Work Hard. There’s No If’s, And’s or But’s About It.

I recently watched Gary Vaynerchuck, of Wine Library TV, deliver at the Web 2.0 Expo…on YouTube. And, when you’re feeling down, feeling like, you’re giving up too much of life, or that breaking into the social media mold is just ‘too hard’ or you’ve gotten lost within this space. Watch this. It’s a good kick in the pants.

(Note: There is some foul language, but like I said, it’s’ a good kick in the pants.)

Gary V. presented about “Building Personal Brand Within the Social Media Landscape.” I often get this question through email, speaking with others and students too. I agree with Gary in this video.

There are no shortcuts. —–> (There are smart cuts.)

There are no excuses. —–> (There’s time management.)

There is no one else to do it. —–> (There’s only yourself to motivate.)

And it’s called: HARD WORK. Now get going. =)

(Thank you Mike Kujawski for sharing this item!)
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The Bulletin: Updates in the Social Marketing Field

New Resources and Communities Abound…

1. Two Social Marketing Blogs join the movement! Mike Newton-Ward, a social marketer based in North Carolina launched Social Marketing Panorama earlier this fall. Bob Marshall also launched USSOCIALMARKETINGPLAN to highlight the need of a larger social marketing movement that attaches itself to a body of professionals in the United States.

2. C-Change, a new peer-reviewed and research-based e-newsletter developed by USAID and AED is now available and…is free! According to the web site, “C-Change works with global, regional and local partners to use communication to change behaviors and social norms, supported by evidence-based strategies, state-of-the-art training and capacity building, and cutting-edge research. The ultimate goal is the improved health and well-being of people in the developing world.” The e-newsletters focus on four main areas:

• Family Planning and Reproductive Health
• HIV/AIDS
• Malaria
• Communication for Behavior and Social Change

3. GovLoop, the “premiere social network for the government community,” including agencies, contractors and consultants has grown to over 1700 members! I invite you to join me and the main other amazing professionals on this robust community created through NING, especially SB readers who are keen to the government 2.0 movement! For those in DC, join the DC Social Media Club this upcoming week Oct. 22 for a seminar panel on all items Government 2.0, moderated by John Bell of Ogilvy PR.

4. As I’ve shared, the full presentations from all the keynotes during the World Social Marketing Conference are available to view and download. I shared my own recap, as well as a picture recap. Good news is that I wasn’t alone as we had a ‘team’ of bloggers covering the event: Stephen Dann, Craig Lefebvre, Andy Jaeger, and Cheryl Brown.

5. Edelman recently launched their Health Engagement Blog to stress the concept of ‘health engagement.’ The blog corresponds to Edelman’s whitepaper, available for free, called Health Engagement Barometer Study.

6. Mike Kujawski, a social marketer based in Canada, created a Government 2.0 Best Practices Wiki for Canadian, U.S. and International Governments. In its first week of launch, the wiki got over 5000 visitors!

7. The CDC is now offering a web-based course called Social Marketing for Nutrition and Physical Activity. This is good. Though, I still echo Nancy Lee’s call for social marketing curricula integrating into formal education. And more courses would be a great start, but a formal graduate degree in social marketing would be even better.

Photo Credit: Flickr, pbrigitte
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Have social marketing (or social marketing-related) news you’d like to have featured in the Bulletin? Send job posts, new workshops, events, research resources and tools to socialbutterfly@gmail.com with Bulletin in the subject line. =)

Blog Action Day: What is Public Health? What is Poverty?

In honor of today’s Blog Action Day on poverty, here is a background on poverty and how social marketing can be applied, as I saw broken down by Philip Kotler himself at the World Social Marketing Conference.

Additionally, join over 40 of DC’s influential changemakers at Buffalo Billiards at DC’s 1st Changeblogger meetup. We will recognize and commemorate Blog Action Day, connect with Alex Steed’s social change tour, mingle and share re: living and working for positive change.

What is poverty?

In researching the answer to this question, I couldn’t escape the purpose behind a campaign by the Association of Public Health Schools and the Pfizer Foundation recently created called “What is public health?” This campaign works to better brand ‘public health’ to the public, while also raising awareness, education and encouraging participation in the public health conversation. Participants are asked to put red “This is public health stickers” on items that they feel represent public health. My challenge: What would this look like if the question: “What is poverty?” was asked?

