A blog, short for Weblog, is defined as “a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2008). With available access to the internet, the new media has come a long way through its evolution and blogs now make up for a large percentage for the bytes tapped. Technorati, a “recognized authority on what’s happening on the World Live Web”, has an estimated amount of 133 billion blogs under its track (Technorati, 2008). The numbers are increasing with each passing day, with over 175,000 new blogs everyday (Technorati, 2008).
Chart 1: Geographic Distribution of Bloggers by Continent(Source: Technorati, 2008)
Blogs in Europe, Asia and Malaysia
Blogging trends differ in continents as Technorati states that Asian bloggers are generally of the younger generation and more likely to blog about music and less on politics. They are also "savvier on monetizing their blog" with product reviews and such (Technorati, 2008). Europeans generally blog more about music and computers over personal musings and religion. They blog for fun and do not focus on making money out of it (Technorati, 2008). Male bloggers make up for a majority for both continents (Technorati, 2008).
According to Microsoft.com, female bloggers are more dominant as they make up for 64% of bloggers. Blogging Asia: A Windows Live Report was featured in the article and it stated that they blog for "entertainment and to share their lives with family and friends" (Microsoft, 2008).
Benefits of blogs to the community
In terms of politics, blogs create a platform for individuals to express their opinions as well as receive instant feedback with their readers. The community would be able to receive different angles on the news instead of the mainstream media going through the Government.
The purpose of which to inform gives an advantage when it comes to businesses, as clients can easily track blogs down to find what suits them most. Advertising in blogs are seemingly more popular nowadays, as "majority of bloggers we surveyed have advertising on their blogs" (Technorati, 2008).
References
Technorati.com, About Us 2008, viewed 5 November 2008,
<http://technorati.com/about>
Technorati.com, State of the Blogosphere 2008, viewed 5 November 2008,
<http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere>
Microsoft.com 2008, Women Rule in Malaysian Blogosphere, viewed 6 November 2008,
<http://www.microsoft.com/malaysia/press/archive2006/linkpage4337.mspx>
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