After having filled out the first swiss blogsurvey, you can now compare with the findings of the new PEW Study: Bloggers, A portrait of the internet’s new storytellers (July 19, 2006)

• Blogging is bringing new voices to the online world.
• Contrary to the impression created by the press attention on political blogging, just 11% of bloggers say they focus mainly on government or politics.
• The blogging population is young, evenly split between women and men, and racially diverse. Relatively small groups of bloggers view blogging as a public endeavor.
• The main reasons for keeping a blog are creative expression and sharing personal experiences.
• Only one-third of bloggers see blogging as a form of journalism. Yet many check facts and cite original sources.
• Bloggers are avid consumers and creators of online content. They are also heavy users of the internet in general.
• Bloggers are major consumers of political news and about half prefer sources without a particular political viewpoint.
• Bloggers often utilize community and readership-enhancing features available on their blogs.