ANTenna Blog -- Internet/Web

You can't possibly still think that blogging is just a fad. OK, I admit I could be a bit biased about the topic -- for sure, it's in my best interest for blogs to stick around.

But now I have the backing of Technorati, which just released the first part of its five-part State of the Blogosphere 2008 report. Its overall conclusion echoes those of comScore MediaMetrix, eMarketer, and Universal McCann: Blogs are a global phenomenon that has hit the mainstream. And they're here to stay.

Oh, one more point: You can make money from blogging. So clearly someone must be paying attention.

"Blogs are media," Technorati chief Richard Jalichandra told VentureBeat. "That is the difference now. They are as relevant as The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal. The blogger with 5,000 readers may be just as credible a source of information for those 5,000 people as anyone else."

And that's exactly the opportunity for small and midsize businesses like yours.

Technorati has been indexing blogs since 2002, with 133 million records to date (more about its methodology here). Among its most recent findings:

• 57% of U.S. bloggers are male, 74% are college graduates, 56% work full-time, and 20% are self-employed (vs. 8% of the Internet population for the latter).
• On average, bloggers use five different techniques to drive traffic to their blog, an average of seven publishing tools on their blog, and four distinct metrics for measuring success.
• Among those with advertising, the mean annual investment in their blog is $1,800, but it’s paying off. The mean annual revenue is $6,000 with $75K+ in revenue for those with 100,000 or more unique visitors per month.
• Four in five bloggers post brand or product reviews.
• About half of bloggers are professional bloggers — blogging is not necessarily their full-time job, but they blog about their industry or profession in an unofficial capacity; 12% of bloggers blog in an official capacity for their company.
• Blogging is having an incredibly positive impact on bloggers' lives, with bloggers receiving speaking or publishing opportunities, career advancement, and personal satisfaction.

I'll say it again, as we have many times here at bMighty.com: Blogging is a powerful tool for small and midsize businesses to establish credibility, demonstrate expertise/authority, and gain attention in a way not possible before. They also create opportunities for networking and sharing information with other smaller businesses.

But to reap the benefits, you have to be willing to commit. "Do your best to publish regularly, stick with it, and inject your personality wherever you can," says bMighty.com publisher Fred Paul.

Ready to add blogging to your to-do list? If you already have, what has it done for your business?