Blogs: The Phenomenon

Weblogs, more commonly known as blogs, are now becoming an increasingly important part of the media world. From its humble start as publicly accessible personal journals for individuals, blogs have now become a means for airing ideas and propaganda, be it for personal, business, political, social or entertainment interests.

(Source: World Bank blog, 2009)

One of the most frequently asked questions about the blogosphere is: What is the (current) size of the blogosphere?

By 'size', we mean the number of blogs that are on the Internet. Dave Sifry, founder of Technorati, has provided readers with the approximate number in his annual 'State of the Blogosphere' report up until 2007, which stated that "Technorati is now tracking over 70 million weblogs, and we're seeing about 120,000 new weblogs being created worldwide each day" (Sifry, 2007). However, none seem to be available for 2009 in Technorati's annual report, and even the statistics for 2008 are doubtful (Hopkins, 2009).

As for blog trends, the use of Twitter and the impact of bloggers on political events in the US and around the world are two of the leading topics of discussion in many blogs (Sussman, 2009). In Malaysia, political blogs are gaining influence among the online community, especially the younger generation who use the Internet as their main source of information and communication. People are turning to social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook to keep in touch with the latest trends and issues, as well as connect with their friends and family.

The types of blogs that are prevalent differ in every country depending on economic, social and political factors. In my opinion, the most prevalent blog types in Malaysia are political blogs, closely followed by blogshops and food blogs. According to the SGBlog.com directory (2010), shopping blogs are the most popular, while personal blogs come in second. In Australia it is again different. Photography blogs have the most number of tags, followed by art, travel, music and politics (Loaded Web Australia, 2010). This shows that bloggers in different countries have different interests and ideas about current issues.

Last but not least, we come to the benefits of blogging. Take for example, the advantages of prevalent political blogs in Malaysia to the community. Blogs that talk about politics help to raise awareness about the local political situation and enable people to voice out their views and comments. Sharing and discussion of ideas can take place, which promotes democracy and liberal discourse among audience. Political parties can learn from these controversies and hopefully gain some insight into the needs and demands of the people.

(Source: Soda Head, 2007)

References:

1. Hopkins, L 2009, Technorati and the size of the blogosphere: it can’t be THAT hard to figure out, surely?!, Hopkins Online Properties, viewed 7 April 2010, http://www.leehopkins.net/2009/12/26/technorati-and-the-size-of-the-blogosphere-it-cant-be-that-hard-to-figure-out-surely/
2. Loaded Web Australia 2010, Local Blog Directory: Tags, LoadedWeb.com, viewed 7 April 2010, http://au.loadedweb.com/blogs/tags/
   
3. SGBlog.com 2010, Blog Directory, SGBlog.com, viewed 7 April 2010, http://www.sgblog.com/home/
   
4. Sifry, D 2007, WordPress, viewed 7 April 2010, www.sifry.com
5. Sussman, M 2009, State of the Blogosphere 2009, Technorati, viewed 7 April 2010, http://technorati.com/blogging/feature/state-of-the-blogosphere-2009/