Early Solutions to Poverty

Kotler listed 4 early solutions to poverty: alms programs, workhouses for the poor, deficit financing and economic development. With these solutions, four major strategies reveal themselves to reduce poverty:

• Economic Growth Strategy
• Redistribution Strategy
• Massive Foreign Aid
• Population Control

As Kotler continued to outline, he stated the “Two Main Thrusts” used to alleviate poverty are population control (from contraceptive campaigns, to abortions, education of women, industrialization to passing laws restricting the number of children) and improving the support of povert-escaping behavior. This umbrellas micro finance and empowerment, education and health programs.

The Goal

As part of the Millennium Goals, the World Bank and the United Nations have 8 goals and 17 targets to alleviate poverty (Kotler). One goal is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by:

• Cutting in half the proportion of people whose income is less than a $1 a day.
• Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.

Why Care?

Everyone hears we need to solve poverty, but my eyes were widened as to WHY we need to solve hunger. And, this goes beyond the humanity of reasons, but puts some more solid evidence to the issue. Kotler spoke of these 6 reasons:

1. Sympathy and compassion about wasted lives.
2. Poverty drives some poor people into crime and terrorism.
3. Poor are more prone to health problems and spreading of disease.
4. Poor are more likely to follow demogogues.
5. Poor nations can collapse into “failed states” that cannot pay their foreign debt.
6. The poor are an untapped trillion dollar market opportunity.

Why Social Marketing?

Kotler, along with social marketing expert Nancy Lee, both are literally writing the book answering this part of the poverty question. I personally can’t wait for the book to come out because I truly believe that social marketing provides the right tools for us to solve global issues such as poverty. In the presentation, Kotler identified a 6-part framework as to how social marketing can be applied to the poverty issue. However, in the book, a larger and more developed framework is offered, as well as further context of the issue.

So, back to the challenge. How would you answer this question: What is poverty?

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World Social Marketing Conference Recap 2: Picture This

Finally…a picture-based recap on the events from the World Social Marketing Conference, which took place in Brighton, England on September 29-30.

NOTE: PDFs and audio of all keynote presentations are available here.

<– Prof. Stephen Dann was the conference’s Twitter King, providing live coverage of the conference through @WSMC08, and #WSMC08.

Prof. Alan Andreasen gave a closing and optimistic keynote address about the future of social marketing. –>

<– Bill Smith, of AED, discusses the journal Social Marketing Quarterly, calling for more concentration towards social marketing products and services.

This quote was presented by England’s National Social Marketing Centre’s director, Jeff French, who calls all social marketers to unite together and learn from each other in moving the field forward. –>

<– Philip Kotler opened the conference with a keynote about poverty, and how we can apply social marketing to poverty to increase effectiveness and positive change.

Jeff Jordan, M.A., President and Founder of Rescue Social Change, presented his research about Social Branding (which he trademarked), along with 2 case studies about how to use social norming to influence behavior for high-risk adolescents. –>

<– The Purpose Driven Campaign – my master’s thesis that I presented during the poster session! (I also created SocialButterfly, Fly4Change.com pens that were quite popular. =)

• 

Craig Lefebvre, presented an exciting presentation where he “dropped the gauntlet,” and presented the challenge for social marketers to walk the walk, as well as talk the talk when it comes to creating an international social marketing association. Lefebvre announced that he alone has raised a quarter of a million dollars for the project! –>

Other Highlights included:

• NIOSH presented add some ‘flavoring’ to the conference by presenting their case study on a social marketing program to improve the safety of butter flavoring employees.
• Ogilvy PR presented their fascinating Pandemic Flu case study.
• Porter Novelli and CDC presented their case study on HIV testing.
• Nancy Lee outlined 4 examples of how social marketing can offer products and services.
• RT Hon. Alan Milbourne, MP, discussed how the world of social marketing and public policy relate.
• Bob Marshall presented findings from studying the NSMC and from his recent survey about creating a new social marketing association for the States. This is part of an on-going discussion that can be followed here, USSocialMarketingPlan.
• Ronne Ostby-Malling of AED presented her preliminary research about the behavior of online social network behavior among adolescents versus their behavior in real-life.

The Government’s A-Twitter Take 2: It’s Official

For those that have been following the “Let Our Congress Tweet Campaign,” the news is in. Congress can now Tweet (as well as YouTube, Flickr and other 3rd-party sites) when communicating with constituents.

