The State of the Blogosphere

Posted on February 3, 2005

President George Bush gave his State of the Union address last night and he did not even mention blogs even once. So, what about the State of the Blogosphere? A study conducted by Pew Internet & American Life Project in January found that the blogosphere is growing rapidly. 32 million Americans now read blogs and over 8 million create them. 12% of web users have posted a comment on a blog. Unfortunately, only 38% of Internet users even know what a blog us.

So Who Are Bloggers?
According to the study bloggers tend to be male (57%), young (48% under 30), internet savvy veterans (82% have been online for over six years), well educated (over 39% have college degrees) and financially well off (42% live in households with incomes of $50,000+ ).

Who Reads Blogs?
The study found that blog readership grew from 17% of Internet users this past February to 27% in November. The growth in 2004 alone amounts to 58%. Blog readers are somewhat more of a mainstream group than bloggers themselves. Like bloggers, blog readers are more likely to be young, male, well educated and internet veterans. However, the study showed a greater-than-average growth in blog readership among women, minorities, those between the ages of 30 and 49, and those with home dialup connections.