Do you ever wonder who would sit in front of a computer and post articles, day after day, week after week, with no idea how many people are reading them or if they’ll ever make any money doing this? Are they frustrated journalists? Desperate housewives? Just plain bored and in need of a platform?
I’ve got the answers for you. I write five blogs as well as columns for this newspaper and Technology Integration in Education. I’m not paid for any of them (not a salary as a corporate blogger is), yet I happily do it. My reasons are varied, but I’ve been at it for several years, so it seems to be more than a passing fad.
Here’s the breakdown:
- If you blog, you’re probably 35-45, or in a broader sense, 25-55 (check for me)
- If you blog, you’re twice as likely to be male as female (not me)
- Two-thirds of bloggers have a college degree–and two-thirds of those have a graduate degree (check for me)
- Surprisingly, 70% of bloggers earn $20k or more, although that includes the corporate bloggers (that’s me)
- Almost half of bloggers live in the US (that’s me) and 16% of those live in California (me again)
- Over 70% of bloggers have been at it over two years (that’s me)
- Over a quarter of bloggers update their blog 2-3 times a week (that’s me)
- Over a quarter of bloggers update 1-9 times–a day! (Not me)
- Bloggers are readers–up to eight hours a week (I’m much higher–I consider it research)
- 17% of bloggers say their blog is their primary source of income (not yet–a goal, though)
The bottom line: You’re most likely to blog if you’re a 40-year-old American male With a graduate degree. You’ve been blogging for a couple of years, and watch a lot of TV (that’s the only data that doesn’t ring true to me),
How do you compare? Add a comment and tell us.
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.
