I just know John Evans will have some thoughts on this…
The Belfast Telegraph has an interesting piece on blogging (via: The Blogging Journalist) and how it is used to gain political favor from the masses.
All three main UK parties are falling over themselves to accommodate bloggers (see definition at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog) alongside the more traditional media representatives.
The article then goes on with some examples of political blogs as well as other ones to prove that the peoples’€™ medium isn’€™t just a fling in the tech world. It’€™s real and it’€™s affecting YOU, where YOU is a normal guy with a normal job outside of the blogosphere.
In April of this year, Jupiter Research (www.jupiterresearch.com) warned that bloggers and online commentators were having a “disproportionately large influence” on society.
Hey, it’€™s a warning! Also:
Last week Forrester Research (www.forrester.com) reported that 53% of people who responded to its recent survey on the subject were influenced in their purchasing decisions by information they read in blogs.
Here’€™s where John Evans comes in. He’€™s been making a point that the blog networks are stuck in the echo champer of the blogosphere, why he’€™s transforming Syntagma to a Web Network Magazine. Now, I’€™ll not go into his decision, but it might be standing on not so solid ground. 53% has been influenced by stuff they read in blogs!
53%, John!
Granted, this is in the UK, not in the States, but still. It’€™s a pretty whopping number, way higher than most of us thought I’€™d gather. I’€™m actually not really sure I buy it since reports like this tend to rely heavily on how the questions are phrased to the focus groups, but still… 53%.
This doesn’€™t disqualify Johns’€™ choice of moving from the blogosphere, if that is in fact the result of the re-branding to Web Network Magazine, but it sure makes me wonder what facts he’€™s based his decision on in the first place. Did you think that the blogosphere was smaller, had less impact? I know you’€™ve written about how ad agencies have shied away from Syntagma because of the blog networking part, but in my opinion that comes down to what companies you talk to rather than anything else. Bigwigs are going into bloggin, you’€™re moving from it on a name base at least.
53% is more than half of the population. I’€™d say bloggers are having an impact, and where there is an impact there is money and social acceptance. So here’€™s an open invitation to you John, to talk about you Web Network Magazine again (without the ‘€œnot this again’€? bashing in the comments) and to tell me how your reasoning about the echo chamber of the blogosphere differs from the 53% above. Because if it doesn’€™t then it’€™s one hell of an echo champer!
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