One of the PR guys from Vizu sent me a PDF copy of their recent survey for Ad Age on blog readership for this year.
Key findings from the Vizu Answers/Ad Age blog readership study include:
How many and how often do people read blogs?
– 30.8% of blog readers read more than three blogs regularly – and of the blogs they read most often, 68.3% of respondents said they read them daily.
Community is a primary driver of readership within the blogosphere
– When asked how they find the blogs they read, 67.3% follow links from other blogs.
– Recommendations on blogs (22.9%) is ranked higher than finding links on search engines (19.6%) when selecting which blogs to read.
What makes a good blog?
– 43.9% of respondents said the quality of writing determines which blogs they will read regularly, and 43.6% said that topical focus is a key determinant of regular readership.
– 51.5% said quality of writing helps them asses which blogs are credible and high-quality, and 38% said it was the author’s reputation that drives perceived credibility.
– Post frequency and site design are also drivers of perceived blog quality.
What makes a blog a blog?
– 38.4% replied that expressing personal opinions is the key element in separating blogs from other online media.
– Other factors include: writing style (28.2%), editorial freedom (26.3%) and layout (25.8%).
Why people read blogs…
– 65.7% read for entertainment, and 42.5% read about Personal Interests/Hobbies.
– 32.5% read for education and information.
– 1 in 8 (12.3%) reported reading blogs for work or business.
Why blogs are read for work?
– The majority of those who read blogs for work use them as a tracking tool as opposed to a research tool.
– 27.3% use blogs to track specific trends or issues, while 49% of respondents said they don’t read blogs for work.
I’m actually interested in doing a similar survey for the local blogosphere. However, several factors need to be considered especially when taking a large enough sample size (in the thousands) and the effective randomness of methodology. I have some ideas in the works but I think it needs some pretty concerted effort to get enough data.
to c5:
I think people who filled out the survey are still sane – I doubt they represent the blog readers as a whole.
It would be nice to have a research for the Philippines only. That way we can really measure the growth of the blogging industry. I have a strong feeling though that it will boom dramatically in the months to come – especially with more local companies starting corporate blogs.
With the popularity of Viral Marketing, its only natural for marketers to turn towards New Media.
c5 has a good point. Even if the MSM people are reluctant with us bloggers, the reading public proves otherwise. Some really good tips and motivation found in that study of Vizu.
Ask the help of blogger researchers to formulate the poll. I used to do market research but I am obsolete already. And besides it’s been 22 years since I did that kind of work.
Hi Yuga…just passing by, browsing what I can take advantage of here… :)
At least it’s good to know that the top 3 reasons people choose a blog to read are quality of writing, topical focus and author reputation…we’re still sane! :)