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?
Image Credit: Flickr ~C4Chaos
According to an article published at The Center for Media Research blog, more than 36 million women work their way around the blogosphere each week, with more than 15 million women publishing content on a regular basis and more than 21 million reading blogs and engaging in comment conversations.
Of the more than 6,000 women surveyed by the BlogHer community, more than half would give up alcohol or their PDAs to keep the blogs they love. More than 40% would give up their iPod, newspapers, or magazines. Only 20% would give up chocolate. A survey to surface the number of women that are blogging about chocolate was not conducted.
Click here to access statistics and read more about the study.
[Image Source: Epromos]
A new survey of US journalists found that nearly 70% check a blog list on a regular basis and the majority of journalists surveyed said blogs were having a significant impact on news reporting in all areas tested except news quality.
Perhaps I’m biased, but that sounds a little disingenuous given that three-fourths of those surveyed cited blogs as helpful in giving them story ideas, story angles and insight into the tone of an issue.
Check the Center for Media Research for the full story and more stats.
Thanks to the Center for Media Research for turning us on to an Arketi Group study which reveals how journalists are using blogs as sources:
According to the Arketi Group 2007 Web Watch Survey, 84 percent of journalists say they would or already have used blogs as a primary or secondary source for articles. 100% of those (journalists) surveyed say they rely on the Internet to help get their job done. One-quarter of journalists say blogs make their job easier, while 18 percent say instant messaging makes their job easier.
Other interesting tidbits — asked how they use the Internet, journalists replied:
- 98% say reading news
- 97% say emailing
- 93% say finding news sources
- 89% say finding story ideas
- 72% say reading blogs
- 67% say watching webinars or webcasts
[Read more about the report here.]
Blog World Expo has posted some interesting blogosphere statistics on its Blog World & New Media Expo conference website:
The Blog World & New Media Expo conference occurs November 8-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. BlogBurst members Debbie Weil (BlogWrite for CEOs), Aaron Brazell (Technosailor), Dawn Olsen (GlossLip), Matt Cerrone (MetsBlog.com), Mary Jo Manzanares (Flyaway Café), and members of the Blogcritics team are among this year’s lineup of keynote speakers.
Bloggers are going mainstream. We knew that. But it’s happening more and more as traditional media outlets acquire independent sites (usually written by one person). Bloggers go on to become columnists and writers for mainstream media, perhaps receiving validation for their opinions and viewpoints. Or just a steady paycheck.
This “revolution” is described in a Forbes article, which points to bloggers who have been picked up by such big names as The New York Times, CBS News, McClatchy and others.
With increasing frequency, media outlets big and small are deciding that if you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em. And why not? Slammed by critics for not being Internet savvy, the moves are a natural. You get an instant audience and fresh talent steeped in a sensibility that’s still evolving.
If bloggers continue to trade in their own brands for journalistic credentials, what does this mean for the blogosphere? The line between blogs and media is already blurred. Looks like it’s going to get even blurrier.
Recently, the U.S. military announced that they will block certain popular websites such as YouTube, MySpace and Photobucket to troops in Iraq and elsewhere. The military uses the Defense Department’s network, and the Pentagon has restricted Internet access due to security concerns.
While the ban doesn’t include e-mail, it will limit troops from posting videos and writing live journals to keep in touch with family and friends. However, members of the military will still be able to access sites like MySpace at Internet cafes.
Other blocked sites include Metacafe; IFilm; StupidVideos; FileCabi; BlackPlanet; Hi5; Pandora; MTV; 1.fm; and live365. [CNN]
Here’s what some BlogBurst bloggers had to say:
One of the professional blogs in the BlogBurst network is Britannica.com. Recently, Britannica’s technology section posted two timely and in-depth articles concerning the state of the blogosphere, which is marking its 10th anniversary this week, and the citizen media revolution that came along with it.
The Blogosphere at Ten describes the growth of blogs over the past decade - 70 million - and the fact that the great majority of these blogs are seldom maintained and seldom visited.
I would venture to guess that 69.75 million of those 70 million blogs have an assembled base of 139.5 million readers: the author and his or her mom (or the moral equivalent thereof). This is hardly the makings of a revolution that will find the barbarians behind the gates once and for all.
Of course, the author is being slightly tongue-in-cheek, but it is a reminder that a blog with a distinct voice and personality that is updated often with original content is much more likely to develop and grow its audience.
Next, The Dark Side of the “Citizen Media” Revolution discusses the pros and cons of the ability for anyone with a computer and Internet access to become a multimedia presence.
In place of expertise and authority, the Web 2.0 crowd offers us interactivity and “conversation.†But the real consequence – unintended or otherwise – of… the “participatory†media revolution is a culture of digital narcissism in which our most meaningful cultural reference is ourself. Today, on the tenth anniversary of the blog, media is turning into a mirror.
According to the search engine Technorati, the number of blogs grew from eight million in March 2005 to over 72 million last month worldwide. The number of daily blog posts increased from 500,000 in March 2005 to 1.4 million in March 2006 - meaning 58,000 posts an hour. Talk about posting frequency! But the Technorati report also showed that the overall rate of blogosphere growth has slowed down. (And we didn’t feel a thing.)
[Source: Yahoo]
According to a new We Media/Zogby poll, a majority of Americans said that bloggers are important to the future of journalism. Over 70 percent said that citizen journalism will play a critical role in the media revolution.
And here’s the kicker: Almost nine out of 10 media insiders responded that bloggers will play a vital part in reshaping journalism.
We are now seeing mainstream acceptance of what we call the Power of Us - the value, credibility, and vital expression of citizen and collaborative media. We’ve arrived at a tipping point. A new definition of democratic media is emerging in our society.
- Dale Peskin, Managing Director of iFOCOS which sponsors the annual We Media conference
To read the full article and survey results from iFOCOS, click here.
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