25 June 2009 Blogger Survey 2009 HONG KONG

Survey Methodology Text 100 conducted the survey based predominantly on relationships with technology, news and lifestyle bloggers across 21 countries. This is the report for Hong Kong; Text 100 was responsible for respondent identification and recruiting, while Aha! Research programmed and collected responses via an online survey, analyzed, and reported the results; A total of 25 surveys were analyzed. Where possible, comparisons were made with the 2008 survey (n=20) and where sufficient sample, and large differences, these changes were indicated in this report. Note that for some questions the sample size is small and should be interpreted with care; All surveys were offered in English and Chinese; Survey period: April 6 to May 11, 2009.

Text 100 conducted the survey based predominantly on relationships with technology, news and lifestyle bloggers across 21 countries. This is the report for Hong Kong;

Text 100 was responsible for respondent identification and recruiting, while Aha! Research programmed and collected responses via an online survey, analyzed, and reported the results;

A total of 25 surveys were analyzed. Where possible, comparisons were made with the 2008 survey (n=20) and where sufficient sample, and large differences, these changes were indicated in this report.

Note that for some questions the sample size is small and should be interpreted with care;

All surveys were offered in English and Chinese;

Survey period: April 6 to May 11, 2009.

Bloggers’ interest in contact with PR people Bloggers generally welcome contact from PR firms or a corporation to provide information, comments, and suggestions. Bloggers in APAC are slightly more welcoming than their counterparts in the USA and Europe (2008: 66%) Q.1: Do you welcome any contact from Public Relations (PR) firms or any corporation to provide information, offer comment or suggest people you might be interested in talking to? (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27)

Bloggers’ past contact with PR people Bloggers report that contact initiated by a PR firm or corporation varies from 70% in APAC to 100% in the USA (2008: 66%) Q.2a: Have you been contacted by any Public Relations (PR) firms or corporations in the past 6 months about areas you have been focused on or are interested in? (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27)

Hong Kong bloggers’ interest and past contact with PR people Majority of bloggers (84%) welcome contact from PR firms or corporations to provide information, comments, and suggestions. 60% of respondents have been contacted in the past 6 months (2008 survey: 43%) Welcome any contact from PR firm? Past 6 months contact? Q.1: Do you welcome any contact from Public Relations (PR) firms or any corporation to provide information, offer comment or suggest people you might be interested in talking to? (n=25) Q.2a: Have you been contacted by any Public Relations (PR) firms or corporations in the past 6 months about areas you have been focused on or are interested in? (n=25)

Frequency of contact Q.2b: How frequently have you been contacted any Public Relations (PR) firms or corporations in the past 6 months? (n= APAC:163, EURO:163, USA:27) Almost all surveyed bloggers (96%) in the USA get contacted by PR firms or corporations once a week or more often. In Europe (65%) and Asia (36%) bloggers get contacted once a week or more often Once a week or more often

Hong Kong bloggers’ frequency of contact Past 6 months contact? 27% got contacted once a week or more often Q.2b: How frequently have you been contacted by any Public Relations (PR) firms or corporations in the past 6 months? (n=15)

Preferred means of contact Q.3a: Please indicate to what extent you prefer each of the following means of contact from PR firms or corporations on a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is “Very low preference” and 7 is “Very high preference” (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27) Q4: Do you indicate your most preferred form of contact on your blog? (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27) 7-point scale where 1=“Very Low preference” and 7=“Very high preference” About half of bloggers in APAC and Europe indicate their preferred means of contact on their blog Email is the most preferred means of contact with bloggers, while SMS and IM are least preferred. APAC bloggers seem to be more flexible in their preferred means of contact Mean score on 7-point scale

Hong Kong bloggers’ preferred means of contact Q.3a: Please indicate to what extent you prefer each of the following means of contact from PR firms or corporations on a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is “Very low preference” and 7 is “Very high preference” (n=25) Q4: Do you indicate your most preferred form of contact on your blog? (n=25) Email is the most preferred means of contact among bloggers 7-point scale where 1=“Very Low preference” and 7=“Very high preference” Any indication of preferred means of contact shown on their blogs? 48% of bloggers indicate their most preferred form of contact on their blogs Mean score on 7-point scale

Contact required before information distribution? Q.5: If a PR firm or corporation with whom you had no prior contact wants to send you their press releases or other information, do you prefer them to contact you first to introduce themselves, or just send you their information without an introduction? (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27) Q.6: How important you feel it is to have a face-to-face meeting before receiving information from a PR agency or corporation with whom you have not worked with before? (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27) In APAC, 88% prefer an introduction before receiving information from a PR firm or corporation with whom they have not had prior contact, compared with only 41% in the USA Introductory face-to-face meetings with new contacts are more important in APAC than in Europe or the USA

