2011 has been a huge year for Australia’s blogging movement.
Was it the year blogging in this country came of age? I think so.
We had full houses at several major blogging events including Nuffnang Blogopolis and the Problogger Training Day in Melbourne.
The media wasn’t shy in covering the blogging fraternity, with everyone from The Age Melbourne Magazine through to Radio 774 and Channel Ten getting in on the action by interviewing high profile bloggers.
* PIC: YouTuber Natalie Tran (source: Lonely Planet).
We had blogging lists, blogger-only promotions – even AFL football clubs extended the love to blogging fans.
It was also the year companies and brands – and their PR representatives – discovered the potential power and influence that some bloggers have in the marketplace (perhaps the smartest deal was between Sydney-based YouTube star Natalie Tran and Lonely Planet). Indeed, there would not have been a blogging event where the topic of ‘commercialisation’ wasn’t mentioned, commented upon or debated.
And of course, BlogHUB was established with a view to chronicling all the news, opinions and events emanating from Australia’s growing blogging scene.
So what does 2012 hold?
Here are four things I think we’re going to see more of:
- The increasing sophistication of bloggers – we’re going to see bloggers become smarter in the way they create content, design their blogs/content hubs and interact with their audience via social media; we are going to see increased use of video and potentially greater utilisation of SEO techniques (here are my initial thoughts on this trend – The next wave of blogging: introducing the ‘new media mini empire’).
- A broadening of the blogger base in Australia – currently mum bloggers and foodie bloggers are the two biggest movements in the blogging world locally; undoubtedly these categories will increase in size but also expect other areas of blogging to grow including business, fashion and design, photography, personal/hobbyist and pop culture.
- The increasing influence of ‘serious’ bloggers – as bloggers become more savvy, so too will their influence grow as they build upon the popularity of their personal brands (by ‘serious’, I don’t just mean aspiring professional bloggers but those who take their craft seriously whether they’re in it for the money or not).
- The increasing commercialisation of the blogging elite – as bloggers increase their influence and profile not only online but also through traditional media outlets, expect brands (and PR people, ad agencies etc) to come calling, thus ensuring the topic of ‘making money from your blog’ will continue to be as hot a topic in 2012 as it was in 2011, if not more so.
What do you think? What other trends in Australia’s blogging movement do you see occurring in 2012?
About Trevor Young
Couldn’t agree more Trevor — it’s very exciting to watch this unfold. A couple weeks ago at The Blogger Relations Forum we discussed some of the “what’s next” ideas of blogging in Australia. I think we’ll see more strategic partnerships between brands/bloggers instead of these haphazard one-off campaigns. As brands see the value of working with bloggers, they may become more willing to invest long-term instead of just ‘dipping their toes in the water.’ This goes hand-in-hand with bloggers becoming increasingly more influential.
Very interesting post Trevor. We’re already seeing bloggers coming to us for blog redesigns that are drive frontage request of sponsors and commercial partners. There’s definitely a deeper level of thinking in how bloggers can integrate with brands and I’d agree with your expectation for this to improve in 2012.
Onwards and upwards!
Excellent post Trevor! Whilst I readily admit that my business needs to a much better job at reaching out to fellow Aussie bloggers on the topics that interest them, sometimes blogging in Australia is too much like an echo chamber, i.e. we’re talking about personal finance but no-one is really listening or engaging. I’m hoping your 2nd prediction comes true this year and we see more bloggers interested in personal finance!
It’s have to agree that the changes in blogging in Australia has definitely taken off. The interaction between blogging and media and blogging and companies is something all bloggers will be watching. The ‘professional bloggers’ are just now starting to appear and grow their audiences.