What the Theatre World Should Know About Blogs

Thu, March 15, 2007

Tags: Blogs, Industry News, Usage Behavior

Here’s a great overview of statistics from online market research service Vizu Answers and Advertising Age that can help shed some light to those interested in advertising on popular blogs. We do a ton of initiatives with many blogs including both advertising and promotions and YES, it could be a good place to deliver a message for your production. At the same time, it could be one big fat waste of money if not implemented correctly.

Here’s what you need to know (Thanks MediaPost):

Some 65.7% of readers polled said they read blogs for entertainment, while 42.5% read for personal interests and hobbies, 32.5% for education and information, and 12.3% for work.

Among the findings of the study, 30.8% of blog readers read more than three blogs regularly, and of the blogs they read most often, 68.3% of respondents said they read them daily.

When asked how they find the blogs that they read, 67.3% follow links from other blogs. Recommendations on blogs (22.9%) are ranked higher than finding links on search engines (19.6%) when it comes to selecting which blogs to read.

43.9% of respondents said the quality of writing determines which blogs they will read regularly, and 43.6% said that topical focus is a key determinant of regular readership.

51.5% said the quality of blog writing helps them determine which blogs are credible and high-quality, and 38% noted that an author's reputation drives perceived credibility. Frequency of posting and site design also drive what is perceived as a high-quality blog.

When asked what they felt a blog is, the study found that 38.4% of poll respondents indicated that expressing personal opinions is key in separating blogs from other online media, along with writing style (28.2%), editorial freedom (26.3%), and layout (25.8%).

The research also addressed Spanish-language blogs to find that 43.3% of Spanish-speaking respondents claim to read 10 or more blogs regularly (as opposed to the 16.7% of English-speaking respondents who read more than 10).

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