Hong Kong bloggers - contact required before information distribution? Q.5: If a PR firm or corporation with whom you had no prior contact wants to send you their press releases or other information, do you prefer them to contact you first to introduce themselves, or just send you their information without an introduction? (n=25) Q.6: How important you feel it is to have a face-to-face meeting before receiving information from a PR agency or corporation with whom you have not worked with before? (n=25) 88% of bloggers prefer to be introduced before receiving information from a PR firm or corporation with whom they have not had prior contact (2008 survey: 60%) How important is a face-to-face introduction meeting? Opinions among bloggers are fairly neutral On a 7-point ‘importance scale’, the mean is 4.08 which is slightly leaning towards the “Important” side of the scale

Interest in selected types of content Q.8a: Now let’s talk about your preferred content for your blog . For each of the following types of content, please use this scale where 1 means you are not interested at all and 7 means you are very interested in this content. (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27) 7-point scale where 1=“Not interested at all” and 7=“Very interested” Mean score on 7-point scale The most preferred content by bloggers is news of new product development and products for review, as well as feedback from readers and interviews with key people. Bloggers show the least interest in corporate news announcements

Hong Kong bloggers’ interest in selected types of content Q.8a: Now let’s talk about your preferred content for your blog . For each of the following types of content, please use this scale where 1 means you are not interested at all and 7 means you are very interested in this content. (n=25) 7-point scale where 1=“Not interested at all” and 7=“Very interested” Research insights / new product developments news is the most sought after content type while corporate news announcements is of least interest Mean score on 7-point scale

Q.9: How frequently have you used each of the following content formats on your blog over the past 6 months? (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27) Content format: Frequency of usage Photographs are the most frequently used content forms while podcasts are least frequently used % who used “a few times a month” or more frequently

Q.9: How frequently have you used each of the following content formats on your blog over the past 6 months? (n=25) Photographs are the most frequently used content type with 92% of surveyed bloggers using them a few times a month or more. Video or audio podcasts are used less than a few times in the past 6 months by the majority (76%) of bloggers Content format: Frequency of usage – Hong Kong

Social Media Releases Social Media Releases (SMRs) have highest awareness amongst APAC bloggers (48%) Among those aware of SMRs, effectiveness evaluation is on the positive side (7-point “effectiveness scale where 7=Very effective) (note: small USA sample size) Q.10a: Have you ever heard of a Social Media Release (definition provided in the questionnaire? (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27) Q.10b: How effective do you think Social Media Releases are as a means to keep you updated on corporations? (7-point scale) (n= APAC:112, EURO:72, USA:7)

Social Media Releases Q.10c: Compared with a year ago, to what extent are companies using Social Media Releases to communicate with you and other bloggers? (n= APAC:112, EURO:72, USA:7) Bloggers generally experienced an increase over the past year in the usage of SMRs by companies to communicate with them (note: small USA sample size)

Social Media Releases – Hong Kong n=9 38% of the surveyed bloggers are aware of Social Media Releases (2008 survey: 15%) SMR Effectiveness Among those who have heard of SMRs, 11% feel they are a very effective means of keeping them updated on corporations (note: small sample size) Compared with a year ago, 67% of bloggers experienced an increase SMR usage by companies wanting to communicate with them (note: small sample size) Q.10a: Have you ever heard of a Social Media Release (definition provided in the questionnaire? (n=25) Q.10b: How effective do you think Social Media Releases are as a means to keep you updated on corporations? (7-point scale) (n=9) Q.10c: Compared with a year ago, to what extent are companies using Social Media Releases to communicate with you and other bloggers? (n=9) 67%

Q.10d: In the past year , how often have you taken elements (video, quotes, pictures, links) from a Social Media Releases to use in your own blog postings? Q.10e: In the next year , how often are you likely to use elements from a Social Media Release for use in your own blog postings? (n= APAC:112, EURO:72, USA:7) Use of SMR elements Past year usage (often / very often) Next year intent to use (somewhat / significantly more often) Usage of elements from SMRs in the past year is highest in APAC (note: small USA sample size) Intention to use elements from SMRs in the next year is high in both APAC and Europe (note: small USA sample size)

A third (33%) of bloggers frequently took elements such as videos, quotes, pictures and links from SMRs to use in their own blogs. (note: small sample size) (The 2008 survey found that none of the 20 bloggers have done this, but 67% would do it) 78% said they will use SMR elements more often in the coming year (note: small sample size) Q.10d: In the past year , how often have you taken elements (video, quotes, pictures, links) from a Social Media Releases to use in your own blog postings? (n=9) Q.10e: In the next year , how often are you likely to use elements from a Social Media Release for use in your own blog postings? (n=9) Use of SMR elements – Hong Kong Past year usage 78% Next year intent to use 33%

Popular blogging subjects Q.11: Which of the following subjects do you normally blog about? (Select all that apply) (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27) “ Computers”, “technology” and “Internet” are the most blogged about subjects APAC EUROPE USA

Popular blogging subjects – Hong Kong Q.11: Which of the following subjects do you normally blog about? (Select all that apply) (n=25) The Internet and “Computers and Technology” are the most blogged about subjects among these bloggers % who normally blogs about each subject

