Blogosphere Unplugged

The Blogging Phenomenon
What is this new buzzword that has taken the world by storm? Blogosphere (not to be confused with 'blogger's fear'), is a collective term encompassing all blogs and their interconnections. The term 'blogosphere' was coined by Brad L. Graham in 1999(UrbanDictionary 2008). According to leading internet tracker,Technorati(2008), 175,000 blogs are born everyday. It is not surprising; as one only needs to be equipped with a computer and internet connection to start injecting doses of intellectual(or otherwise) thoughts to the world wide web. Blogging is made easy with user friendly and noob-proof webhosts such as Blogger or Wordpress. As cliche as it may sounds, blogging is as easy as ABC!

Current Trends
It's an accepted fact that( proven by social behaviour and social sciences), women are better communicators than men. Now, with the new buzzword phenomenon, social media has reinforeced this age-old reality. According to Microsoft(2008), 64% of bloggers are in fact women. However, noteworthy celebrity bloggers such as Kenny Sia is a good representation of the male population and brings the proportion back to an equalilbrium, ceteris paribus.

Blogging Trends by BlogPulse Live


Clickity-click on diagram to enlarge (BlogPulse 2008)

BlogPulse, a service of Nielsen BuzzMetrics, is a window into the blogospehere that tracks the most popular topics bloggers are posting about, updated by the minute! How cool is that?

Trends on the International Front
What makes them tick?
Iran: Political blogs
Middle eastern governtments have dominated the media for decades, trying to keep a monopoly on information. On the flipside, Middle Eastern bloggers are chipping away at that lock, blogging about everything from human rights to the most taboo topics(USA Today 2008). Click here for the full article.

Japan/Korea: Social blogs,corporate blogs(IT Industry)
Japan and Korea unite in the name of technology and the fashion scene. Japan's pride and identity lies in Mazda, Sony, Harajuku fashion, and sushi. On the other hand, Korea has Kia, Samsung, Bae Yong Jun and kimchi. Click on the widget to check out what makes the Japanese tick. A point to note, a whopping 60% of corporate blogs in Korea are from the IT industry.

India: Business blogs(IT), Public Relations blogs
Ironically,India's blogosphere is heavily dominated by men. According to India's national newspaper The Hindu, technology content is the mostly widely accessed, followed closely by news and education.

Trends on the local front
What makes Malaysians tick?

To be honest, a lot really. Malaysians being Malaysians. For example, just a four letter word, S.A.L.E makes them go ga-ga! Personal experience, I went for a Branded Brands Sale at Bangsar Village 2 recently. It opened at 10am. I arrived at 10.23am, and the queue was all the way down from the 2nd floor to get to the 3rd floor. Madness!


In the name of retail therapy. Don't these people work on a Friday morning? I digress. Precisely, why I shall leave the benefits of blogs to Malaysians for the next post. Look out for it!






References

Blog Pulse 2008, 'Blog Pulse Live', viewed on 5 May 2008, at http://www.blogpulse.com/

Microsoft 2008, 'Women Rule In Malaysian Blogosphere', viewed on 28 April 2008, at http://www.microsoft.com/malaysia/press/archive2006/linkpage4337.mspx

Milner,R 2008,' Big Haired Big Brothers Take Over Shibuya 109-2', C Scout Japan, viewed on 5 May 2008, at http://www.kilian-nakamura.com/blog-english/

Sia, K 2008, 'When Routine Isn't Exactly Normal', viewed on 1 May 2008, at http://kennysia.com

Technorati 2008, 'Mentions By Day', viewed on 30 April 2008, at http://www.technorati.com/

The Hindu 2006, 'Interesting Blogging Trends Revealed In India Revealed In New Survey', viewed on 5 May 2008, at http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/28/stories/2006112800452200.htm

Urban Dictionary 2008, 'Definition of Blogosphere', viewed on 5 May 2008, at http://www.urbandictionary.com/

USA Today 2007, 'Bloggers In Mideast Transforming Dialogue But Face Clampdowns By Authorities', viewed on 5 May 2008, at http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-02-09-mideast-blogs_x.htm

Wetpaint 2008, 'South Korea-Future Trends', viewed on 5 May 2008, at http://comm215.wetpaint.com/page/S.Korea+-+Future+Trends?t=anon