September 2010

The Blogosphere:
Colliding with Social and
Paul Verna
Mainstream Media
pverna@emarketer.com
Report Contributor
Tracy Tang

Executive Summary: Social networks and microblogs have in recent years nudged blogging off the social media
pedestal. For some consumers, who have more communication tools at their fingertips than they did a few years ago,
Facebook and Twitter have supplanted blogging as life-streaming outlets.
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US Blog Readers, 2008-2014 But blogs remain an important part of the landscape. This year,
millions and % of internet users 51% of US internet users, or 113 million people, will read blogs
150.4 on a monthly basis. By 2014, the blog audience is expected to
141.6 (60.0%)
133.8 (58.0%) rise to 60% of internet users, or 150 million people.
122.6 (56.5%)
112.7 (53.5%)
102.6 (51.0%) The number of bloggers will also grow, though somewhat more
91.4 (48.5%)
(45.0%) modestly. In 2010, 11.9% of US internet users keep blogs. By
2014, there will be 33.4 million bloggers in the US, representing
13.3% of internet users. eMarketer’s estimates of bloggers are
limited to people who blog; they do not include marketers or
media companies with public-facing blogs.
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Note: internet users who read blogs at least monthly Key Questions
Source: eMarketer, Aug 2010
118542 www.eMarketer.com n How many US internet users are reading and writing blogs?

US Bloggers, 2008-2014 n What factors are driving shifts in the way people use blogs?
millions and % of internet users
n What role do media and corporate blogs play in the blogosphere?
33.4
31.6 (13.3%)
n How does social media usage affect blog reading and writing?
30.1 (13.0%)
28.1 (12.7%)
26.2 (12.3%)
24.0 (11.9%)
22.9
(11.3%)
(11.3%)

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Note: internet users who update blogs at least monthly
Source: eMarketer, Aug 2010
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Digital Intelligence Copyright ©2010 eMarketer, Inc. All rights reserved.

