't know about you, but I get a lot of satisfaction from writing my blog. I am an e-learning person, but I can't bring myself to blog about the things I do all day (others do it better as well, of course).
ReplyDeleteThat's why I do my blog on music. I've started to blend my blog with Spotify and provide reviews of new music/gigs with associated legal playlists - great way to listen to music with friends when they are not physically there.
One benefit I've found is that after posting about the UK's top ten funeral songs is that people are putting together 'funeral lists'. Sounds a bit grim, but these things will come in useful one day - do it or you might get 'Angels' played at your last public outing.
Perhaps some blogs are less journalism than "journaling"? Maybe this is splitting hairs. But there seems to be room for a bit more distinction between ostensibly "public" and "private" blogs.
ReplyDeleteI like Clay Shirky's idea of a 'gradient' in journalism from small, private blogs right through to blogs that are as professional, and have even more readers than many journalists, with lots in-between.
ReplyDeleteI personally like the plurality of blogs and the distinctive 'voices' that bloggers have. Their plurality, in e-learning, have made them much more interesting, innovative and informative than the dire, print, training magazines.
I think it's important to understand the quality of the newspapers and TV news programs you choose. Despite the "objectivity" that most news sources claim, it's impossible to deliver 100% objective coverage. Newspapers almost always have an angle.
ReplyDeleteThe difficulty in finding objective news coverage, and the suspicion that truly bias-free news items simply don't exist, is alienating.
One trend that reaches out to readers and invites feedback and discussion are blogs and tweets on websites and online newspapers.
When written well, blogs can have a journalistic integrity comparable to traditional new items--if not more. And blogs serve as a space for community conversation, like a town hall large enough to accommodate an unlimited number of people. Web 2.0 technologies like blogs and tweets are the journalistic medium of the future.
Kia ora Clive
ReplyDeleteI am a believer in the 90:9:1 rule, simply because I've experienced it in action too many times not to believe in it.
I concur with what you say here on a number of counts:
1
not everyone would want to blog regularly
2
not everyone wants to write blog posts that amount to journalistic type essays or columns
3
not everyone has the personality nor the skill (never mind the inclination) to write regular blog posts.
The fallout of this ties in with what I believe is true for most people, and that is that most people do not have the depth of thought (nor the skills to do this) in order to write regular columns or posts.
Blogging and posting regularly, whether it is once a day, once a week or even once a month, requires the writer to be able to think - especially if they are writing on a particular theme and more so if they are attempting to keep up with technical developments and comment on these.
So, frankly, I never could understand why anyone could possibly believe that it would be only a matter of time and everyone would be blogging like mad - even if only to network and chat. Besides, as you have alluded, blogging is not for those who only want to network and chat. Twitter? Yes. Facebook, Beebo, etc? Yes.
Blogs don't work quite the same way. I even wonder about the description that's often used for Twitter(ing), that of mini-blogging. It's no more blogging than Facebook is.
Catchya later
from Middle-earth
Clive,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Duane that diversity of viewpoint is beneficial. However, the biggest contribution that blogs are making to journalism is in filling the gap in mainstream (agendized or simply lazy)journalism.
There are a diverse set of diverse experiences and views. I hope there will always be one collective pursuit of truth and better ideas.
Thanks.