The Hindu Business Line : Indians blog to motivate others: Survey

Bangalore, July 6 What drives Indians to blogging? Money and social activism, so reports an online study conducted by MindShare Insights, which interviewed 250 netizens who either read others’ blogs or own a blog. The study interviewed netizens across six APAC markets.

While Australians blog to keep in touch with friends, Chinese to share knowledge skills and store important information, Indians blog to motivate other people to action and make money.

“Compared to the APAC average of eight per cent who chalk up blogs as a platform to make money, and 11 per cent who use it as a platform to motivate people, in India, these are at 17 per cent each,” said Mr Praveen Ramachandra, Business Director, MindShare Insights.

Only a third record their life and personal experiences in their blog, compared to an APAC average of 62 per cent. Entertainment (18 per cent) and technology (14 per cent) figured much higher among Indians than in the other countries. Entertainment topics include TV serials, movie reviews and music, while technology blogs covered various subjects including mobile and Internet brands.

Indian bloggers, though a small number, are also the most active in APAC.

The frequency of posting new content on existing blogs for India averaged at 5.2 times a week, compared to APAC average of three times a week. About 35 per cent of Indian netizens interviewed, in the age group 15-35 years, blog. In comparison, 77 per cent of Chinese netizens blog.

‘Creative expression’

Bloggers across APAC markets sight ‘creative expression’ as the main reason for blogging, documenting personal experiences comes close second across the region. The study states that bloggers look to other blogs before choosing a service or brand. About 55 per cent of them are influenced by these online diaries while making brand decisions. “For marketers, a critical point to note is that blogs are an important consumer connection point in influencing brand decisions,” he said.

More than half of Indian blog readers have been influenced by blogs in experiencing a brand or service; the highest across all markets.

Blogs in India are mostly text. The study blames infrastructure issues and newness of the medium. While 44 per cent of Singaporeans post videos on their blogs, only 15 per cent of Indians vlog.