The eMarketer View
Key eMarketer Numbers: Blogging
150.4 million US blog readers* in 2014, up from 112.7 million
in 2010
60.0% US blog readers* % of internet users in 2014,
up from 51.0% in 2010
33.4 million US bloggers** in 2014, up from 26.2 million
in 2010
13.0% US bloggers** % of internet users in 2014, up
from 11.3% in 2009
Note: *internet users who read blogs at least monthly; **internet users
who update a blog at least monthly
Source: eMarketer, Aug 2010
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Despite the success of other social media venues
such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr, blog
readership has increased steadily and is expected
to continue on an upward path. Just over half of US
internet users are now reading blogs at least once a month, and
this percentage will climb to 60% in the next four years. The main
drivers behind these increases are the prevalence of blogs in the
mainstream media, the increased use of blogs for corporate
marketing and easy-to-use personal blogging platforms.
Most news sites use reporter blogs and microsites featuring
user-generated content to fill coverage voids and provide a
feedback forum for readers. These tactics have moved blogs into
the foreground and raised their sphere of influence in the media.
Similarly, marketers have also increased their use of blogging for
functions such as customer service and corporate
communications. Increasing numbers of consumers rely on these
blogs in their interactions with companies.
What Is a Blog?
eMarketer uses the following definition, adapted
from an entry that appears on Wikipedia.
A blog, short for “weblog,” is a website maintained
by a person, group or company with regular entries
of commentary, descriptions of events or other
content such as photos or videos.
This includes media blogs such as The New York
Times’ dozens of reporter and topic blogs; corporate
blogs; dedicated news blogs such as the Huffington
Post; celebrity blogs such as TMZ and Perez Hilton;
technology blogs such as TechCrunch and Mashable;
and personal blogs.
The Blogosphere
The number of blog creators is also expected to
climb, though not as steeply as that of blog readers.
For many people, the appeal of blogging is not as intense as it was
when blogs were the leading form of social media.Today, people
have many other social tools at their disposal, and some of them are
more fun and less labor-intensive than blogs. Facebook offers most
of the capabilities of blogs; users post frequent updates that can
include photos, videos and links.
To give an idea of how blogging stacks up against social network
usage, there will be 26 million bloggers in the US by the end of
2010 compared with some 150 million Facebook users.
In addition, Twitter has taken some of the momentum from
blogging with its ability to reach a wide universe of followers in
real time with text bursts, photos and links to other media. And
platforms such as Flickr and YouTube have enabled photo and
video sharing on a massive scale, trumping the need for using
blogs for those purposes.
Nevertheless, overall blogging rates will inch upward. The biggest
factors driving the increase are the ease of use of blogging
platforms and the growing comfort level with blog reading among
US internet users. Blogs with broad reach—whether media blogs,
corporate blogs or influential technology or celebrity blogs—are
creating a culture in which blogging is accepted as an integral part
of the media landscape. This encourages users with something to
say to take to the blogosphere.
The relationship between blogging and the rest of
the social web is complex—and often symbiotic.
With so many means of expression at their disposal, users
gravitate toward the ones that suit their needs. In some cases, a
Facebook page might replace a blog. In other cases, Facebook or
Twitter might serve as a marketing vehicle, essentially driving
traffic via short teasers to longer content on the blog.
Social media users are more likely than average adults users to
use blogs overall, and specifically as a tool to start an online
search for a product or service, according to the Retail Advertising
& Marketing Association.
2
Blog Readers For example, Universal McCann’s figures were limited to users
ages 16 to 54 who had daily internet access. This constraint made
the percentage higher than that of Lightspeed Research, which
eMarketer estimates that in 2010 more than half used a wider age sample (16- to 64-year-olds) and did not specify a
of US internet users will read blogs at least once a frequency of internet access. Universal’s figures were also higher
month. This equates to nearly 113 million people. than others with even less selective age samples, such as
Accenture and BIGresearch, which polled adult users.
By 2014, 60% of the US internet population, or just
There is an additional factor behind the differing findings. Because
over 150 million users, will read blogs. many of the most widely read blogs are seamless from mainstream
US Blog Readers, 2008-2014 media, survey participants respond differently depending on their
millions and % of internet users own perceptions, as well as the wording of the surveys. Surveys that
150.4
ask generally whether people read blogs are likely to elicit higher
141.6 (60.0%) response rates than those that pinpoint certain types of blogs, such
133.8 (58.0%)
122.6 (56.5%)
112.7 (53.5%) as asking if the participant has read “someone else’s blog.”
102.6 (51.0%)
91.4 (48.5%)
(45.0%) In addition, a reader who stumbles across a New York Times blog
while perusing the newspaper’s website might not be aware of
having read a blog. Similarly, someone who follows political news
on the Huffington Post or celebrity news on TMZ.com might not
think of those sites as blogs. The disparate survey results reflect
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
these ambiguities. Given the lack of standards in how blogs are
Note: internet users who read blogs at least monthly defined and perceived, it is not surprising that the percentages
Source: eMarketer, Aug 2010 were roughly between 45% and 65%.
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eMarketer’s estimates assume monthly visits to any type of blog
within our broad definition. That includes media blogs, corporate
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blogs, dedicated news blogs, technology blogs and the thousands
A comparative estimate of 2008 and 2009 data on the blog of long-tail personal blogs.
audience from researchers including Universal McCann,
Accenture, BIGresearch and Lightspeed Research shows a For more on business blogging, see eMarketer’s upcoming
disparity of findings. This is largely due to differences in survey report “Corporate Blogging: Media and Marketing Firms
samples, internet access levels, frequency of use and other Drive Growth,” due to publish in October 2010.
methodological benchmarks. The differences are also a function
of varying perceptions of what constitutes a blog. In the absence
Trends in blog reading are expected to maintain an upward course
of a standard definition, survey participants have their own ideas
as blogs continue to gain influence in the mainstream media. But
about whether the sites they visit are blogs. This makes it difficult
there is a caveat to eMarketer’s forecast: Over time, blogs will
to get a precise reading of the total size of the blogosphere.
continue to become indistinguishable from other media channels.
Comparative Estimate: US Blog Readers, 2008-2010 For example,The New York Times operates at least 50 public-facing
% of internet users
blogs, which are indexed under such headings as “News and Politics,”
2008 2009 2010
“Business and Finance,”“Technology” and “Sports.”These blogs are
Universal McCann*, July 2009 61.0% 66.0% -
intertwined with the paper’s regular coverage. Readers are routinely
Accenture**, Jan 2010 33.0% 60.0% -
eMarketer, Aug 2010 45.0% 48.5% 51.0% redirected from the main site to the blogs and back again.There is a
Retail Advertising & Marketing Association - 46.1% - near total fluidity between the traditional coverage and the blog posts.
(RAMA)**, Sep 2009
Lightspeed Research***, May 2009 - 46.0% - As this morphing of blogs and media sites continues to unfold, it will
Note: *ages 16-54 with daily or every other day internet access; **ages complicate the task of forecasting blog reading as its own category
18+; ***ages 16-64; data is for Jan
Source: eMarketer, Aug 2010 of online activity.The most likely effect of this trend will be that survey
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118545 consider blogs that are interspersed into broader media venues. One
For additional information on this chart, see the Endnotes section. way around this conundrum will be for survey designers to ask
detailed questions that take into account the different types of blogs.
This is true for both blog-reading and blog-writing surveys.

