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Richard Jalichandra Keynote: BlogWorld 2009 Author: ebrage / Published: October 16, 2009 at 12:50 pm /* */

Riffing off a traditional refrain from presidential state of the union addresses, Technorati CEO Richard Jalichandra opened his keynote address at BlogWorld 2009 by stating:

"The state of the blogosphere is strong."

Jalichandra went on to discuss the impact of professional blogging, how bloggers are using microblogs such as Twitter in 2009, and the influence that blogging and bloggers are having on society at large. Statistics and findings were pulled from Technorati's 2009 State of the Blogosphere report, which will be released over a series of five days beginning on Monday, October 19th.

Jalichandra emphasized that contrary to some claims that the blogosphere is "leveling off" or even dying, it is in fact stronger than ever. The rise of the "professional class of bloggers" was cited as a major reason for the health of the blogosphere, as well as the increased blogging activity amongst blogging hobbyists as well as the generally mainstreaming of blogging amongst the wider Internet audience. Bloggers are having an immense impact on media, Jalichandra noted, stating in fact that "blogs are media."

The 2009 State of the Blogosphere report, produced annually by Technorati, was previewed during the keynote address. Jalichandra stated that this year's report is the most ambitious to date. More than 2,900 bloggers submitted extensive surveys about their blogging activities from the past year. Professional blogging superstars such as Michael Arrington and Arianna Huffington were also interviewed to give the report context and flavor. Additionally, statistics and findings were also provided by Lijit and Blogcritics.

The 2008 report, Jalichandra noted, found the striking statistic that 46% of responding bloggers self-described as professional bloggers. That led to more detailed questions in the 2009 report, where 28% fell into the general designation of professional blogger, and 72% as blogging hobbyists. Of all respondents, 9% were found to be self-employed bloggers in which blogging is the primary objective of the business. Overall, 17% reported that blogging is a primary source of income.

Overall, bloggers report that they are blogging more in 2009 than in 2008, amongst both the pro blogging and hobbyist groups. Amongst those bloggers who are blogging less this year, one-third cite Twitter and microblogging activities as a reason for a decline in blogging activity.

Interestingly, bloggers report they are for the most part blogging more in conjunction with a vast increase in use of Twitter, microblogging, and other social media applications. 73% of bloggers report using Twitter, as compared to 14% for the general population. Use of Twitter amongst bloggers was reported to be more than twice as much as at the time of the 2008 report. Bloggers report using Twitter for things such as blog promotion and increased interaction with readers.

Interviews with influential bloggers revealed one common thread: be passionate. Interviewees related that their blog was originally founded out of passion, and not for a business purpose. Professional blogging and blogging as a business enterprise stemmed from the original passion and drive.

Look for the 2009 State of the Blogosphere report to be released beginning on Monday on Technorati.