WebProNews

No surprises below from The Pew Internet and American Life Project. But it is always helpful when a reputable, well-known research firm publishes easy to digest facts and figures.

"8 million American adults say they have created blogs; blog readership jumped 58% in 2004 and now stands at 27% of internet users; 5% of internet users say they use RSS aggregators or XML readers to get the news and other information delivered from blogs and content-rich Web sites as it is posted online; and 12% of internet users have posted comments or other material on blogs. Still, 62% of internet users do not know what a blog is."

We should check the study's sample specifics before we beat the drum too loudly over this news. It does not seem to jive with folks like ABC and Merriam Webster claiming blogs have finally arrived.

Pew also compares the growth of blogs to the growth of blog readers and gives us a demographic breakdown of blog creators:

1. Gender: 57 percent are male.
2. Age: 48 percent are under 30.
3. Connection Speed: 70 percent have broadband at home.
4. Internet veterans: 82 percent have been online six years or more.
5. Income: 42 percent live in households earning over $50,000 annually.
6. Education: 39 percent have college or graduate degrees.

These statistics tell me I really need to embrace my inner-nerd once and for all.

Kevin Dugan is the author of the popular Strategic Public Relations blog. Kevin is Director of Marketing Communications for FRCH Design Worldwide.
Visit Kevin's blog: Strategic Public Relations.