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In addition, the second installment of a global poll of health bloggersreveals that fewer respondents blogged anonymously. (The first edition ofthis poll was released in 2006.) Also, the percentage of health bloggerswriting about their personal experiences sharply decreased. Seventy-sevenpercent of people who took this survey were from the United States.
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Both surveys are featured in a new report, "The Evolving HealthBlogosphere," released today by healthcare marketing communicationsconsultancy Envision Solutions. It represents the second in a series ofstudies examining how people are using various interactive technologies,including the Internet, for health. To download the report, please go towww.envisionsolutionsnow.com/healthblogosphere .
Additional Highlights From National Survey
-- American Health Bloggers Racially Diverse: Thirty-eight percent ofthose writing on health-focused blogs are African American and Hispanic.
-- Women Dominate U.S. Health Blogosphere: Females make up 57% of thehealth blogging population.
-- Health Bloggers Trust Peers: Seventy-three percent of respondents saidthey had moderate or high confidence most health bloggers disclosed conflictsof interest.
-- Education & Marketing Important: Nearly one-third reported that themost important reason they started a blog was to educate others. Twenty-onepercent said they primarily blogged for marketing purposes.
-- Marketing Activity On Upswing: The number of bloggers reportinginquiries from public relations professionals increased by 57% between thefirst and second editions of the survey. In addition, bloggers were morelikely to say they published advertisements on their Weblogs.
Implications
These studies illustrate how health blogging has come of age over the pastseveral years. Once dominated by medical professionals, the healthblogosphere now incorporates a diverse range of people in the United Statesand around the world.
We also found that concerns about the credibility of health bloggers maybe misplaced. While many bloggers continue to view content developed by theirpeers critically, most believe conflicts are routinely disclosed.
About This Research
National Online Survey: Kelton Research (www.keltonresearch.com), aleading polling firm, conducted a nationally representative online survey of2,000 U.S. adults (18+) on behalf of Envision Solutions from August 11-15,2008. This study has a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points.
Global Online Survey: Envision Solutions and Trusted.MD(http://trusted.md), a health social networking service, fielded an onlinesurvey of 138 health bloggers between August 27 and October 15, 2007. Thispoll is not scientific.
About Envision Solutions
Envision Solutions, LLC is a full-service healthcare marketingcommunications consulting firm. Our core competencies are in the areas ofanalysis, strategic and tactical recommendation development, training andcontent development. Please visit www.envisionsolutionsnow.com for moreinformation about the firm.
(1) Americans were asked to describe their blogging activity between
February and August 2008.
SOURCE Envision Solutions, LLC
