Since this blog went online in May of 2004, its small but loyal audience has been growing steadily. Many Grace Brethren pastors are finding a blog to be an effective communication tool–just follow the chain as we link to one another. The following article by Bambi Francisco on Marketwatch.com gives a little background and update on blogging at its current state as an American phenomenon:
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) – In the annals of Internet history, the word “blog” may be viewed as one of the most democratic innovations to give the masses a voice, and marketers to target.
Having only been introduced in 1999, and recognized as a word by Merriam-Webster Inc. in 2004, blogs have quickly become mainstream as Internet users embrace the activity of journaling on the Web. A blog is short for Web log and is a live personal journal.
Fifty million U.S. Internet users, or about 30% of the U.S. Internet population, visited blog sites in the first quarter of 2005, according to a just-released report by comScore Networks, and co-sponsors Six Apart and Gawker Media. Put another way, 1 out of 6 people in the U.S. have visited a blog.
The five hosting services for blogs each had 5 million unique visitors in the first three months of this year. And, of the 400 of the biggest blogs, political blogs were the most popular.
Compared to the average Internet user, blog readers are significantly more likely to live in wealthier households and be younger, and have high-speed access.
Blogspot.com had 19 million unique visitors in the first quarter, up from 7.6 million last year. Blogspot.com now reaches more visitors than the NYTimes.com, USAToday.com and WashingPost.com, which is “clear evidence that consumer-generated media can draw an audience on par with traditional online publishers,” according to the report.
The second-most popular blog host was Livejournal.com followed by Typepad.com. Both Livejournal and Typepad are owned by Six Apart.