State of the Blogosphere 2008

After two years Technorati (which tracks Blogosphere) has published a new report titled the State of the Blogosphere in 2008. Some of the key findings:

• Universal McCann (March 2008):
184 million WW have started a blog (26.4% of them US)
346 million WW read blogs (60.3 of them US)
77% of active Internet users read blogs

• The lines between what is a blog and what is a mainstream media site become less clear. Larger blogs are taking on more characteristics of mainstream sites and mainstream sites are incorporating styles and formats from the Blogosphere. In fact, 95% of the top 100 US newspapers have reporter blogs.
  

• Blogging is a truly global phenomenon. Technorati tracked blogs in 81 languages in June 2008

Here are some charts explaining other phenomena:

• Who are the global bloggers?

• Bloggers are not a homogenous group. One way of segmenting bloggers is by their blog type:

* Personal:
blog about topics of personal interest not associated with your work
* Professional:
blog about your industry and profession but not in an official capacity for your company
* Corporate:
blog for your company in an official capacity

• Blogging is no longer a new phenomenon

Image credit: Technorati

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Blog on stage

We have seen instances of writings from blogs have become best selling books. But I think this is the first time I read about dramatization of a blog and that is in India.

Known Turf reports:

I have been to see Baghdad Burning (in Hindi) at the National School of Drama last weekend and it was (to my knowledge) the first time in this country that someone put together a dramatic production on stage, based on the text of a blog.

Baghdad Burning is a fine blog that treads a wonderful line between experiential journalism, write-it-as-I-see-it posts and storytelling. There is inherent drama in an unfolding war and the inevitable tragedy for the citizens who neither propagated it nor supported it and had nowhere to run when it came to their homes. That it calls for a wider audience goes without saying and taking it to the stage, where non-bloggers also have a chance to experience the narrative is a great initiative.

Amazing! Isn't it?

Via Global Voices Online

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