Notable Public Relations Representative Steve Rubel believes blogging has peaked. Guess what? He doesn’t know how to count. He’s using services that just dont take into consideration international numbers. Yes, blogging may have hit a plateau among white middle class Americans, but it hasn’t truly peaked around the global markets.
Let’s take for instance, the ever-rising Chinese blog scene, the growing Indian Blogosphere, and well what happens when Africa gets connected, and more of South America? Then we can start talking about the blogosphere peaking. Until then, quoting Google Trends on unreliable search data, and the ever unreliable Technorati (which is in Edelman’s playpen) is like saying Walmart has peaked. It might be some newsworthy pr, but it’s just that. Folly.
One thing to really consider is that Americans might just be a tad bit insulated from the web reality.
According to statistics 46% of Asian Internet users have their own blog (the Korean embracement of personal “MySpace” type sites is off the charts) while only 8% of American Internet users do. When you consider the ratio of population as well that divide can get pretty big.
It’s also another great example about how language actually insulates us from so much of what is out there on the web.
Just something to consider.
Originally posted on December 12, 2006 @ 4:33 am
You must be psychic, this was the exact same thing I thought about Steve’s article yesterday, although I didn’t post it. I also don’t believe that at the moment the Technorati index will stop growing either, certainly they continue to increase the inclusion of non US blogs, although I say that with the priviso of now, because eventually their own technology will limit them, after all, if it was spotless the index would read over 100 million now, if not double that.
Interesting figures. Thanks for the info…