2008 was an incredible year for BlogBurst! Our member network grew to record highs, headline impressions from publisher placements soared up to 20,000,000 on some days, and we celebrated the launch of our sister product Pluck On Demand to offer extended syndication to our BlogBurst network members.
BlogBurst network members weighed in on some pretty sticky subjects during 2008, and mainstream publishers picked up the posts to offer additional coverage to their readers. Check out some of the hot topics that were featured this year:
Alberto Gonzales Resigns 2008 Academy Awards
Bhutto Assassinations
Fidel Castro Resignation
Gas Prices Skyrocket
Global Markets Tumble
Eliot Spitzer
Hurricane Ike
2008 March Madness
NBA Finals
Super Bowl XLII
O.J. Simpson (Again!)
The “R” Word: Recession
Remembering Paul Newman
Remembering William F. Buckley Jr.
2008 Sundance Film Festival
Toy Recall
TV Writers’ Strike
Wall Street Bailout
Blagojevich Arrested
You blogged through wild fires, hurricanes, snow storms, and election cycles, all while keeping your feeds clean and the f-bombs down to a minimum (with a special kudos to those of you that covered the Blagojevich scandal.)
The editors at BlogBurst would like to wish you a Happy New Year! For everything that you do, we thank you.
Oh my! Blagojevich has been a very bad boy. While the Illinois governor makes headlines after being busted for trying to sell Obama’s vacant seat in the Senate, BlogBurst bloggers weigh in on the topic and achieve featured placement on USAToday’s Blogojevich section. Take a look:
It’s day thirteen of a posting fever for bloggers taking part in the NaBloPoMo challenge. For those of you wondering about what type of tongue-twisted soirée you have stumbled upon, the program’s slogan says it all. “Post until the Internet explodes.” It’s not too late to create a blog and contribute to the spirit of National Blog Posting Month.
Organized by avid blogger Eden Marriot Kennedy and inspired by the National Novel Writing Month contest, NaBloPoMo challenges the bloggers to author one post per day for the entire month of November. According to NaBloPoMo’s website, the roster of bloggers has more than double to an estimated 10,000 members since 2007.
Hurricane Ike swooped in to the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend and forced millions to evacuate their homes for safety. Those that were not directly impacted by high winds and rain were forced to flee for higher ground, as the storm surge submerged many coastal towns and communities. For the first time in hurricane history, the term “certain death” was used as a warning by government officials who feared that they could not help those who remained in Ike’s path. Days after Ike’s departure, many communities are still without power; some are without homes.
Publishers including USAToday and the Houston Chronicle utilized posts from BlogBurst network members to provide active coverage before, during, and after Ike’s landfall. Thanks to our BlogBurst members in the area that blogged during the storm and offered valuable insight to readers that were seeking information.
To our BlogBurst network members located in communities along the Gulf Coast, we hope that you and your families are safe. For those that would like to contribute to relief efforts, please visit the American Red Cross to learn more.
Since 2007, coordinators for the non-profit event Blog Action Day choose a topic of global significance and challenged bloggers to dedicate one post to the subject on a particular day.
The 2008 Blog Action Day will be held on October 15, 2008 with a call for posts on the issue of poverty. As of 1:00pm CST on September 11th, there were more than 3,900 blogs and more than seven million RSS readers committed to the endeavor.
In 2008, the Blog Action Day theme is Poverty. Bloggers are free to interpret this as they see fit. We invite bloggers to examine poverty from their own blog topics and perspectives, to look at it from the macro and micro, as a global condition and a local issue, and to bring their own ideas, views and opinions on the subject.
Last year’s focus on the environment resulted in the creation of more than 23,327 articles authored by 20,603 blogs. Not only did the event attract support from organizations such as United Nations Environmental Programme, the European Union Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas, but it also resulted in topic coverage on mainstream media sites like Reuters, Fox, BBC, and Star Tribune.
According to the list found on the Democratic National Convention Web site, of about 400 applicants, more than 120 bloggers were credentialed to cover the 2008 DNC in Denver. For the 2004 convention in Boston, the DNC credentialed only 30 bloggers. Once dismissed as just an “echo-chamber” for the latest news and commentary surrounding hot topic stories, blogs have emerged as an important cornerstone of community journalism, as well as an important media resource to rally support and spread a political messages within and across political party lines.
Congrats to the following BlogBurst network members who were credentialed for coverage by the DNC:
Four years ago, Republicans credentialed about a dozen bloggers, and Democrats registered a little over 30. In 2008, Republicans expect to host as many as 200 bloggers in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Unfortunately, the Republican National Convention coordinators have not released the full list of credentialed bloggers for this year’s convention. Research indicates that RedState.com, Hot Air, TownHall.com, TechRepublican, GrizzlyGroundswell.com, TheNextRight, JoshuaTrevino.com, JohnFeehery.com. NewsBusters, Arkansas GOP Wing, The American Mind, Wonkette, Bearing Drift, and The Dead Pelican were among the many selected to provide active coverage.
