Blog, Schmog... It's a Website to Most People

Twice in the last week I've been asked if older (i.e. 55+) Internet users "blog."

In both instances, the person asking me the question didn't mean, "Are grey surfers bloggers?" but instead was wondering if this older crowd reads blogs.

This is a legitimate question. It also reveals a faulty assumption regarding blogs, which is that your average surfer (of any age) can distinguish between a blog and a regular Website.

While I realize that blogs have many unique (and wonderful) characteristics that set them apart from regular Websites, I'd be willing to bet that Joe or Jane Surfer doesn't make that distinction. Especially when Joe or Jane doesn't even know or care about blogs.

To them a blog about breeding goldfish is just another Website on the same topic. Joe or Jane doesn't care about the (blog) infrastructure below the surface. They are there for and because of the content.

So don't get too worked up about whether or not a particular target market reads blogs. As far as I'm concerned, if they surf, they read blogs ... even if they don't realize they are doing so in the first place.