The Blogosphere 3
Blog Writers Considering the wide discrepancies among surveys of blog
reading rates, why is there relative convergence among blogger
numbers? The reason is that blog writing is an active and
eMarketer estimates that there will be 26.2 unambiguous pursuit. A survey participant who is asked whether
million bloggers in the US by the end of 2010, or he or she writes a blog is not likely to be confused by the question.
11.9% of internet users.
Comparative Estimate: US Bloggers, 2008-2010
% of internet users
US Bloggers, 2008-2014
millions and % of internet users 2008 2009 2010
Accenture, Jan 2010 (1) 18.0% 39.0% -
33.4
31.6 (13.3%) Universal McCann, July 2009 (2) 26.0% 33.0% -
30.1 (13.0%)
28.1 (12.7%) Retail Advertising & Marketing - 13.0% -
26.2 (12.3%)
24.0 (11.9%) Association (RAMA), Sep 2009 (3)
22.9
(11.3%)
(11.3%) Trendstream and Lightspeed Research, - 12.8% -
Nov 2009 (4)
eMarketer, Aug 2010 11.3% 11.3% 11.9%
Pew, Oct 2009 (5) 11.0% 11.0% -
Boston Consulting Group, May 2010 - 11.0% -
PostRelease, Jan 2010 (6) - 5.7% -
Note: (1) ages 18+; includes contributing to online references such as
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Wikipedia; (2) ages 16-54 with daily or every other day internet access; (3)
ages 18+, maintain own blog; (4) ages 16-64; write own blog; data is for
Note: internet users who update blogs at least monthly June; (5) ages 18+; ever create/work on own online journal/blog; (6) ages
Source: eMarketer, Aug 2010 18+; publish a blog
118543 www.eMarketer.com Source: eMarketer, Aug 2010; various, as noted, 2009 & 2010
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For additional information on this chart, see the Endnotes section.

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On a comparative basis, eMarketer’s estimates are in line with

2009 data from Trendstream/Lightspeed Research, BIGresearch,
Boston Consulting Group and Pew, all of which estimated blogging
rates ranging from 11% to 13%.

A Universal McCann study found US blogging rates at a far higher

33%, but the survey was limited to respondents ages 16 to 54 with
daily or every-other-day internet access.

Another study by Accenture noted that 39% of US adult internet

users wrote blogs or contributed to online references such as
Wikipedia in 2009, up more than 100% over the previous year. This
number would translate to more than 85 million people in the US
alone—a high number even considering that contributions to
online encyclopedias were lumped in with blogging. For that
reason, this number is considered an outlier.

The Blogosphere 4
Factors Driving Growth
eMarketer’s more modest growth forecast for blogging takes into
consideration several factors that affect blog creation both
favorably and unfavorably.
The key drivers behind the growth in US personal blogging rates
are the ease of use of personal blogging platforms and the
growing comfort level with blogs as a form of media.
In “Technorati State of the Blogosphere 2009,”author Matt
Sussman writes: “While blog postings often focus on the local
issues of the specific blogger, the audience of such blogs is much
less limited than other forms of media have been historically. An
internet-connected world has expanded the marketplace of ideas
available to any individual anywhere.”
Factors Limiting Growth

There are plenty of hosting options from a variety of providers,
such as free, do-it-yourself services for hobbyists and robust,
enterprise solutions designed to scale with the integrated digital
media output needs of large companies. These include blogging
pioneers such as Six Apart, newer but firmly established players
such as Automattic (parent company of WordPress.com), and
portals such as Google, Microsoft and MySpace.
At the other end of the spectrum, many internet users who once
blogged are shifting to other social media channels. The top three
reasons people blog, according to a BlogHer-iVillage study, are for
self-expression, for fun and to connect with others. Those
activities are increasingly carried out on Facebook, Twitter and
other social venues, making blogs less essential to a person’s
online presence.

