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Front Page Talking Points

FOR THE WEEK OF SEP. 29, 2008

Blog boom enlivens media landscape

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1.gifFind a blog of interest on this paper's site and tell why you like it.

2.gifWith so many blogs by so many writers, what separates those on newspaper sites from some posted by individuals working on their own?

3.gifWhat other forms of personal expression, besides blogs, appear in the paper and on its site? Consider visual expression as well as the written kind.

A new Internet-related report confirms something recognized by anyone paying attention: Blogs have become an important, influential part of the media world. Nearly 78 million unique visitors from the U.S. visited a blog during August, says the fifth annual "State of the Blogosphere" study issued last week by Technorati. That's a popular search engine focused on blogs - online journals or news sites created by newspapers, magazines, advocacy groups, businesses and individuals worldwide.

Technorati, which has indexed 133 million blogs since 2002, defines the blogosphere as "the interconnected communities of bloggers and readers at the convergence of journalism and conversation." Its researchers tracked blogs in 81 languages and surveyed 1,000 bloggers from 66 countries across six continents.

What began as a grass-roots means of expression has matured into "a global phenomenon that has hit the mainstream," as the 2008 analysis puts it. Ninety-five of the 100 largest U.S. news outlets have at least one journalist who blogs.
Overall, self-expression and sharing expertise are the top reasons for blogging, according to the report. A majority of bloggers surveyed said they post for fun, not money -- though 20 percent do earn money from ads.

Who blogs: Two-thirds of bloggers worldwide are male, Technorati says. Seventy 70 percent are college graduates. More than 26 million Americans have a blog.

Who reads: 77 percent of active Internet users read blogs, says a March 2008 study by Universal McCann, a major ad agency's media research division

Blogger says: "Because blogs are interactive, a scientist can respond to questions from the public without having to deal with an intermediary (a reporter) who might not understand or care about the research and its integrity." - GrrlScientist, a New York City biologist blogging since 2004

Front Page Talking Points is written by Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2024

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Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.