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AMERICANS DIVIDED ON FREE-SPEECH RIGHTS FOR INTERNET 'BLOGGERS'
Hostway National Survey Sets Benchmarks for Blogs' Credibility, Utility
for Business Communications.
Chicago, IL-Tuesday, April 19, 2005-As
blogs compete for credibility among established media, respondents
to a new national survey say they're torn between supporting full
First Amendment rights for bloggers and favoring some limitations
on bloggers' content.
In the poll, commissioned by global Web-hosting and managed services
provider Hostway (www.hostway.com), more than 50 percent of respondents
who shared their opinions on First Amendment rights said bloggers
should benefit from the same First Amendment liberties and protections
as professional journalists. (Fifty-two percent agree, and 21 percent
disagree.)
Bloggers' Rights
Participants also had strong opinions about various free speech rights
of bloggers:
- Eighty percent believe bloggers should not have the right to
publish home addresses and other personal information about private
citizens.
- Seventy-two percent believe bloggers should not have the right
to publish home addresses or other personal information about
public figures (celebrities, sport figures, etc.).
- Sixty-eight percent believe bloggers should not have the right
to publish home addresses or other personal information about
appointed government officials (judges, mayors, etc.).
Generation Gap
The survey data additionally suggests that young adults (under 30
years old) are more open to Internet bloggers' free speech rights
than older cohorts, regardless of their income or geographic locations:
A larger percentage of young respondents are less disagreeable and
more undecided (neither agree nor disagree) on First-Amendment-related
issues.
Participants who believe bloggers should not have the same First Amendment
rights as traditional journalists:
- Under 30: 10 percent
- Over 50: 26 percent
Participants who believe bloggers should not have the right to publish
home addresses and other personal information about private citizens:
- Under 30: 62 percent
- Over 50: 85 percent
Participants who believe bloggers should not have the right to publish
home addresses or other personal information about public figures
(celebrities, sport figures, etc.):
- Under 30: 61 percent
- Over 50: 75 percent
Participants who believe bloggers should not have the right to publish
home addresses or other personal information about appointed government
officials (judges, mayors, etc.):
- Under 30: 60 percent
- Over 50: 70 percent
Blogs' Credibility
In addition to identifying attitudes about bloggers' free speech
rights, the survey found only a small percentage of the 2,500 respondents
believe blogs are as credible as other sources in the mainstream media.
Survey data suggests that respondents look at blogs as a channel to
obtain opinion-based information rather than as a fact-based news
source. For example, of those who expressed an opinion, by a margin
three-to-two, respondents said they find newspapers more credible
than blog entries.
- Only 28 percent agree that blogs are as or more credible than
newspaper articles.
- Almost 30 percent agree that blogs are as or more credible than
television and radio news.
Even though blogs have not achieved the perceived legitimacy of print,
television and radio news sources, they are making headway with credibility
against a variety of advertising media:
- Almost 45 percent feel blogs are as or more credible than television
commercials.
- Forty-five percent feel blogs are as or more credible than Internet
advertising.
- Forty-one percent feel that blogs are as or more credible that
radio advertising.
The Business of Blogs
"We're beginning to see blogs starting to take their place among other
media for businesses to get their word out," said John Lee, vice president
of marketing, Hostway. "They are easy to create, maintain and serve
as valued portals of diverse, honest information."
In many cases, blogs serve as online journals that contain uncensored,
unfiltered forms of commentary and opinions on various topics. From
a business standpoint, blogs may be friend or foe, depending on the
information that is revealed. About 60 percent of respondents to the
Hostway survey agreed it is acceptable for a company to censor what
appears on its blog and that bloggers should not be allowed to release
proprietary information about a company/product. One out of four people
believe companies should have the right to fire an employee based
on information that person posts to a blog.
Overall, the survey found consumers are beginning to see the benefits
of using blogs for product and service research - nearly one out of
four survey respondents said they refer to blogs for information on
the products and services they are looking to purchase. Within that
percentage, a whopping 94 percent feel those blogs were helpful in
their purchasing decision, which adds to the notion that blogs influence
the consumer market.
"With the right strategy, blogs can be a huge asset to organizations
large and small," said Lee. "They are cost-effective, attract a well-targeted
audience and, in some cases, are able to put a human voice to a company."
Market research firm TNS conducted the survey for Hostway between
March 24 and 28, questioning 2,500 adult consumers nationwide about
their views on blogging.
Further statistical analysis conducted on unweighted data by Hostway
suggests that opinions on bloggers' First Amendment rights and blog
crediblity as a source of news and information are influenced by the
respondent's age and direct exposure to blogs. However, Hostway's
analysis also suggests that for some, exposure to blogs and positive
credibility beliefs don't necessarily equate to agreeability with
First Amendment rights for bloggers. For further information please
visit, www.hostway.com/media/survey/blog.html.
Note To Editors
To obtain top-line survey results please visit www.hostway.com/media/survey/blog.html
To speak with an executive at Hostway and to obtain more detailed
findings, please contact Tina Janczura at 312.970.5841 or Tina.Janczura@slackbarshinger.com.
About Hostway Corporation
Hostway Corporation provides Web hosting and managed services to more
than 300,000 customers worldwide. Hostway helps individuals, small
businesses and large enterprises achieve more value from state-of-the-art
Web-based technologies by reducing their complexity and cost. Founded
in 1998, Hostway is one of the five largest Web hosting companies
in the world with offices in North America (Chicago, Tampa and Vancouver),
Europe (London and Amsterdam), Asia (Seoul) and Australia (Sydney).
For more information about Hostway Corporation, please visit www.hostway.com
or call 1-888-290-5170.
About TNS
TNS is one of the world's leading market information groups,
providing market measurement, analysis and insight through its operating
companies in 70 countries. Working with national and multi-national
organizations, TNS helps its clients develop effective business strategies
and enhance relationships with their customers. In July 2003, the
group merged with NFO WorldGroup, Inc. For more information about
TNS, please visit www.tns-global.com.
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