Profile of Select Blog-Hosting Services, 2010 Reasons that US Bloggers* Write Blogs, March 2010
% of respondents
Parent company Pricing
Blogger Google Free Express myself 81.6%
Bloglines IAC/Interactive Corp. Free
For fun 80.6%
Blogs.com Six Apart Free
Fotolog Fotolog Free; "Gold Camera" membership Connect with others like me 75.4%
starts at $2.75 for 3 weeks
Create personal record 68.2%
Friendster Friendster Free
LiveJournal SUP Free and paid plans starting Give advice 50.9%
at $3 per month
Earn money 31.6%
Movable Type Six Apart Free and paid plans ranging from
$395.95 per year (5 authors) to 20.2% Persuade others
$995.95 per year (20 authors)
Note: n=912; *BlogHer site users only
MySpace Fox Interactive Media Free
Source: BlogHer and iVillage, "2010 Social Media Matters Study"
Twitter Twitter Free co-sponsored by Ketchum and The Nielsen Company, April 15, 2010
TypePad Six Apart $8.95-$29.95 per month 114283 www.eMarketer.com
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Vox Six Apart Free
Windows Live Microsoft Free Further, the Technorati Blogosphere report found that 26% of
Spaces bloggers who use Twitter said the microblogging service had
WordPress Automattic Free and paid plans
(custom pricing)
caused them to reduce the amount of time they spent on their
Xanga Xanga Free and paid plans ranging traditional blogs. Users often employ Twitter as a teaser to drive
from $25-$45 per year traffic to their blogs. But at the same time, Twitter can circumvent a
Source: company reports, 2010
blog, particularly in situations where the user just wants to write a
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119124 short comment with a link to an outside source. Similarly, many
These off-the-shelf tools allow personal bloggers to quickly and MySpace and Facebook users avail themselves of those networks’
easily build their sites from scratch. The cost and ease-of-use blogging services and blog-like features.
barriers to entry have become negligible.
Adding to these trends, Cox Communications and Pew Internet &
Twitter is also a force in this industry, even though it does not offer a American Life Project noted a significant decrease in the number
conventional blogging platform. The company’s microblogging of teens who kept their own blogs.
service is both beneficial and detrimental to blogging. Some former
bloggers now rely on Twitter as their main conduit of expression,
but many use Twitter as a marketing vehicle for their blogs.

At the same time, the growing use of blogging by media

organizations and marketers has raised the comfort level with
blogs as a news source, as a means of interacting with companies,
and as a forum for customer reviews and opinions. These trends
have empowered people to use the blogosphere to reach the
widest possible audience.

The Blogosphere 5
In the Cox Communications study—a joint project with the Among 18- to 29-year-olds, the drop was only slightly less
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children—19% of US pronounced, with 15% reporting blogging in 2009, compared with
teen internet users reported blogging in 2010, down from 37% in 24% in 2007. These findings were somewhat mitigated by an
2006. Instant messaging also showed a decrease, but the increase in the number of bloggers ages 30 and up. However, teen
percentage with social networking profiles was up significantly. and young adult usage is a strong indicator of future trends, so the
balance of Pew’s data points to waning interest in blogging.
Communication/Entertainment Activities of US Teen
Internet Users, 2006 & 2010 US Internet Users Who Blog, by Age, 2007 & 2009
% of respondents % of respondents in each group
Have personal e-mail address
18-29
95%
24%
93%
15%
Have instant message screen name
30+
84%
7%
63%
11%
Have mobile phone
63% 2007 2009
84% Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, "Social Media and Mobile
Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults," February 3, 2010
Have social networking profile
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61% 111284
84%
Have blog
37%
19%
Have game system
33%
45%

2006 2010
Note: 2010 n=1,032 ages 13-17
Source: Cox Communications and the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children (NCMEC), "Teen Online Safety & Digital Reputation
Survey," June 14, 2010
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Pew reported that 14% of US internet users ages 12 to 17 blogged

in 2009, compared with 28% in 2006. The same study also noted
that fewer teens posted comments to their friends’ blogs in 2009
compared with previous years.