This campaign was the 1st official policy issue brought forth through Twitter. Individuals supporting the campaign were asked to tweet:

“Congress, change the rules. Talk to us on our social networks. http://letourcongresstweet.org/ Let Our Congress Tweet! #LOCT08.”

The campaign with links to media coverage can be found here. In response, the Sunlight Foundation has created @CAPITOLTWEETS has been created for those who want to receive tweets sent out by members of Congress. This allows interested individuals can get a @CAPITOLTWEETS widget to include on their blog or Web site if desired that updates every 10 minutes with tweets from Congress members.

The rulings official wording is and can be found on Speaker Pelosi’s blog:

In addition to their official (house.gov) Web site, a Member may maintain another Web site(s), channel(s) or otherwise post material on third-party Web sites. (more…)

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Related, in June, I compiled a list of ALL government Twitter accounts available. This post has been very popular, and many more have since been a) suggested and b) created. Thus, here is the update, beginning with none other than….Congress members who Twitter. Colleague @ariherzog also maintains the Government page on the Twitter fan wiki for future updates. Enjoy!

U.S. Senate

• Votes from the Senate floor
• @NRSC – National Republican Senatorial Committee

1. Joe Biden (D-Del.)
2. Sen. John McCain (R-Az.)
3. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.)
4. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)
5. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.)
6. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)
7. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.)
8. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)

U.S. House of Representatives

• Votes from the House floor
• House Republican Conference Committee
• House Republican Policy Committee

1. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii)
2. Gresham Barrett (R-S.C.)
3. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)
4. John Boehner (R-Ohio)
5. John Boozman (R-Ark.)
6. Michael Burgess (R-Texas)
7. Dan Burton (R-Ind.)
8. Eric Cantor (R-Va.)
9. John Culberson (R-Texas)
10. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.)
11. Randy Forbes (R-Va.)
12. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.)
13. Randy Kuhl (R-N.Y.)
14. Tom Latham (R-Iowa)
15. Bob Latta (R-Ohio)
16. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.)
17. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.)
18. Candice Miller (R-Mich.)
19. George Miller (D-Calif.)
20. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
21. Tom Price (R-Ga.)
22. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.)
23. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (D-Fla.)
24. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio)
25. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.)
26. John Shimkus (R-Ill.)
27. Mark Udall (D-Colo.)
28. Tom Udall (D-N.M.)
29. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.)
30. Rob Wittman (R-Va.)
31. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.)
32. Ron Paul (R-Texas) (FAKE PROFILE)

Executive Branch (including Cabinet, departments, and agencies)

