Blogging By the Books
image credit: a.n.
I read a verrrry interesting article on Wall Street the other day entitled “America’s Newest Profession: Bloggers For Hire.” A few interesting stats:
Our nation houses almost 20 million bloggers.
1.7 million of these bloggers make moolah from their blogs [my words, not WSJ's].
452,000 blog as a primary source of income [I'm included here!].
50% are aged 18-34.
44% are parents.
66% are male.
43% live in the U.S.
1 in 5 are self-employed.
[More fun stats can be read on Technorati: State of the Blogosphere.]
So… what to make of all of these statistics? Is our nation flooded with too many blogs? Are we destined to live our lives behind our monitors, curled up in yesterday’s pajamas and empty soda bottles?
What do you think?
I can well believe that a large number of bloggers are in the US. I have found it very difficult, as a European blogger, to find bloggers who are either based in Europe or whose blogs are as interesting to me personally as the US ones I read regularly.
The statistic of 44% of bloggers being parents is also interesting. Did this mean bloggers who just happen to have children or bloggers who blog because they have children? I can certainly understand the latter as although I am not a parent I do see blogging as a way of building a community with common interests which as a home worker I would not necssarily have access to otherwise.
How in the world do people make a living from blogging? I guess I don’t know much about this world. How can I find out more about this? I’d love to be included in these stats!!
I mean yeah that is amazing!!
I love that people can make a living from blogging.
But I love your point about everyone stuck behind computers sitting in their PJs.
while that has the potentional to be bad and “anti social”, I can really see it having the opposite effect.
I mean if we look at it like this; how many people spend HOURS upon HOURS stuck inside giant office buildings, some with even no view of a window (I am talking me here), not interacting with their family, hardly interacting with their co-workers (sending emails to the person in the cubical next to them to pass them a pen)… you get the picture. “blogging” as a a job and the context it provides allows more people to be “free” of this confinement.
More time with families.
More time in the outdoors.
More “one on one” interaction. (I don’t know about you but when I read blogs I feel more like the person is speaking to me, as opposed to to the big glossy mags)
The ability to comment and generate open almost real time dicussion.
My question is I guess is, like everything, will blogging get too big. And then these jobs evolve and only be available in giant global corporations because the big guy has bought everyone out… and the cycle continues…
We have to keep focuing on that whole BIG small thing.
I still get out of my pajamas!
….but I haven’t been blogging all that long……
I also read that article, and found it very inspiring. I especially liked the quote about there being as many professional bloggers as there are attorneys because I AM an attorney and I HATE it. It’s just not me, and if I could make a living off either one of my blogs, I would.
The stat that was most surprising to me is that 66 percent of bloggers are male. I guess it’s just my Reader, but I think about 90 of the 100ish blogs I follow are female bloggers. Thanks for sharing the article, Erin!
Blogs are a great way to get fresh and inspiring ideas. But we still need to live our lives in order to come up with the ideas for the blogs!
I am looking into freelance writing for blogs to supplement my income. I like the idea of working online from the comfort of my home.
Once again thanks for your informative blog!
OH crud! i just typed a nice comment and as soon as i submitted it it come up blank! Please tell me it worked properly? I do not want to sumit it again if i do not have to! Either the blog bugged out or i am just stuipd
, the latter doesnt surprise me lol.