What I found especially interesting was corresponding list of the top 50 connected professions. According to the list, bloggers ranked above the Plaxo average of 203 with an average of 267 contacts in their address book, which was 20 more contacts than journalists, reporters, and writers (247). Obviously, this study is a bit questionable in its accuracy (is "geek" really a profession?). I'm not sure if only business contacts were counted for this study, or if the average number includes personal contacts. Would my brother, my best friend from when I was eleven, and my high school Spanish teacher count as "blogger contacts"?
Even still, the suggestion that bloggers are more connected than journalists is intriguing. We've all heard the ongoing blogger vs. journalist debate (Bloggers sacrifice accuracy for timeliness! Wait, no, bloggers are more accurate! They don't cite sources! No, they link more!), and it's pretty clear that some journalists aren't fans of the increasing popularity of bloggers. However, in February Digital Journal pointed to an ifocos study that surveyed Americans and found that 55% of Americans "said bloggers are important to the future of American journalism." The survey also found that
Most respondents (53%) also said the rise of free Internet-based media pose the greatest opportunity to the future of professional journalism and three in four (76%) said the Internet has had a positive impact on the overall quality of journalism.The general public certainly seems to think that the rise of bloggers and the increasing availability of media on the Internet will positively shape journalism. I think that, as a whole, journalists are better writers than bloggers, but bloggers do have speed and, sometimes, the injection of a subjective voice on their side (which can, at times, make for a more interesting, passionate read than something that only delivers the straight facts).
Does the notion that bloggers are more connected than journalists hint that this shift is already happening? Does this signify that bloggers have an advantage over journalists, in that they have more connections from which to develop breaking news, compelling stories, etc? Will journalists eventually embrace bloggers and become some sort of super journo-blogger (journogger?) hybrid, or do you think some of them will still uphold the "us vs. them" mentality?
My quick opinion - bloggers are more directly connected, i.e. their relationships with numbers of people often go deeper and they're more likely to actually "know" the folks they connect with (I'm talking about the top 5% of bloggers - those who really do "reporting"). Journalists are "better connected" by degrees. If they need to talk to the CEO of a Fortune 500, chances are they can actually get through, even if they've never met or talked to him/her before. Journalists also have the power of their brand to create connections on demand. Bloggers don't, and thus, are forced to rely on those personal relationships.
Of course, that could just be the Xiamen water talking...
I think more bloggers have kept their brains connected.
But I guess that wasn't the question.
I'm guessing, yes. It's hard to think any blogger would have more contacts than an old school news hound like Dan Rather. Years of experience and work develop these things. But then, someone that old school isn't likely to have copied everything over from their handwritten address book. Or have the time to kick it on Plaxo.
PS. When's the last time a reporter gave just the "strait facts"? All news is editorialized (usually by ommision), over-hyped and sensationalized - but I got your point: At least bloggers are honest about it.
Fantastic point there. Bloggers could simply be more aware of Plaxo/use it more than journalists.
I'm curious about whether or not some colleges and uni's that offer Journalism as a degree now add blogging to the course load.
I've been watching my local newspapers embrace blogs in their online versions. A blogger can cover current events and write a mix of fact and opinion, which is not formal journalism. (It was frowned on when I studied Journalism....)
I wonder if bloggers are more connected because they may appear more approachable than a how a reporter is perceived to be.
Good points, Kim. Bloggers may seem less intimidating than journalists (or they certainly could get stereotyped that way!).
Kim I think you're right about bloggers appearing more approachable. Blogs by their nature are more informal and that does lead bloggers to seem friendlier and more approachable.
Some of it is possibly the medium. It's a lot easier to connect with a blogger by commenting on his or her blog or linking to their blog. Reaching a journalist isn't quite as easy.
Pat is drunk and takes no responsibility for his comments.
I do not know know if bloggers are more connected than journalists, I only know that we are better looking (see my picture for evidence of this fact).
With few exceptions, bloggers have my attention and my heart, whereas "journalists" have my attention.
IF you look at averages though, I would argue that the average journalist (professional) is probably more connected then the average joe smoe blogger.
The reason why on the high end professional bloggers have more connections is most the time (because blogging is relativley new) they built their online prescence up from ground 0 - starting in obscurity and buildling their own name / brand from scratch.
To be successful at something like that requires starting lots of conversations and making as many connections as possible. This is opposed to professional journalists who get to start with the clout and credibility offered by the publication they write for so they can (as of now) get the interview and scoops without having to "work" or "connect" with as many people. This trend will surley sway and I would attribute it more to the infancy of blogging in comparison to publications with 100 year+ old brands.
Bloggers leverage social media to great effect. Blogging as a platform has helped them to be fast on the trigger when it comes to news, issues etc. I do feel that they are well on the way to becoming more connected than journalists.
I was thinking the same. A bloggers life is online and still likely to be more aware of online social networking and online solutions to address books.
If we compared rolodexes I'd suspect journalists would win on numbers.
On a fun note:
It's not just talent agents, everybody involved in the business side of entertainment has a huge contact list. When I was in the industry I had over 400 entries in mine, but the biggest list I ever perused belonged to super-producer Joel Silver: close to 2300 contacts including almost every A-through-D list celebrity, business mogul, musician, artist, tycoon or socialite you could think of. Oh how many times I was tempted to download the whole thing to my PDA.
Imagine the possiblities if bloggers, journalists and talent agents could combine their contacts for one huge network? Yeah, like that would happen.
How many of the journalists ARE bloggers, is what I want to know?
This is pretty interesting, however I caught it already on Mark Evans site and Marketing Pilgrim. Missed it on Plaxo though.
Guess I'm not a quick draw. I'd do horribly in an Old West standoff...
lol, you do great Rebecca! Maybe you were related to the slowskys in your past life!
"...or do you think some of them will still uphold the "us vs. them" mentality?"
While I do think "journoggers" are creeping up, I think in some places of the world there will always be that "us vs. them" mentality.
Based on personal experience, I know that the gulf in South Africa in particular is still huge.
I remember not being all that surprised when the below article came out:
David Bullard takes on "Offensive bloggers"
.. I wasn't all that surprised.
Sigh. I have a dream, and all that jazz...
So are bloggers more well connected or are they just more social? Are they just more in touch with the internet communities. Are they just more active on sites such as Plaxo?
Are we able to answer those questions and will we be at some point?
Exactly. Are they more connected? Have more friends? Bigger families? How is the list of contacts broken up?
Quantity vs. Quality.
There are very few blogs that carry the brand reputation of a mainstream publication. A journalist at a national masthead can get in touch with literally anyone with a few phone calls. At the same time, an A-list blogger probably has the same level of access (within their industry).
In Australia we have a fairly unique situation. The largest online publisher is both home to a masthead publication with the brand recognition of a NYTimes, yet also boasts the largest blog network in the country. Thus we have many bloggers that are also journalists, and I have no doubt an award-winning journo-blogger like Jack Marx has an extensive online and offline contact list.