It’s back, and bigger, with 7,200 bloggers responding. This post cover 12 plus comments on Technorati’s seventh annual report, The 2010 bloggers mix breaks down into 65% hobbyists, 21% self-employed, 13% part-timers and 1% corporate. A global survey, 2010 geographic demographics divide into: 33% US, 38% North American, 19% EU, 8% AAPC and 2% South American.

Because I know my readers will ask about how accurate the results are. I’ll go first and ask . . .

Are these results statistically significant?
In 2009, BlogPulse reported there were 126,000,000 blogs. When I tried to get the fraction percentage, my calculator came back with an error message. As with any report or study, the results come from the actual participants. That’s why I’m inviting you to add your comments while you’re here. Do you think the size of the survey is substantial enough to represent the majority view? What other breakdowns would you like to see – for example men versus women, age, experience, etc?

Released sequentially over three days, the report covers:

• Day 1 — WHO: Bloggers, Brands and Consumers
• Day 2 — WHAT: Topics and Trends
• Day 3 — HOW: Technology, Traffic and Revenue

Technorati says . .

For 2010, we took a deeper dive into the entire blogosphere, with a focus on female bloggers. This year’s topics include: brands embracing social media, traditional media vs. social media, brands working with bloggers, monetization, smartphone and tablet usage, importance of Twitter and Facebook, niche blogging, and changes within the blogosphere over 2010. Source

Post Frequency is Rewarded

In a post about what Technorati’s state of the blogosphere means for education bloggers Bill Ferriter reflects on how one new post per month is the average of all bloggers tracked by Technorati, the top 500 bloggers write almost 200 posts per month and the top 5,000 bloggers write 86 entries per month:

If those kinds of trends continue—or start to find their way into the edusphere—that can only mean two things:
1. Blog content will continue to play an important role in driving conversations in all fields.
2. My own content could be drowned out, lost in the sea of posts being published by writers who are investing more time than I am in their blogs.

Brands: Nurture Relationships with Bloggers

In a post titled Technorati State of the Blogosphere Report 2010 – insights for marketing managers and PR professionals, Krishna De writes:

For those of you in PR or marketing and looking to reach out to bloggers, take note of how the respondents to the report feel they are considered – overall some 64% of the respondents felt they are treated less professionally by brand representatives than the traditional media. How are you nurturing your relationship with bloggers you approach to talk about your products or services?

12 Comments on Technorati’s 2010 state of the blogosphere

1. 29% report that they updated their blog at least five times a day. Additionally, 54% of Corporate bloggers report blogging more now than they did when they first launched their blog.

Reflection/Suggestions: Wow – that’s a lot! To up your productivity, publish shorter posts. For example, instead of tossing out a link to something interesting, take a few minutes to write an introduction to the reference piece. Pull out a quote or an image. Ask a question to open community dialogue. Then, post a link to your blog, instead of to @nytimes or wherever you found the piece. Now go back to the original site. Leave a comment about why you decided to feature the article on your blog. How do you blog, shorter, faster, better?

2. 61% of bloggers blog less because of increasing work and family commitments,

Reflection/confession: Pleading guilty on both counts.Yet, when I write a post before I do any other work in the morning, I find I’m much more positive and productive. Does writing do that for you, too? Scheduling writing or posting time into your week makes staying in touch a priority. Think of your readers and friends you want to connect with.

3. Blogging frequency is clearly rewarded. When looking at average posts per month and per day by Technorati Authority, the Top 100 bloggers generate almost 500 times the articles as all bloggers.

Reflection/suggestion: Set a target and stick to it. On a panel last spring, the moderator introduced me a person with over 1,000 blog posts. I corrected him to say only 750 – that’s not very many considering I’ve been blogging since June 2006. While I see the passion point, don’t blog unless you have something worth reading, what you may consider not that great may be exactly the information someone out there is looking for. Do you ever standi in the way of your own creativity?

4. Only 15% of bloggers say social media sites influence what they blog about

Reflection: Kindle your creative fires from many forests: online, in real life, at home, at the movies and yes, on the forest trail. Where do find your influence?

5. 51% of bloggers who blog about brands say they rarely review products, services, brands, or companies.
48% of corporate bloggers talk about brands on their blog and 48% say they post reviews on a weekly basis.

Suggestion: Formulate a review policy. Recently, I reviewed a camera – yes I got to keep it and I disclosed everything I got that day. What happens if you’re “gifted” with 30 brand offerings in all shapes and sizes? Or, you’re invited to an event sponsored by a brand? When you write about the brand, your brand connects with theirs. How do you choose the brands you team up with?

6. 78% of bloggers surveyed use Twitter, with even more Part-Timers (88%) and Corporates (88%) using the microblogging service. Those who use Twitter say they do so to promote their blog, bring interesting links to light, keep up with news and events, and understand what people are buzzing about. A majority of Self-Employed bloggers (63%) responded that they use Twitter to market their business.

Suggestion: Track twitter usage and think about a strategy. Have you ever had someone comment on one of your posts on twitter – and not your blog? How do you get people to come to your blog from twitter? Links are okay, but how about asking questions on twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn and then posting them on your blog?

7. Mom bloggers are interested in making and keeping connections—they are significantly more likely than other bloggers to say that they blog in order to meet and connect with like-minded people and to keep friends and family updated on their lives.

Reflection: This is a tight-knit bunch. Do you know the mom bloggers in your neighborhood or industry? Here in Chicago, MJ Tam leads Chicago Moms Blog. Check out TwitterMoms.com, a vibrant online community. Where do you connect with mom bloggers?

8. 39% of respondents who blog with a mobile device report that it has changed their blogging style. Among these respondents, the most common changes are increases in short and more spontaneous posts: 24% and 18% respectively report that they are writing shorter posts or using more photos to make their blog more appealing to mobile users.

Relfection: Does your blog have an iPhone app? What apps do you use to publish blog posts from your phone? For beginning bloggers, Posterous is easy to learn and takes only a few minutes to set up.

9. 58% of mom bloggers say Facebook is a more effective traffic driver than it was a year ago.

Reflection: Thanks Mom! How do you think moms are driving traffic to their blog from Facebook? Links, notes, photos, videos, ads?

10. Mom bloggers are significantly more likely to follow brands through social media than bloggers are generally. Nearly 60% of Mom bloggers say they blog about brands they love or hate, outpacing bloggers generally by more than 10%. More than half have been approached by brands who want themselves or their products to be written about. And 77% say that a brand’s reputation affects their willingness to write about it.

Reflection: Here we are, back at branding. What brands would you like to see next to yours? For example, would you choose KMart, Target, Costco or Walmart? Writing about a brand will bring attention, that’s one reason I’m more neutral than I could be.

11. WordPress is the most popular blog hosting service, used by 40% of all respondents

Reflection: WordPress is my platform, but I’m hearing more people talking about preferring MovableType for security or Drupal for community.

12. Among bloggers who use built-in syndication, the majority (74%) support full content, although among Corporate bloggers significantly fewer do so (55%).

Reflection: Wondering if this is via email or RSS. How do you prefer to read blog posts?

Your Turn
What’s your take on the state of the blogosphere?