• The White House: Communications Office
• The White House: Office of National Drug Control Policy
• Department of Agriculture: Food Safety Information Center
• Department of Commerce: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: National Marine Sanctuary
• Department of Defense: DipNote Blog, @dipnote
• Department of Defense: Maxine Teller, Public Affairs
• Department of Defense: Mark Drapeau, Research Fellow, National Defense University
• Department of Defense: US Joint Forces Command
• Department of Defense: Department of Army: US Army
• Department of Defense: Department of Navy: Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division: HJ Armstrong, public affairs
• Department of Energy: Argonne National Laboratory
• Department of Health & Human Services: AIDS.gov (AIDS Conference)
• Department of Health & Human Services: AIDS.gov (Main)
• Department of Health & Human Services: National Institutes of Health: NIH Communications Office
• Department of Health & Human Services: National Institutes of Health: Jim Angus
• Department of Health & Human Services: Office on Women’s Health
• Department of Homeland Security: Emergency Preparedness
• Department of Homeland Security: Leadership Journal
• Department of Homeland Security: Transportation Security Administration blog team
• Department of Homeland Security: US Citizenship and Immigration Services
• Department of Interior: National Park Service: Brooks Camp at Katmai National Park
• Department of Interior: National Park Service: National Center for Preservation Technology & Training
• Department of State: Country-specific Information, travel department
• Department of State: Dipnote, official blog feed
• Department of State: US Embassy, London
• Environmental Protection Agency: EPA
• Environmental Protection Agency: EPA News Releases
• Environmental Protection Agency: Greenversations blog
• General Services Administration: Federal Citizen Information Center
• GSA: Office of Citizen Services and Communications: GovGab
• GSA: Office of Citizen Services and Communications: GobiernoUSA.gov
• GSA: Office of Citizen Services and Communications: USA.gov
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Astrobiology Institute
• NASA: CoLab, advising and consulting on NASA collaboration
• NASA: Desert RATS
• NASA: Earth Observatory, echoed at Natural Hazard
• NASA: GLAST
• NASA: Hubble Space Telescope
• NASA: Jason-1 project
• NASA: Kepler
• NASA: Lunar Atmosphere & Dust Environment Explorer
• NASA: Lunar Crater Observation & Sensing Satellite
• NASA: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
• NASA: NanoSail-D mission, first solar sail created for nanosatellites
• NASA: NASA EDGE
• NASA: PharmaSat
• NASA: PreSat
• NASA: Public Affairs
• NASA: Solar Dynamics Observatory
• NASA: Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
• NASA: Emma Antunes, web manager
• NASA: Ames Research Center: Public Affairs Office
• NASA: Ames Research Center: Kimberly Ennico, payload scientist
• NASA: Goddard Space Flight Center: Linda Cureton, chief information officer
• NASA: Goddard Space Flight Center: Ravi Sharma, engineer
• NASA: Innovative Partnerships Program: Doug Comstock, director
• NASA: Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Cassini, flying around Saturn
• NASA: Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Earth Vital Signs
• NASA: Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Mars Exploration Rover
• NASA: Jet Propulsion Laboratory: News, unofficial feed, not endorsed by JPL
• NASA: Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Phoenix Mars Lander
• NASA: Langley Research Center: Bil Kleb, computational aerothermodynamist
• NASA: Marshall Space Flight Center: Daniel Kanigan, public affairs
• National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency: Chris Rasmussen, social software knowledge manager/trainer
• Office of Personnel Management: OPM
• Securities and Exchange Commission: SEC Investor Education
• Social Security Administration: Lee Alviar, public affairs specialist in Dallas
• U.S. Geological Survey: USGS
• U.S. Geological Survey: Earthquake & Tsunami Warning
• U.S. Geological Survey: Dave Govoni, paleontologist
• U.S. Intelligence Community: Andrea Baker
• U.S. Intelligence Community: Heather Cox
• U.S. Intelligence Community: John Hale
• U.S. Peace Corps
• U.S. Small Business Administration: Business.Gov

Additional

• Bob Barr (L), former U.S. Representative from Georgia, presidential candidate in 2008
• John Edwards (D), former U.S. Senator from North Carolina, presidential candidate in 2004 and 2008
• @secgen – The U.N. Secretary General
• @peacecorps – The Peace Corps
• L.A. California Fire Department
• Mike Huckabee – Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate

U.S. State Government Leaders

1. @schwarzenegger – California Gov. Arnold Schwarsenegger
2. @GovernorGibbons – Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons (No longer actice and beware the fake account @FakeGibbons)
3. @govgranholm – Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm
4. @johncherry – Michigan Lieutenant Gov. John Cherry
5. @PeterKinder – Missouri Lieutenant Gov. Peter Kinder
6. Mark Boughton, Mayor of Danbury, Connecticut
7. R.T. Rybak, Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota

U.S. State Government

1. @coloradogov – Colorado Government
2. @kygov – Kentucky Government
3. @vermontgov – Vermont Government
4. @UtahGov – Utah Government
5. @SCGOV – South Carolina Government
6. @www_maine_gov – Maine Government
7. @rigov – Rhode Island Government
8. @wsdot – Washington State Department of Transportation
9. @NevDCNR – Nevada Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources

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The Purpose Driven Campaign: Social Marketing as the Possible Link Between Journalism and Advertising

After reflecting from the World Social Marketing Conference (which I promise updates eventually) and reading Craig Lefebvre’s recent post “Social Marketing: Hard Power and Soft Power in Social Change,” I want to finally share some tidbits from my thesis paper that I presented as a poster session at the conference. As, I think it rounds out and puts a lot of themes together as I studied: the elusive concept of influence.

Abstract: This research project looks at the concept of influence within social marketing as compared to journalism and advertising. This includes examining these professions’ definitions, ethics, standards, and agenda-setting capabilities. Through in-depth interviews, a further understanding of how these three practices relate within the gray matter of the media landscape is pioneered, as well as better defining the role and influence of social marketing.