Importance of various information sources about corporations Q.12: Please indicate how important each of the following sources are for information about corporations? Please use this scale where 1 is “not important at all” and 7 is “very Important”. You may use any number from 1 to 7 (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27) 7-point scale where 1=“Not important at all” and 7=Very important” “ Other bloggers”, “Corporate websites”, and “RSS feeds” are the surveyed bloggers’ most important sources of corporate information. Traditional media is of less importance APAC EUROPE USA

Importance of various information sources about corporations – Hong Kong Q.12: Please indicate how important each of the following sources are for information about corporations? Please use this scale where 1 is “not important at all” and 7 is “very Important”. You may use any number from 1 to 7 (n=25) 7-point scale where 1=“Not important at all” and 7=Very important” “ Other bloggers”, newspapers and RSS Feeds are the most important sources of information about corporations Mean scores on 7-point scale

Time spent blogging APAC bloggers spend the least amount of time blogging while USA bloggers spend the most Q.13: How much of your working week is spent blogging? (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27) 9+ hrs / week: 36% 9+ hrs / week: 44% 9+ hrs / week: 63% APAC EURO USA

Time spent blogging – Hong Kong More than a third (36%) of the bloggers spend more than 9 hours of their working week blogging (2008 survey: 20%) Q.13: How much of your working week is spent blogging? (n=25) Hong Kong 9+ hrs / week: 36%

Micro-blogging Q.14a: Micro-blogging sites such as twitter, Plurk and Fanfou are increasingly popular alternatives to blogging (and social networking). Do you use a micro-blogging site? (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27) Q.14b: IF YES: Since starting to use a micro-blogging site, has your blogging… (n= APAC:177, EURO:153, USA:22) 81% of bloggers in the USA and Europe use micro-blogging, compared with 76% in APAC The impact of micro-blogging on normal blogging is the highest in APAC (29%) and Europe (27%) where bloggers reported to be blogging more as a result of their micro-blogging

Micro-blogging – Hong Kong 96% of bloggers use a micro-blogging service such as twitter 38% 51% Half of bloggers (51%) think that micro-blogging has decreased their normal blogging Q.14a: Micro-blogging sites such as twitter and (in Taiwan: Fanfou) are increasingly popular alternatives to blogging (and social networking). Do you use a micro-blogging site? (n=25) Q.14b: IF YES: Since starting to use a micro-blogging site, has your blogging… (n=24)

Honoring an embargo All bloggers (100%) in the USA would honor the terms of an embargo placed on a story idea or announcement, compared to only 90% in Europe Q.15: If offered a story idea or announcement under embargo (that is, the material is sent to you in advance of when the organization wants it in the public arena, and advise a time and date after which it can be used), would you honor the terms of the embargo? (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27)

Honoring an embargo – Hong Kong All, except one blogger (96%), would honor the terms of an embargo placed on a story idea or announcement Q.15: If offered a story idea or announcement under embargo (that is, the material is sent to you in advance of when the organization wants it in the public arena, and advise a time and date after which it can be used), would you honor the terms of the embargo? (n=25)

Acknowledging sponsorships Q.16: There has been some discussion in the blogosphere regarding bloggers making positive posts in return for some sort of compensation. Some say that ethically, bloggers should acknowledge that their blog or post is ‘supported’, while others disagree. Do you agree, or disagree, that bloggers should acknowledge corporate sponsorship for: (n= APAC:233, EURO:189, USA:27) Bloggers in the USA are more likely to agree that they should acknowledge that their blog or post is ‘supported’ when making positive posts in return for some sort of compensation

Acknowledging sponsorships – Hong Kong Q.16: There has been some discussion in the blogosphere regarding bloggers making positive posts in return for some sort of compensation. Some say that ethically, bloggers should acknowledge that their blog or post is ‘supported’, while others disagree. Do you agree, or disagree, that bloggers should acknowledge corporate sponsorship for: (n=25) Bloggers have mixed feelings on whether they should acknowledge that their blog or post is ‘supported’ when making positive posts in return for some sort of compensation

Indication of association with blogged about entity Agreement is highest in the USA that bloggers should always clearly state their employer or association if blogging on issues or topics that relate to their businesses Q.17: there has been some discussion in the blogosphere regarding corporate bloggers that don’t clearly indicate their association with an enterprise or organization. To what extent do you agree, or disagree, that “bloggers should always clearly state their employer or association if blogging on issues or topics that relate to their businesses?” (n=449)

Indication of association with blogged about entity – Hong Kong 76% agree that bloggers should always clearly state their employer or association if blogging on issues or topics that relate to their businesses Q.17: there has been some discussion in the blogosphere regarding corporate bloggers that don’t clearly indicate their association with an enterprise or organization. To what extent do you agree, or disagree, that “bloggers should always clearly state their employer or association if blogging on issues or topics that relate to their businesses?” (n=25) 76%

25 June 2009 Blogger Survey 2009 HONG KONG For more information: Simon Taylor Managing Consultant, Text 100 Hong Kong [email_address] Follow us on Twitter and Facebook