A research firm did a survey of British cab drivers, hairdressers and pub landlords (people that really know the buzz) and found that blogging isn’t known.

70% of those surveyed had never heard of it.
Instead they thought they were being asked about something else entirely.

Mind you a cabbie can’t drive you to a blog. A barber, hairdresser or bar tender mostly listen.

90% had no idea what a podcast was, and 70% hadn’t heard of blogging.
ar arrr arrr.

“Our research not only shows that there is no buzz about blogging and podcasting outside of our media industry bubble, but also that people have no understanding of what the words mean,” Carter said. “It’s a real wake-up call.”

A blog, short for Web log, is an online journal, while podcasting is a method of publishing audio programs over the Internet — a name derived from combining iPod, Apple’s popular digital music player, with broadcasting, even though portable devices are not necessary to listen to a podcast.

DDB, a unit of New York-based advertising group Omnicom, said the survey results indicate that agencies may be pushing their clients to use new technology — that is, to advertise on the new media formats — too quickly.

“We spend too much time talking to ourselves in this industry, rather than getting out there and finding out what’s really going on in the world,” DDB’s chief strategy officer David Hackworthy said.

It’s only a wake up call if you take yourself too seriously.
I’d dare say most bloggers are well aware this survey mirrors real life experience.

I think this survey is a riot because it plays out in my life.
Most of my friends don’t know what a blog is, and if I direct them to mine I get a ‘that’s nice’ and they move on.

Journalists use of blogs

Another survey shows that 53% of journalists turn to blogs even though they aren’t convinced of their credibility.

The survey was conducted by the Euro RSCG Magnet and Columbia University Survey of the Media.

The survey found that 51% of journalists survey use blogs - while Pew Research shows that 11% of US citizens it surveyed indicated reading them.

Just over 1 thousand journalists from around the world were questioned on various issues…

…including ethics, credibility, technology and influence, to assess how the growing number and scale of corporate and media scandals, as well as the changing face of news reporting and source disclosure in the U.S. and abroad, are affecting reporting practices.

There were several interesting findings in this research, blogs can be a treasure trove of ideas and research and referencing.

Another finding:

Journalists also agree that a company’s positive image is only as good as the happiness of its customers – 92% believe high levels of consumer satisfaction are quite important to a company’s media standing, while 85% say the same about its status as an industry trendsetter. Interestingly, 80% said financial health was of utmost importance – placing a company’s financial status squarely in fifth place as the most important factor in determining media standing.

The survey also showed journalists are concerned about their own credibility also.