Just how popular is blogging?

Blog 200! Yay!

Published on October 11, 2004 By Sally jacobs In Blogging

Blogging has slowly become something that fits into my everyday life. Just like waking up and getting dressed, at some point I try and fit time in to read some blogs, and write something. I don't even really think about it, it's just become naturally. Along with everyone here at JU, I've seen people come and go. I'm watching the site grow. I'm also seeing blogging becoming more popular. Or so I thought. I found this article on the linked website.

Despite the potential of turning every Internet user into a publisher, relatively few have created Web journals called blogs and even fewer do so with regularly, a new study finds.

Some bloggers indeed update their journals often, in some cases several times a day. But it's clearly a minority who are taking advantage of the blog and its potential to steer the online discourse with personal musings about news events and daily life.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project, in a study released Sunday, found that somewhere between 2 percent and 7 percent of adult Internet users in the United States actually keep their own blogs...

By Anick Jesdanun, AP Internet Writer

The article goes on. This was wrote a good few months ago. Maybe I am caught up in the world of JU, maybe blogging isn't as popular as I thought it was. Or maybe I'm just watching it grow. I'm glad to be a part of that. So how popular do you think blogging is?

Comments

Larry Kuperman

on Oct 11, 2004

Hi, Sally. Good topic, thanks for posting.

I do think that the article that you referenced skews things a bit.

2 to 7 percent is NOT what I would call "relatively few." I would guess that number FAR exceeds the percentage that write anywhere else. Beware those editorial slants.

It would be just as true to say, "Despite being a relatively new phenomenon, blogging has already caught on with what some estimate to be as much as 7 per cent of the internet savvy population."

Same facts, different point of view.

If it wasn't for a blog, where else could I post this?

DylanZimmerman

on Oct 12, 2004

The more i think about blogging, the weirder it gets...

It's weird and wonderful how so many people from all around can come share their lives with each other... i think my experience here has been really valuable actually.

Thanks for the comments honey.

Hope you're good, catch up soon.

Dyl xx

dharmagrl

on Oct 12, 2004

It's weird and wonderful how so many people from all around can come share their lives with each other... i think my experience here has been really valuable actually.

I think your contribution here has been really valuable, Dyl....

Sal, I think that blogging is catching on fast...even my small-town local paper had a 2 page spread dedicated to blogging last week.

I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have met and formed relationships with some of the folks who blog here. Yeah, they're internet relationships, and some people don't consider them 'real'...but I can tell you that they're more honest and 'real' than some of the friendships I've had in real life.

So, when blogging becomes mainstream, us seasoned bloggers can sit back and reminisce about the days when we were pretty radical because we were doing it!

CrispE

on Oct 12, 2004

Sally:

Good article. Blogging as a medium for discussion reminds me of Isaac Asimov's belief that mankind basically tries to isolate itself from its own kind even though it needs to be together. Really, it is very freeing in that you have the opportunity to say what you think and believe as you live your life and share what others are thinking. That's when the medium is at it's best.

At it's worst, it brings out the fears and anger that lessen each of us as people.

But all in all, a remarkable opportunity for change in the world.

citahellion

on Oct 12, 2004

I've gotta agree with Kupe, 2 to 7 percent is HUGE when you consider that it's people engaging in a common creative activity. How many people regularly paint? or sculpt? or write poetry? or do other artistic stuff? It ain't 2 to 7 percent of the population, I'm pretty sure.

Sally jacobs

on Oct 14, 2004

2 to 7 percent is NOT what I would call "relatively few." I would guess that number FAR exceeds the percentage that write anywhere else. Beware those editorial slants.

Yeh I would agree, it is definetly growing.

It's weird and wonderful how so many people from all around can come share their lives with each other... i think my experience here has been really valuable actually.

It is and I've met some really lovely people through blogging.

Yeah, they're internet relationships, and some people don't consider them 'real'...but I can tell you that they're more honest and 'real' than some of the friendships I've had in real life.

Me too! You seem to share more of yourself on here for some reason.

it is very freeing in that you have the opportunity to say what you think and believe as you live your life and share what others are thinking. That's when the medium is at it's best.

It is, so many people think so differently, and this is a wonderful place to view that.

2 to 7 percent is HUGE when you consider that it's people engaging in a common creative activity.

Yep it is. The Scarey thing is it's just going to keep growing too, and why not!

Thanks for commenting guys xxx

KarmaGirl

on Oct 14, 2004

Blogging has been around for quite some time, but it's waiting for technology to change to become really popular.

JU is a bit different than a lot of blog sites because the forums get syndicated. A lot of blog site articles on other sites will never show up in a search engine. So, a lot of people just treat them as private places to post general junk. JU is a bit different, and as a result, we end up with higher quality articles. Which is great!

But, back to the "growing" part. Even though Blogging has been around for quite some time, like all technology, it takes awhile to really get cranking. Take instant messengers for instance. Before they existed, IRC was a preferred "instant" chat. Then IM came out, and a lot of people said "why would I want that?" Now IM is *extremely* popular. Just keep an eye on blogging. It's growing quite quickly.

Sally jacobs

on Oct 14, 2004

Blogging has been around for quite some time, but it's waiting for technology to change to become really popular.

When did blogging start? I only became aware of it when I came to JU. I think I was livimg in ignorance. Technology catching up...do you mean when more blog sites become like JU and they appear more on search engines. I think it's fab how much feedback you get on your articles at JU.

Just keep an eye on blogging. It's growing quite quickly.

Yay...and we can say we was there at the start!

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