The BlogHer/Compass Partners 2008 Social Media Study
Susan Wright Managing Director www.compasspartners-llc.com
Women and Social Media
• 104 Million women in the US aged 18 – 75 • U.S. Internet penetration = 70%*
Methodology: Online panel sample - gen pop sample, n = 2,350 • Participate in blogosphere, n = 1,250 • Women aged 18 – 75 years • BlogHer web intercept sample, n = 5,113
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•Source: U.S. National Census Data Projections, July 1st, 20 •A.C. Nielsen, Internet Net Statistics, 2007
Sizing the Blogosphere
Blogging has become a mainstream method of communication
36.2 Million women participate in the blogosphere weekly 15.1 Million women are publishing at least one post weekly 21.1 Million women are reading and/or posting comments to blogs weekly
De nitions: Readers = read + post to blogs weekly or more often Publishers = read + post + publish weekly or more often
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Comparative Pro le
• 68% of the BlogHer community is concentrated in the 25 – 41 age group compared to 42% for the general population blogging community
General Population
BlogHer Network
n=1,168
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n=4,866
Demographics
Married/Living together # in HHD Have children at home Employed full time
General Pop
62% 3.2 46% 34%
BlogHer
77% 3.2 58% 45%
+25%
Education
High school graduate or less Technical or trade school graduate Some college/university Graduated from college/university Some post-graduate work Masters or doctorate degree
20% 5% 40% 22% 5% 9%
4.8% 3.0% 25% 37% 10% 20%
67% have completed college
Income
Under $25,000 $25,000 - $34,999 $35,000 - $49,999 $50,000 - $74,999 $75,000 - $99,999 $100,000 - $124,999
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18% 14% 20% 24% 14% 5% 6%
8% 9% 14% 23% 18% 13% 15%
46%: >$75K
Greater than $125,000
Online Media Habits by Age
• • Online media participation rates decline with increasing age Rates highest among Millennials and GenX - “digital natives”
Total (18-75) Reading Blogs Writing/updating blogs Posting comments to a blog Getting news and information Researching products and services online Shopping and e-commerce Instant Messenger Uploading/Sharing digital photos online Downloading digital music Contributing to message boards Watching streaming television shows and movies online Uploading/Sharing video online (e.g. YouTube) Viewing/Listening to podcasts
6 n = 2,350
Millennials (18-24) 85 66 67 80 63 66 82 75 69 49 62 41 26
Generation X (25-41) 66 35 48 83 80 74 64 67 52 50 42 26 23
Boomers (42-60) 41 17 27 78 76 70 48 45 25 31 25 14 16
Matures (61-75) 26 5 11 78 73 60 42 33 8 14 11 7 9
53 28 37 80 75 69 57 55 37 37 33 21 19
How Long Publishing Blogs
• The majority have been publishing their blog(s) for two years or less
56%
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Number of Blogs Maintained
Despite hype, few report discontinuing due to problems with trolls or being “outed”
Blogging is a focused, loyal e ort
• Over half are still maintaining the original blog they started • Gen X most loyal • Millennials signi cantly more likely to start multiple blogs and discontinue a blog
Reasons for discontinuing a blog include:
• • •
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Not enough time (49%) Lost interest in the subject (43%) Dissatis ed with the blogging platform/tools (20%)
Time Spent in the Blogosphere
• • • >75% of those engaged in blogosphere are participating weekly or more often Daily part of life - Bloggers are very active Greater frequency than sharing photos or downloading music
BlogHer 43% Daily
Writing/ Updating Blogs
BlogHer 89% Daily
Reading Blogs
9 n = 1,250
Time Shift to Blogging
Activity Visiting traditional websites Watching TV Reading newspapers Reading magazines Listening to radio Meeting with people in person 27 43 31 31 18 6
BlogHer
Less Time
(%)
No Change (%) 79 68 72 70 74 82
More Time (%) 9 8 6 6 6 6
12 24 22 25 20 12
Q. How has engaging in the blogosphere (either reading or writing) a ected the time you spend on the following activities?
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Favorite Topics – “It’s about me”
• • • My life is the most popular topic by a signi cant margin Interest in reading about someone else’s life declines with age, become topicfocused Popular topics change with life stage
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Motivation to Publish
• • Blogging is fun and provides a means to express oneself and “connect with others like me” The motivation of those in the BlogHer community are nearly identical me not at all Describes me extremely well Describes
Top 2 boxes jumps to 46% if managing own business
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n = 346
Bloggers’ Perceived Impact on Readers
• Bloggers believe the biggest impact they have is around fostering relationships with people who care about the same things they do
n = 346 13
Motivation to Read
• • Reading is fun a and provides a means to stay up to date and get information Contrasts blogger core motivation to connect and express themselves which results in an authentic, credible voice
Describes me extremely well Describes me not at all
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Blogs as a Source of Information
• Blogs are considered a good source of information, advice and recommendations
BlogHer +8%/+14%
For new information
BlogHer +11%/+26%
For advice/ recommendation
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Purchase Decision In uence
BlogHer 64%
n = 433 n = 734
Q. Have you made a purchasing decision as a result of a recommendation or customer experience posted on a blog?
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Passion, almost addiction
• The blogging community is passionate – before giving up participating in the blogosphere:
– 43% would give up reading the newspaper or magazines – 50% would give up their PDAs – 42% would give up their i-Pod – 55% would even give up alcohol – BUT, some things are sacred … only 20% would give up chocolate!
Q. Please ll in the statement: I would give up "____________" before I would give up participating in the blogosphere.
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The State of the Social Media World
• Adoption: It is already mainstream • Motivations: It is about “me” and “us”, not “you” • In uence: We trust each other • Fad? Nope, your future
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The BlogHer/Compass Partners 2008 Social Media Study
For more information, please contact: Susan Wright, Managing Director Susan@compasspartners-llc.com www.compasspartners-llc.com Elisa Camahort, Co-founder | COO Elisa@blogher.com www.blogher.com
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