Would You Believe People Trust Their Real Friends Over Bloggers?

from the oh-my! dept

Thu, Apr 3rd 2008 12:57pm — Mike Masnick

In what may be one of the most pointless studies done in quite some time, a research firm has discovered to its own amazement that people tend to trust their own friends more than well known bloggers. Well, I should certainly hope so. Were there really people out there who thought that folks with high trafficked blogs actually held more sway than a personal friend? This is really nothing more than a retread of a (much more academic) report back in January noting that so-called "influentials" don't really have very much influence. What that study found was that "word of mouth" works, but where those recommendations come from tend to be somewhat random. So things bubble up from everywhere, rather than starting with well-known bloggers. This shouldn't be surprising to anyone, but after a few years of ridiculous media coverage suggesting that top bloggers have influence, it's nice to see a few reminders that influence is a much more democratic system.

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Filed Under: bloggers, common sense, friends, influence

14 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 3 Apr 2008 @ 1:41pm

So the question you have to ask yourself, Mike, is why try?
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WarOtter (profile), 3 Apr 2008 @ 1:53pm

The Kill list is longer
Okay, so now my "To Kill After The Revolution" list is as follows:
1. Lawyers
2. Politicians
3. H2 & H3 Drivers
4. Research Firms
...
10. Profit!
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Chronno S. Trigger, 3 Apr 2008 @ 1:56pm

Re:
Because I would trust him over you any day. That is why he tries.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Apr 2008 @ 1:59pm

yeah seems pretty crazy Mike. Hey would you mind bringing my car back? I mean I let you borrow it 'cause you seem like a good guy, but I was thinking it was just for the day. You know its been almost 2 weeks!?!?!

:)
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GearsofWar, 3 Apr 2008 @ 3:07pm

Were there really people out there who thought that folks with high trafficked blogs actually held more sway than a personal friend?

No one except the folks with highly trafficked blogs, who told their affiliates that it had to be true, Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book about it. :p
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Bob, 3 Apr 2008 @ 3:20pm

Would You Believe ...
"Would You Believe People Trust Their Real Friends Over Bloggers?"

Since I'm reading this in a blog....

Should I?
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another mike, 3 Apr 2008 @ 3:39pm

I want to believe
What if you don't have any real friends? Does the study say I should start trusting my imaginary friends over bloggers? I don't think I should; they tell me to do things that sound very dangerous.
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Kiba, 3 Apr 2008 @ 3:58pm

Trust of Experts
I trust your economic reasoning more than my lowly emotional friends.
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ev(il)angelist, 3 Apr 2008 @ 4:57pm

Re: I want to believe
"Does the study say I should start trusting my imaginary friends over bloggers?"

Since Christians have been doing this from the beginning, yes.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Apr 2008 @ 5:41pm

Re: Re: I want to believe
"Since Christians have been doing this from the beginning, yes."

Yay, this has nothing to do with anything. Congrats on looking like a toolbox on the internets.
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Oliver Young, 3 Apr 2008 @ 5:42pm

Read Write Web Coverage and Tipping Point
I was a bit surprised that the usually levelheaded RRW blog decided that this means "Malcolm Gladwell's popular theory about key influencers moving markets may not be valid."

Now I have not read the research like I should, but from what I can tell from the press release the report is indicting the idea that "popular" but unfamiliar people like Scoble can influece. Gladwell's book is most focused on personal relationships.

Am I crazy, or are folks a little too eager to throw Gladwell under the bus?
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Apr 2008 @ 5:43pm

Re: Re: I want to believe
Flaimbait.

Aside from that, it reminds me how amazingly strong the faith of an aithiest is. If there IS a God of some sort, he must have a sense of humor for that.

Personally, I prefer science. God may or may not exist according to science. There just isn't any scientific proof of his existence.

And as the saying goes, absence of proof is not proof of absence . . .
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Mike (profile), 3 Apr 2008 @ 6:14pm

Re: Read Write Web Coverage and Tipping Point
Oliver, very tempted to make a point about how if RRW's "blink" analysis of it was that it disproves Gladwell, then... how can he complain?

But that would be mean. :)
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BTR1701, 4 Apr 2008 @ 7:04am

Re: Re: Re: I want to believe
> Flaimbait.

The word is actually "flame". And I'm not even going to bother with "aithiest"...
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