US Teen Internet Users Who Blog, 2006 & 2009

% of respondents

2006 28%

2009 14%

Note: ages 12-17

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, "Social Media and Mobile
Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults," February 3, 2010
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The Blogosphere 6
Blogging and the Social Web But the relationship between blogging and other social media can
also be symbiotic. The Retail Advertising and Marketing
Association (RAMA) noted that over 18% of adult social media
In the early days of the medium, a blog was the users reported using blogs, compared with 12% of average adults.
only available outlet for people or companies that Although the survey did not specify whether respondents were
wanted to establish a feedback loop with their asked about reading, writing or commenting on blogs, the
underlying message is that social media users are more engaged
target audiences. Today, blogging is one of a in a host of digital activities that include blogging.
variety of options businesses use to communicate
New Media and Technologies Used by US Social
with customers, including social networking, Media Users vs. Average Adults, December 2009
% of respondents
microblogging, photo- and video-sharing, and
Social media Average
customer reviews. users adults
Mobile phone 74.9% 63.0%
Text messaging on mobile phone 51.9% 32.1%
This expanded universe of options has encroached on personal
TiVo/replay TV/DVR 33.8% 28.5%
blogging. A study by USC Annenberg showed that 16% of social Instant messaging online 31.2% 21.2%
media users relied on personal blogs in 2009, compared with 18% iPod/MP3 player 29.5% 20.8%
in 2007. By contrast, the percentage of social media users who kept Video gaming 26.8% 19.8%
profiles on Facebook more than doubled to 86% in 2009, from 41% Take picture/video on mobile phone 25.0% 16.1%
in 2007. This trend illustrates Facebook’s rise and self-sufficiency as Watch video/TV online 23.2% 15.5%
Blogs 18.5% 12.3%
a blog-like platform.
Satellite radio (XM-Sirius) 13.3% 11.8%
iPhone 12.4% 8.5%
Social Media Sites Used by US Social Media Users to
Web radio 11.7% 8.4%
Keep a Personal Blog or Profile, 2007-2009
PDA 11.6% 8.4%
% of respondents
Watch video/TV on mobile phone 8.2% 5.2%
MySpace Note: ages 18+
70% Source: Retail Advertising & Marketing Association (RAMA), "Social Media:
An Inside Look at the People Who Use It" conducted by BIGresearch, March
69% 3, 2010
46% 112437 www.eMarketer.com
Facebook 112437
41% In a similar finding, the RAMA noted that 12% of social media
56% users were influenced by blogs to start an online search for a
86%
product or service in 2009. Among average adults, the response
Personal blog rate was only 8%.
18%
17%
16%
hi5
2%
0%
1%
Other
23%
16%
12%

2007 2008 2009

Note: for self-publication, social networking or other purposes
Source: USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future, "The Digital
Future Project-Year Nine" as cited in press release, April 26, 2010
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The Blogosphere 7
Further, a study by BlogHer and iVillage found that active social Blogging platform Typepad estimated that adding a Facebook
media users read, wrote and commented on blogs at rates far “like” widget to a blog sidebar resulted in a 50% increase in traffic
beyond average internet users. The study defined social media from Facebook to that blog. This was based on a test conducted in
activity as using the BlogHer site, so the survey responses the spring of 2010 with 1,500 Typepad blogs. Similarly, adding the
understandably reflected a predilection for blogging activity. Facebook widget to blog post footers resulted in a 200% traffic
Nevertheless, the study illustrates a strong connection between increase for 2,400 Typepad blogs tested. The Typepad report
blogging and other forms of social media. noted: “There’s no denying that readership on Facebook can have
a powerful impact on a blog’s traffic with the right tools.”
Online and Offline Activities Among Active* US Social
Media Users**, March 2010 Darren Rowse of ProBlogger.net, a leading proponent of using
% of respondents social media to promote blogs, advocated using the blog as
Reading blogs “home base” and social media sites as “outposts.”
96%
In September 2009, Rowse posted a video on ProBlogger.net that
Watching TV
88% described his approach, which he said was inspired by fellow
Listening to radio blogger Chris Brogan. “The idea is you build a home base for what
86% you do, and your home base is something you have complete
Facebook control over,” said Rowse. “Around the home base I interact in a
82% variety of other places… The activities that I’m doing on the
Commenting to blogs outposts are quite similar to what I do on the home base but
69% they’re there to reinforce and build the home base.”
Writing blogs
68% For Rowse, the outposts are social media spaces including
Reading message boards Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, digg and Friendfeed, all of
68% which he uses to steer traffic to his home base at ProBlogger.net.
Reading print magazines
64%
Reading print newspapers
54%
Commenting to message boards
45%