Excerpt:

The Question of Influence

While the Information Age leaps into the Connected Age, the power of a free press is offered daily to start-up bloggers. Newspapers are downsizing. Amateurism is becoming the new professionalism. Online media producers replace today’s broadcast directors; all making the gray shades of influence between the information and its consumers a thunderstorm waiting to happen. Social marketing is in the business of change, whether it is behavioral change or attitude change, social marketing can also be described as the field for social change. But, how? In today’s world, who holds more influence to create these changes, a journalist, advertiser or a social marketer? How can one tell the difference? Is there a difference? And, do the professions work together? Could they? Should they? This research hopes to add to the discussion on the evolving definition and role of social marketing, using agenda-setting relationships to examine its influence and attempt to determine its position between advertising and journalism in the media landscape.

Literature Review

It is 1961. A time when questions were raised and hope diminishing as borders became gray and a rise of an international community emerged. Two Portuguese students were imprisoned for declaring a public toast towards their dream, rooted in an idea – freedom. Having their freedom stolen from them for displaying a human right of expression, a newspaper article was written, and with it, a movement spurred. This movement would form Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org). Social change is possible, and it begins with an idea. Social marketing is an increasing movement currently being expanded because of its foundation in ideas about positive change for the welfare of the public.

Though specific definitions differ, social marketing achieves social change objectives by applying the marketing mix of product, place, promotion and price. Currently, social marketing is used mostly in public health communications and is expanding in the realms of environmentalism, civil rights, urban renewal, public service and raising awareness of international issues.

Conclusion: The conclusion of course I can’t share here, but it involves what I found consistent between journalism and advertising, but interestingly, the field of public policy was drawn into the mix through the research as well.

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Forget Personal Branding: What About a Sing-A-Long Resume?

I have lot more to report from the World Social Marketing Conference, however, this news bit is too good not too share. Last week, I connected with Holly Grande on Twitter, and this girl is smart. Not only is she a rising public relations star, but you may not know that she is also rising singing sensation.

So I might have exaggerated a bit (though she has done voice overs for Radio Disney), but Holly took the usual ‘resume’ section on her blog, and instead of posting her actual resume, Holly provided a new range in entertainment. Literally. Check out Holly’s “Sing-A-Long Resume” below. Who wouldn’t hire someone with this innovative creativty (and bravery)?

You can get catch more of Holly on her blog and at BrazenCareerist. What other unique ways have you or your friends done to re-frame and refresh your resume?

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Live from the World Social Marketing Conference: Recap 1

Awestruck, inspred, and amazed, I am reporting live from the World Social Marketing Conference here in Brighton, England. There are so many great and brillant minds present here with over 700+ delegates from across the globe.

We have journalists, policy makers, psychologists, gurus, non-profiteers, communication firms, academics, new media techs, international developers, champions for the environment, public health professionals, humanity, researchers, consultants, publishers and many more from across sectors.

Delegates represent South Africa, India, the U.S., England, Portugal, China, Australia, Bangladesh, Slovenia, New Zealand, Senegal in West Africa, Wales, Scotland and many more!

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To follow conference updates, Dr. Stephen Dann is commanding the Twittering front @WSMC, and you can following using Twitter Search #WSMC08. Also, presentations and pictures may be gathering on Flickr and Slideshare down the line. I look forward to a posting full of pictures later myself, but here are some great recaps thus far (though, literally, I could post on each one individually!)

Craig Lefebvre: In his keynote, Lefebvre (who I finally got the wonderful opportunity to connect with), brought us social marketers into the danger zone and challenged us, as a global community to form a social marketing global platform. I won’t do Lefebvre’s vision for the field justice in this space, but Lefebvre is laboring tirelessly to rally support for an international professional network, that would be inclusive of those in social marketing, environment issues, public health, business thought leaders, psychologists, economists, marketers, social entreprenuers and more! It could/would involve a case study database, a journal, educational development and shared experiences for all: thus highlighting the variety of roles us social marketers, can, do and should have in the social change sector. Currently, Lefebvre has raised a quarter of a million dollars to support this organization and asks: What will you do?

