Blogging Statistics in Japan
Joi Ito posted an article today referencing some statistics he acquired from the 10th Annual Internet Survey by Internet Association Japan.
I recommend clicking through to Joi's site so you can see the full list of Internet related statistics, but what I found particularly interesting were those associated with Blogging…
72.5% of people have heard of blogs, up from 39% last year.
25% of women in their teens and 20's have blogs.
9.5% of Internet users use RSS Readers.
2.8% of companies have corporate blogs and over 50% express no intention of ever having corporate blogs
What perplexes me is why there seems to be such a high awareness and utilization rate in the residential arena, yet half of businesses in Japan are quite vocal of never willing to consider this as a valid communication tool.
Considering how popular the hype seems to be in North America for business blogging, it seems a bit contradictory to me. This could just be a reference to the differences between business practices in Japan compared to North America, but I'm not sure, someone more versed in Japanese corporate culture would be able to clarify much better than I.
What I do know is that corporate Blogging can be scary, but when you weigh the benefits versus the drawbacks, and as long as you have a solid implementation plan and clearly communicated rule set, a tactical blogging strategy will put your business far ahead in the trust, relationship, communication, and brand awareness curve than any traditional corporate communication strategy ever could alone.