Note: n=1,550; *use social media weekly or more; **BlogHer site users
only
Source: BlogHer and iVillage, "2010 Social Media Matters Study"
co-sponsored by Ketchum and The Nielsen Company, April 15, 2010
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The Blogosphere 8
Conclusions Endnotes
The rates of blog reading will rise appreciably over the next
Endnote numbers correspond to the unique
several years. These increases will be driven by an ongoing
confluence between blogs and traditional media, as well as by the six-digit identifier in the lower left corner
growing use of blogs at the corporate level. Blogs are an increasingly of each chart. The charts from the report are
accepted part of the news and opinion loop in a broad variety of
subject areas, notably politics, technology and celebrity culture.
repeated before their respective endnotes.

The numbers of blog creators will also increase, albeit

118545
more modestly. This growth will be spearheaded by the ease of
use of blog hosting services and the widespread acceptance of Comparative Estimate: US Blog Readers, 2008-2010
blogs in the media mix. % of internet users
2008 2009 2010
Social media will also promote blogging by acting as a
Universal McCann*, July 2009 61.0% 66.0% -
traffic aggregator to blog sites. However, this will be a
Accenture**, Jan 2010 33.0% 60.0% -
double-edged sword, as social venues can also inhibit blogging by eMarketer, Aug 2010 45.0% 48.5% 51.0%
providing users with powerful platforms of self-expression. Retail Advertising & Marketing Association - 46.1% -
(RAMA)**, Sep 2009
Lightspeed Research***, May 2009 - 46.0% -
Note: *ages 16-54 with daily or every other day internet access; **ages
18+; ***ages 16-64; data is for Jan
Source: eMarketer, Aug 2010
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Extended Note: eMarketer defines blog readers as internet

users who read blogs at least monthly.

Citation: Accenture, "Mobility Takes Center Stage: The 2010

Accenture Consumer Electronics Products and Services Usage
Report," January 5 ,2010; "Global Web Index" conducted by
Lightspeed Research, May 28, 2009; Retail Advertising & Marketing
Association (RAMA), "All About Moms," conducted by
BIGresearch, September 16, 2009; Universal McCann, "Power to
the People: Social Media Tracker Wave 4," July 30, 2009

The Blogosphere 9
118546

Comparative Estimate: US Bloggers, 2008-2010

% of internet users
2008 2009 2010
Accenture, Jan 2010 (1) 18.0% 39.0% -
Universal McCann, July 2009 (2) 26.0% 33.0% -
Retail Advertising & Marketing - 13.0% -
Association (RAMA), Sep 2009 (3)
Trendstream and Lightspeed Research, - 12.8% -
Nov 2009 (4)
eMarketer, Aug 2010 11.3% 11.3% 11.9%
Pew, Oct 2009 (5) 11.0% 11.0% -
Boston Consulting Group, May 2010 - 11.0% -
PostRelease, Jan 2010 (6) - 5.7% -
Note: (1) ages 18+; includes contributing to online references such as
Wikipedia; (2) ages 16-54 with daily or every other day internet access; (3)
ages 18+, maintain own blog; (4) ages 16-64; write own blog; data is for
June; (5) ages 18+; ever create/work on own online journal/blog; (6) ages
18+; publish a blog
Source: eMarketer, Aug 2010; various, as noted, 2009 & 2010
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Extended Note: eMarketer defines bloggers as internet users

who update blogs at least monthly.

Citation: Accenture, "Mobility Takes Center Stage: The 2010

Accenture Consumer Electronics Products and Services Usage
Report," January 5 ,2010; Boston Consulting Group, "China's
Digital Generations 2.0," May 1, 2010; Pew Internet & American
Life Project, "Usage Over Time," October 30, 2009; PostRelease
survey conducted by Synovate, provided to eMarketer, January 25,
2010; Retail Advertising & Marketing Association (RAMA), "All
About Moms," conducted by BIGresearch, September 16, 2009;
Trendstream and Lightspeed Research, "The Global Web Index
Wave 1," November 26, 2009; Universal McCann, "Power to the
People: Social Media Tracker Wave 4," July 30, 2009

The Blogosphere 10
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