Vlogging in the New Year

State of the Vlogosphere study finds 110,000 people are now regularly vlogging

Come on. Write how you really feel. On second thought, show me how you really feel. Ring in the New Year with a New Vlog. According to media site, MeFeedia, the number of individuals creating video logs or “vlogs” are increasing dramatically. The site released its State of the Vlogosphere, stating that currently 110,000 people are now regularly vlogging, a 500% increase in participants since 2007. This phenomenal growth will shape the way individuals share their lives and experiences with others, will force social media networks like Facebook to create new sharing tools and applications, and will affect the way video hosting sites produce their online platforms.    

Creating a vlog is now easier than ever before. Some vloggers input video from online news sites or videos floating on the Internet. Others create their own videos using their camcorder and some basic editing software like iMovie or Avid. According to MeFeedia’s report, a whopping 50% of vloggers utilize existing video hosting sites like YouTube and Blip, instead of creating their own video blog. One perk of using YouTube is that it offers an MRSS to facilitate syndication to allow content producers to post their videos all over the web. 32% of vloggers use Vimeo, MySpace, DailyMotion, or another video host. Lastly, a bold 18% of people decided to set sail on their own and established their own online video platforms, using independent publishing sites like WordPress.  

People are creating vlogs about everything and anything. A quick Google search will show you vlogs about underestimated women, ninjas, pregnant females, and geeks. I found vloggers from all ages, backgrounds, and countries. The youngest vlogger I found is 2 years old! If you can think of a niche or are just that interesting, you’ve got yourself a vlog and an audience. Most consumers are viewing vlogs online, but an increasing number of consumers are viewing online videos with their smart phones. The iPhone is currently leading the pack—beating out the Android and Blackberry by about 6 times, mainly because of its robust built-in capabilities for YouTube.  

You can check out the MeFeedia report to see the latest stats and trends, but the report doesn’t discuss the consumer angle. With the thousands of people who are vlogging, how many people are actually viewing the vlogs? Since the vlogs tend to provide niche content and opinions, it would be interesting to see how many vlogs the average savvy Internet user peruses.  

In addition, how many people vlog professionally, as a primary way of generating income? Similarly, how many vloggers are finding ways to entice sponsorships and ads on their websites? I predict that professional vloggers will increase in 2010 given the current economic situation. Perhaps the next wave of vloggers will be the unemployed and pregnant stay-at-home females—looking to refocus their energies on topics and things they care about, and looking to reconnect with the “real world. I asked a fellow MBA student at Harvard Business School whether he would consider vlogging fulltime after graduating in May. He told me, “Hell yes. Why would I put on a tie and Cole Haan shoes and drag myself to work, when I can stay at home and vlog about things I care about and make money?”  

Happy Vlogging!