If you were credentialed for the 2008 RNC, give us a shout in the comments section below.
According to study conducted by media research analysis firm Cision, the mention of blogs in national magazine and newspaper publication has increased more than 16-fold over the last five years. Of the top 20 publications reviewed, blogs and bloggers were mentioned more than 13,000 times during a one-year period ending June 2008.
“This stunning growth in blogger influence magnifies the importance of employing common sense when contacting bloggers,” said Peter Granat, Cision Executive Vice President. “Knowing the blogger and his/her focus is the critical element in a successful blog relations campaign. While many blogs are highly visible in their own right, the growing influence with the mainstream media elevates their importance.”
A recent survey conducted by public relations firm Brodeur Partners found that 57% of 178 journalists contacted read blogs at least 2-3 per week. 18% read blogs on a daily basis.
The PRWeek/PR Newswire Media Survey revealed that nearly 40 percent of the participating journalists employ blogs to find topics for stories, 30 percent use them to find experts, and nearly 58 percent use them to measure sentiment.
We wanted to update you on upcoming changes we are making to the BlogBurst Leaderboard compensation model. Based on your feedback, we will be changing the measurement used for placement on the Leaderboard headline impressions only, effective July 19, 2008 .
When we originally rolled out the Leaderboard in 2006, it was based solely on headline impressions. In 2007 we experimented with a Leaderboard algorithm that used both headline impressions and click-through rates. Based on the questions we received, many of you found this calculation confusing and preferred the previous method of measurement. So, we’re changing it back to better reflect what our members have told us is the preferable system.
We hope you’ll find monitoring your progress both on the Leaderboard and your reports easier to understand as a result of this change. Your performance from July 1 until July 19, 2008 will be measured using the old system and will be blended into your overall results for Q3 so that you don’t lose out on any placements during that time period.
Thanks for helping us make BlogBurst the best it can be for Publishers, Bloggers, and Internet users. As always, we’d appreciate any additional feedback or suggestions you might have to make BlogBurst a more fulfilling and valuable service.
For more detailed information on the Q3 Leaderboard formula change, please visit our FAQ at blogburst.com.
The blogosphere is buzzing with the recent highlights of the NBA playoffs between the Celtics and Lakers (as well as some referee scandals), the upcoming 3G iPhone, and Salmonella-tainted tomatoes.
While busy reading through the influx of great posts on these topics, I nearly forgot that I ate food containing tomatoes nearly every day last week. Will I be the next victim in the attack of the killer tomato? Thanks to information from these BlogBurst bloggers, it looks like I may be in the clear.
That’s right, folks. I will live to get in line for the next generation Apple iPhone. With the release of the 3G on the way, the iPhone is the hot topic among technology and gadget bloggers. What’s the big deal? Get the scoop from your fellow BlogBurst network members:
With the NBA playoffs wrapping up nearly a month before the 3G iPhone hits the store shelves, you can still use your old faithful to check in on the coverage from these BlogBurst network members. You can also visit NBA.com’s playoff section to see these BlogBurst bloggers in play.
Per a recent post at The Editors Weblog, a study reported by the law firm DLA Piper reported that 46% of internet users are in favor of a code of conduct for bloggers and online commentators. Only 32% of bloggers indicated that they would support the initiative.
“According to Duncan Calow, a DLA Piper media law specialist, there is a “dangerous perception” among web users that user-generated content is “immune to the law.” Three-quarters of users who had posted comments or blogged online were oblivious to libel law, while only 1 in 3 had actually read the terms and conditions of the sites they frequent.”
A press release on DLA Piper’s website yields a wealth of statistics (aggregated from a survey conducted by UK-based YouGove Plc) about blogger and commentator awareness surrounding legal issues:
Only 5% of bloggers and commentators are clear on their rights.
77% of bloggers don’t know where the law stands.
Online 33% of internet commentators have read the terms and conditions of the forum they are using.
42% of Internet users feel bloggers should be held to the same legal standards as journalists.
Only 27% of bloggers feel they should be held to the same standards as journalists.
46% of Internet users think a code of conduct should be created; Only 36% of bloggers are in favor.
Click here to read more about the study, including some of the legal pitfalls associated with blogging and online commentary.
So, what do you think? Are you in favor of a bloggers code of conduct? Should bloggers be held to the same legal standards as journalist?
It’s day thirteen of a posting fever for bloggers taking part in the 
According to the list found on the Democratic National Convention Web site, of about 400 applicants, more than 
Unfortunately, the Republican National Convention coordinators have not released the full list of credentialed bloggers for this year’s convention. Research indicates that RedState.com, Hot Air, TownHall.com, TechRepublican, GrizzlyGroundswell.com, TheNextRight, JoshuaTrevino.com, JohnFeehery.com. NewsBusters, Arkansas GOP Wing, The American Mind, Wonkette, Bearing Drift, and The Dead Pelican were among the many selected to provide active coverage.
the 3G on the way, the iPhone is the hot topic among technology and gadget bloggers. What’s the big deal? Get the scoop from your fellow BlogBurst network members:
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