Some recent research by Edelman is interesting - titled "A Corporate Guide to the Global Blogosphere: The new model of peer-to-peer communication." It looks at blogging and its implications for corporations. A lot of their insights are relevant for executives in noncommercial groups - nonprofits, government, multi-laterals - as well as for corporate titans. A few interesting notes:

Asian adoption: They found blog readership levels varying widely across the ten countries they studied - but with Japan and South Korea especially high in terms of readership, e.g. 74% of respondents in Japan read blogs (see chart below.)
Influencers: They conclude overall that "influencers are more likely to read blogs", influencers being people who meet some (high) criteria for education, income and level of civic activity.
Action: "Blogs can spur readers to take action." For example, they report that "78% of German readers of blogs have attended a public meeting on a local issue covered in a blog."
First-steps: Companies (or others) should get started participating in these conversations by identifying the key voices on your topics, and engaging with those influential writers online and offline, on their blogs and on your own blogs.
Get on the Clue Train! They should, but do not, reference the 1999 ClueTrain Manifesto in reaching one of their conclusions about how it's a whole new ballgame in corporate communications:

A company’s natural tendency is to control messages and communicate at audiences, which works well when you are advertising but is inappropriate if you are engaged in a dialogue. The peer-to-peer conversation is based on mutuality of interest and shared expertise, not on the demographic segmentation that has characterized corporate thinking for the past 50 years.

Edelman's Steve Rubel has some interesting observations about bloggers:

Nevertheless there’s a universal truth about blogging that spans all languages and cultures. Blogs are increasingly influencing mainstream media. Bloggers are alphacommunicators. They are dedicated to being at the vanguard of their area of expertise. These individuals are the source of story ideas; they provide reporters with credible insights; they’re often seen as experts; and in many instances they serve as the voice of the people.

Which rings true for me. But I'm less convinced about Rubel's subsequent comments that "By some measures blogs may be peaking" (which measures, Steve?), and that bloggers are writing for themselves, they are not paid, they are only doing it because of their passion, etc. Passion - sure. But about bloggers being, basically, hobbyists? To be sure, some large number are. But what about your blog, Steve, or those of many other folks who are writers, researchers, consultants and also bloggers?



Technorati tag:
Edelman
Blogging
Policy Blogging
Steve Rubel