Segmenting The Blogosphere

This post is a development on a previous one about plotting the Australian Blogosphere on a positioning map. Jye Smith suggested this could be used to segment bloggers and it was made possible by Adam Ferrier, a very smart man (I have to say that, he’s currently my boss).

Jokers
The pranksters of the blogosphere. They enjoy the attention they receive and are not afraid to post something fun or amusing, or even off topic. They’re very flexible yet back it up with good content. Jokers tend to be amongst the youngest of the bloggers out there and love being the centre of attention. They’re often controversial but at times need to be reminded not to stir the pot for the sake of it.

Julian Cole is a Joker.

Lovers
The peaceful ones of the blogosphere. They probably started their blog one day for their own amusement and are not too fussed about their pageviews, hits and RSS count. With that said, they appreciate their readers and love that they are able to to express themselves and people will listen. They enjoy sharing their thoughts, insights, stories, videos, pictures and links. Rarely will they call someone out and must remember that their audience doesn’t subscribe to them for their constantly thought provoking content.

Stan Lee is a Lover.

Drivers
The quiet earnest ones of the blogosphere. They attempt to drive change with almost every post on their blog. Each piece of content develops conversations, asks the right questions and gets people thinking. Often, they’re developing models and attempting to take their area of expertise to the next level. Posts can be quite detailed and lengthy and they need to remember that this can alienate audiences outside of their core niche of readers.

Gavin Heaton is a Driver.

Fighters
The top of the food chain of the blogosphere. They probably started life as a Joker or Driver and decided they want to take it to the next level content wise, or get their name and brand out their in the media. Not afraid to speak their mind and take on the big guys, particularly when they know they’re backed by a large popularity. Their content is solid and provocative but is often criticised and they need to remember that engaging in a flame war is not always the best approach.

Laural Papworth is a Fighter.

There are both benefits and limitations to each of the above. More importantly, there is no right or wrong and none of the four quadrants is a bad segment to sit in. It is important to remember who your audience are and what they’re expectations will be. Remember that next time you question a blogger’s motives or actions, perhaps think about what segment they’re in and what they’re trying to achieve.

Before you depart, I have three questions for you…

1. Which quadrant do you see yourself in?
2. Which quadrant do other people see you in?
3. Which quadrant do you want other people to see you in?

17 Comments
  • Julian Cole
    Posted at May 6, 2009 4:48pm, 06 May Reply

    1. Used to be a fighter and am now a joker
    2. I think people see me as a joker
    3. I want to fight the good fight though.

    Lovers – ‘Rarely will they call someone out.’ – Stan (no love) has been one of my harshest critics throughout my whole blogging days.

    However I think you have summed it up really well her Mr. Martin. Solid work.

  • Zac Martin
    Posted at May 6, 2009 4:54pm, 06 May Reply

    One point I was going to make but didn’t about Lovers was that they can be highly thought provoking and also stir the pot, but tend to do it away from their blog often in the comments of others.

    Thanks Jules.

  • anguswhines
    Posted at May 6, 2009 5:29pm, 06 May Reply

    If they’re still stirring the pot in the comments section of other blogs I’m not sold that they’re a lover.

    But I love this segmentation.

    (I think I’m a joke of a lover)

  • Ben
    Posted at May 6, 2009 8:50pm, 06 May Reply

    nice one zac

  • anthony68
    Posted at May 6, 2009 9:34pm, 06 May Reply

    i am a joker…check http://www.anthony68.web-log.nl for conformation

  • Adam Ferrier
    Posted at May 6, 2009 10:09pm, 06 May Reply

    Zac listens?!>?

  • lauren
    Posted at May 6, 2009 11:18pm, 06 May Reply

    to clarify, when the graph (x,y) “segmenting the bloggosphere” = “the australian bloggosphere” = the marketing bloggosphere in australia?

    i think we need more algebra and logorithms on this blog, zac. that’s what this blog needs. clearly.

  • Zac Martin
    Posted at May 6, 2009 11:25pm, 06 May Reply

    @ Lauren

    I realised when working on this that it’s not limited to just the Australian Marketing Blogosphere. It certainly works globally and even to some point outside of marketing.

    The descriptions of each segment are targeted towards marketing, but I think it’s applicable to the fashion blogging scene as well. ;]

  • Daniel Oyston
    Posted at May 7, 2009 10:04am, 07 May Reply

    You are right, there are always limitations and I see a little bit of each quadrant in my personality and style. That’s why I think I am happy with where you plotted me. I am close to the middle so can easily float in or out of any quadrant without making too much of a radical shift in content, tone, purpose etc.

    I think it would be cool to update it with some pictures i.e. the product lifestyle (dog, star etc) e.g Jokers = Jester’s Hat, Fighters = Boxing gloves, Lovers = Heart, Drivers = steering wheel.

  • Daniel Oyston
    Posted at May 7, 2009 10:08am, 07 May Reply

    PS – another thing that occurred to me is bloggers using this to look at opportunities in terms of what approach their blog may take. It’s a bit of a stretch but most of you know I love the real academic theory side of things …

    For example, there is an opp for a blogger to own the space on the current graph that stirs the pot a lot and is semi-serious (i.e. in the middle at the top)

    Also, a new blogger could look at it and say, for example “hey, there are lots of people who stir the pot but aren’t very serious. It’s a crowded area so I don’t want to go into that area”

    But again, it depends on why they want to blog etc

  • Zac Martin
    Posted at May 7, 2009 1:30pm, 07 May Reply

    @ Daniel Oyston

    After segmenting the next stage is identifying a gap. ;]

  • Jye Smith
    Posted at May 7, 2009 2:07pm, 07 May Reply

    Use to be a fighter, even coined the term Digirati Soldier.

    Love Zac, JC and all my iGen/GenY/Nappy crew

  • Zoe
    Posted at May 7, 2009 2:34pm, 07 May Reply

    I’m not sure if i fit at all?

  • Kate Kendall
    Posted at May 8, 2009 1:17pm, 08 May Reply

    Zac, not usually a hater (especially of your work), but just wanted to say that I think this is very lame and a waste of time. Got to get back to work…

    Kate

  • joannag
    Posted at May 13, 2009 4:49pm, 13 May Reply

    Very clever and interesting and certainly good for a giggle on a slow afternoon 🙂

  • Laurel Papworth
    Posted at May 14, 2009 9:55am, 14 May Reply

    Wish I could live up to your Joan of Arc of the Blogosphere but my handful of righteous posts (maybe 8) in 4 years of blogging (2000 posts) only get a couple of thousand views each, tho they may get more comments. My top ten posts by views/retweets/linkage are (newer ones coming up fast):

    Enterprise: List of 40 Social Media Staff
    Australian Journalists on Twitter
    New on Twitter? Tips and Hints
    Australian CEOs that Twitte
    Keep Facebook Private
    Famous Twits: 50 Celebrities on Twitter
    Social Media Monetization and Revenue
    Favourite Australian social media campaign
    COURSEWARE: social media and PR Crisis Communication
    Twitter: Measuring clickthrus Social Media

  • Zac Martin
    Posted at May 14, 2009 10:45am, 14 May Reply

    @ Laurel Papworth

    I think you do a fair bit of stirring outside your blog though. And in consideration relative to the rest of the blogosphere, I see you at the top.

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