Blogging in 2012: the current state of the blogosphere with stats from Blogging.org

Blogging.org recently released the results of research they’ve been conducting about the state of the blogosphere in 2012. They polled over 1,000 bloggers in the US to find out where blogging as a medium is now and where it might be headed. It started off as a channel for self-expression in the 90s, but with social media empires sprouting up everywhere and businesses almost needing a blog to accompany what they’re already doing, blogging as a medium is now straddling the line between personal and business.

For me, this is exactly where my blog stands as well. I love art and write about it for fun, but I’m also trying to get my stuff out there, hoping something will come of it, and working towards the goal of getting paid to do something similar. At the very least it’s something to show prospective employers, as a way of demonstrating that writing and reviewing is something I’m passionate about – so much so that I’ve been practicing and tracking my improvement through this blog, a place where they can go to get a sampling of my writing style and who I am as an individual.

There are an estimated 31 million bloggers in the US as of July 2012. Where do you stand in the stats?

What blogging platform do people use?

  • 43% WordPress
  • 35% Blogger
  • 16% Tumblr, Typepad, Posterous
  • 6% Other

What diversity are bloggers in the US?

  • 48% Caucasian
  • 38% African American
  • 9% Other
  • 4% Latin American

How much do people make blogging?

  • 81% Less than $100 ever
  • 9% Enough to sustain their personal lifestyle blogging 4-6 hours a day
  • 8% Enough money to support a family
  • 2% Make $150K+ blogging 1-2 hours a day

Oh to be in that exclusive 2% bringing in thousands with just a couple hours of blogging a day (talk about a dream job).

Read more stats straight from the source on Blogging.org’s original post, complete with this infographic and their research results.