Blogging Phenomena Reaches New Audience With More Than 30% of Teens
Using Blogs
Teens Can Create Tailor-Made Blogs in a Secure and Interactive
Environment
Movie stars have them, rock bands inspire them, political junkies are addicted to them -- and now with 31% of teens saying they have read or created a blog(1)-- AOL's RED(TM) Service for teens launches RED(TM) blogs, a fully customizable online blogging journal just for teens.
“With the unique customization features threaded throughout RED blogs, we are confident that our more than 5 million teen members will find this the best place online to express their creativity, showcase ideas and share their thoughts with others”
According to the new AOL(R) RED(TM)/Digital Marketing Services survey, when teens are asked to choose whether they prefer to share their innermost feelings with their parents or a blog, they are split with roughly half (51%) selecting their parents and 49% choosing a blog. But they also understand the need for privacy. Eighty four percent of teens said they would not be willing to share their blog with just anyone on the open web. In response to these findings AOL's RED service offers a refreshing way to create a blog in a 'velvet rope' environment and gives teens and parents the option to choose between different levels of privacy, ranging from private, semi-private and public.
-- Private - allows teens to utilize the blog as a personal diary - under lock and key.
-- Semi-private - only those who have been invited are able to view. However, parents are notified of the individuals that younger teens (13-15) want to read their blogs, which must be approved first.
-- Public - anyone on the web is able to view. To protect younger teens, their blogs are always locked from general public viewing.
Once the level of privacy is determined, teens can then create and design their blogs' style, color, layout and other features such as the ability to post polls, news, and other personal content on hobbies, family vacations and favorite bands, etc. Guys can create their own edgy skater style look and add photos and up-dates on their favorite band, while girls might choose a shabby-chic background with funky colors and post surveys about cute actors they like. RED editors will also feature the top five most frequently visited blogs each week to highlight unique, innovative, funny and cool-looking blogs.
"With the unique customization features threaded throughout RED blogs, we are confident that our more than 5 million teen members will find this the best place online to express their creativity, showcase ideas and share their thoughts with others," said Malcolm Bird, Senior Vice President and General Manager AOL(R) Teens & Kids.
Teens and Communications
Beyond the new blogging phenomenon, teens continue to increase their use of e-mailing and sending instant messages to keep in touch with friends and gossip in school. Specific findings from the AOL/DMS "Teens & Communications Survey" include:
-- Of the teens of who have read or created a blog, the types of blogs they read are about people they know (72%), their favorite TV shows or movies (42%), and their favorite musicians (40%).
-- Approximately three out of five (58%) teens who read blogs do so because they are typically more entertaining and humorous than traditional web sites.
-- More than half (51%) of teens who blog, read or update them once a week or more often.
-- Teens say, if they wrote a blog, they would most likely write about their favorite hobby or interest (44%) or their favorite band or celebrity (39%).
-- Teens find it easier to ask a boy/girlfriend out through instant messaging (36%) versus on the phone (25%).
-- When keeping up with gossip at school, 42% use instant message or email and 26% use the phone.
-- More than one third (35%) of teens instant message or send e-mails to their grandparents, and 38% instant message with their parents.
-- Seventy-one percent of teens say they prefer to keep in touch with long distance friends via instant message or e-mail.
About the RED(TM) Service
The RED service offers teens a customized version of the AOL(R) service. Teens can personalize their desktop and choose content to highlight based on their specific interests, such as exclusive content and features from leading brands, original programming and expanded community tools.
America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.
(1)AOL/DMS Survey Methodology
A random sample of internet users was screened for children ages 12-17 in their household who were available to participate in the survey. Parents were instructed to allow their children to answer the survey questions while they supervised. 250 respondents completed the survey. Interviews were conducted via DMS' Opinion Place during February 2005.
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