Philip Kotler: A guru favorite for many conference delegates, Kotler laid out his most recent work on the subject of poverty. Kotler and colleague Nancy Lee, in their next book, apply social marketing to the problem of poverty. Within the presentation, Kotler identified four main methods currently being used to reduce poverty:

1. Economic Growth Strategy
2. Redistribution Strategy
3. Massive Foreign Aide
4. Population Control

In this book, Kotler and Lee lay out a 10-step process for demystifying the poverty problem while providing resaons why it is all of ours problem. Looking at the World Bank and The U.N.’s Millenium goals, and the approachng deadline for results, this application is most needed.

Nancy Lee: In a wonderfully graceful way, Lee provided four clear examples on how social marketing utilizing all four of the 4Ps – product, price, place, promotion. Lee concluded that her state, Washington, hopes to become a role-model to gain the attention of those in Washington D.C. and further establish social marketing as a working strategy and field. My favorite part of her presentation was her exclamation that social marketing must become a required course. I highly agree, and ask: What is one way, us in the trenches, can make social marketing a required course? My answer: ask for it. Students, and those interested in social and behavior change: investigate social marketing. Ask about it. Reach out. Demand it.

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These are my first three updates, and the computer area is closing, so thus, I must close. More to come in following days!

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The Social Marketing Blogosphere Continues to Expand: Welcome Mike Newton-Ward

I am excited to announce the addition of a great social marketing voice to the blogosphere, Mike Newton-Ward at Social Marketing Panorama, where he hopes to offer a 360-view of social marketing.

My first encounter with Mike was when he graciously helped me with my graduate project this past Spring. Though we’ve only ‘met’ through phone, email and now blogging, he is a very knowledge, helpful and passionate voice for the social marketing field.

Mike outlines a few reasons why he entered the blogosphere:

• Exchange ideas about social marketing
• Extend the discussions from Georgetown’s social marketing list serv
• Create community
• Share resources, as well as his personal observations in the field

Mike’s addition to the blogosphere is a special treat for all of us as he invites us to:

“to observe the world around you, listen to what people are saying, reflect on your experiences, and share them.”

Social marketing’s presence in the blogosphere continues to expand and gain traction. Join the metamorphosis. Come fly with us in this growing movement called social marketing.

• Spare Change, Nedra Weinreich
• On Social Marketing and Social Change, Craig Lefebvre (**Did you check out Lefebvre’s recent post about medical and health bloggers? I suggest you check it out for a link to the free research report!)
• Subject to Change, Vanessa Mason
• Health Marketing Musings, Jay Bernhardt
• Social Marketing Panorama, Mike Newton-Ward
• SocialButterfly, Yours Truly 😉

For more social marketing-related blogs, my links page offers many more resources and listings!

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Technorati releases New Studyrati on the State of the Blogsphere

Geoff Livingston today created a post sharing how the blogosphere is not just for millenials and people aged 30 and under, citing that 50% of bloggers are 35 and over. Today, Technorati introduced it’s 2008 State of the Blogosphere report which support this assessment.

The report is divided into 5-days of coverage.

• Introduction
• Day 1: Who Are the Bloggers?
• Day 2: The What And Why of Blogging
• Day 3: The How of Blogging
• Day 4: Blogging For Profit
• Day 5: Brands Enter The Blogosphere

Technorati has been releasing its annual study that analyzes the current trends and themes of the blogosphere since 2004. The 2008 study is unique in that it marks the first time Technorati surveyed bloggers (1,079 according to TechCrunch) directly about the role blogging plays in their lives, the tools used, time and resources used, and more!

This study is one of various studies that have recently been revealed. Though there are fluctuations in the results, all lean towards the result that blogs are here to stay. Other studies include (as listed on Technorati)

• comScore MediaMetrix (August 2008)
  • Blogs: 77.7 million unique visitors in the US
  • Facebook: 41.0 million | MySpace 75.1 million
  • Total internet audience 188.9 million
• eMarketer (May 2008)
  • 94.1 million US blog readers in 2007 (50% of Internet users)
  • 22.6 million US bloggers in 2007 (12%)
• Universal McCann (March 2008)
  • 184 million WW have started a blog | 26.4 US
  • 346 million WW read blogs | 60.3 US
  • 77% of active Internet users read blogs

The numbers continue to change every day as more blogs are created. This is why I find Day 2’s of Technorati’s results most interesting so far. Day 2 shows statistics about the type of topics bloggesr are blogging about (i.e. 18% are blogging about health topics), their personality and writing styles, the motivations behind blogging, and the impact of blogging.

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