Blogs, Blogs, They're Good for Your.....Health?

Joseph Moran
Internet Marketing (e-marketingclass)
Kevin Trainor
May 28th, 2008

The blogosphere, a term referring to all the different blogs on the internet collectively, has been in an explosive state of growth since its emergence in the early 1990’s. According to Technorati.com’s “The State of the Blogosphere”, there are about 120,000 new blogs created every day (about 1.4 per second) and about 1.5 million new postings daily (about 17 posts per second). It’s not just Americans either; in terms of posts by language, Japanese is the world leader. Technorati.com has been tracking blogs and their postings since 2003, and is the self professed world’s leading blog search company. The article I chose to review poses an explanation of this multicultural phenomenon.

This month, Scientific American posted an article by Jessica Wapner on its site titled, “Blogging—It’s Good for You”. The article explores the idea of blogging as a form of self-medication. Communicating one’s emotional state and experiences has been an integral part of the human condition. Historically, writing has been a catharsis for people of all walks of life all over the world. In addition to improved stress coping skills, writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings has been linked to positive physiological changes, including; improved memory and sleep, boosted immune cell activity, faster recovery from surgery and more.

Scientists, hoping to understand the neurological causes of these changes, are turning to bloggers to help gain insight into the brain structures that are involved in these changes. One researcher, Alice Flaherty, believes that blogging about stressful situations results in a placebo effect on the individual; a placebo of satisfaction from “sharing” the experience with others. She further postulates that blogging may result in the release of dopamine within the brain, a chemical that is fundamental to positive affect in individuals. The dopamine theory works in explaining the behavior of compulsive bloggers, as they may have become addicted to the release of the dopamine. Although functional magnetic resonance imaging has been able to determine the different areas of the brain that are activated before, during and after writing, neurological theories underlying the changes are still purely speculative.

What isn’t speculative at this point is that more and more people are contributing to the blogosphere. One segment of the population, those diagnosed with serious medical conditions, like cancer, is finding the blogosphere especially comforting. Patients are able to find and share with other individuals who are going through similar tribulations. Some hospitals are even beginning to implement the practice of blogging into their treatment plans. The article sites a report that offers support of this course of action. In the February issue of the Oncologist, a group of researchers reflect on the markedly better feelings, both physical and mental, of cancer patients that participated in expressive writing before treatment, compared to those who did not participate in the exercise.

For marketers, the information contained in the article is important for a number of reasons. By visiting blogs, they can learn more about consumer behaviors, thoughts, feelings, likes, dislikes, interests, etc. Blogs can lead to the identification and classification of the behaviors of consumers. By accessing a consumer’s blog, they can gain a better perspective of the customer. They might even receive vital information about the reasoning behind some of their behaviors, information that could make a company millions. A simple action that can be taken by marketers is to contact bloggers to post advertising on their blogs, particularly if they are heavily trafficked.

For consumers, the information in the article isn’t all that important unless you have a blogging addiction, a passion for neurobiological theory or have never experienced blogging before. However, I should reiterate that consumers with life changing diagnosis can find a great deal of solace from the many others seeking the same thing. Other consumers may find and identify with an individual whom they enjoy reading the opinion of or arguing with.

As it relates to this class, blogging has been a staple of the course since the first day. Though we are not writing to get anything off our chests; I am sure that more than a few people have experienced some level of positive affect following the posting of each article. Blogging is nothing but a high tech version of the journals many of us kept as children. One main difference is that now your journal is public. Personally, I believe that blogs are both a blessing and a curse. It is remarkable for those who are looking for support and community, but terrible for those wishing to further an atmosphere of hate or intolerance. Overall, this article was a very interesting post. Though it was less pertinent than my previous post, I feel this one is much more intriguing. I never really considered the health benefits related to venting my opinion or reading another’s online.

The article can be found by clicking the following link:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-healthy-type

The sources I used for this article can be found by clicking the hyperlinks in the text or below:
http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000493.html
http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/content/vol13/issue2/#REFLECTIONS
http://www.sciam.com/
http://technorati.com/

This paper is also posted on another blog, which can be found by clicking below:
http://e-marketingclass.blogspot.com/2008/05/blogs-blogs-theyre-good-for-yourhealth.html

The Impact of Online Reviews

Joseph Moran
Internet Marketing
Kevin Trainor
May 20, 2008

If you type “Los Angeles chiropractor” into the search field on the Google home page, you will be presented with almost 1.5 million results. In addition, Google Maps will display a map with ten local businesses, their locations, contact and review information matching your search. The goal of a business is to be in the number one spot. By leveraging new age word-of-mouth advertising, Dr. Michael Dorausch, a Los Angeles chiropractor, has succeeded in reaching this goal. The article I researched, “Online reviews can help grow a business” by Jefferson Graham of US Today, told Dr. Dorausch’s story.

Local listing sites with online reviews have become a popular destination for both individuals who are considering a product or service and those who want to share their experience with that product or service. An increasing number of consumers are turning to business listing sites including; Citysearch, Google, Yelp, Yahoo!local, MerchantCircle, etc. These sites provide location information and a forum for consumers to gather information about a company or product before they buy. Listing his company has dramatically increased business according to Dr. Dorausch, who reports that 80% of his new clients were referred from sites like those mentioned above. He posts signs in his office asking clients to share their experience, and occasionally solicits them to post reviews through personalized e-mailings.

The feedback and directions that potential clients receive is not the only benefit to businesses. Dr. Dorausch’s business is listed on a variety of popular local listing sites, increasing his exposure to the local community. Theses listings are then linked back to his site, which increase his site’s relevance to certain keywords. This has helped him to attain the coveted number one search result for “Los Angeles chiropractor”. It would seem that there is an immense opportunity for companies to increase their client base by utilizing the various local listing sites with review functionalities.

This topic is highly relevant to both marketers and consumers. Traffic on local listing sites have increased dramatically in the past few years, Google Maps grows 25% per year and Yelp is up 129% this year. This data screams to marketers, “LIST YOUR BUSINESS!” It is especially important for small, local businesses because of the low cost involved. Some sites charge to list, but it can be quickly earned back through the increase in business. The reviewing feature of these sites can be a double edged sword for marketers; some consumers will ignore overly flattering reviews, and then there is always the chance of getting a scathing review.

For consumers, you are given an opportunity to read up on the landscape of business offerings. You can determine if a product or service offered by a company is worth your hard earned cash. On the other hand, consumers must be careful of some reviews as the content is not always guaranteed to be the truth. Consumers also receive the benefit of getting a large listing of the businesses that offer what they are looking for in the local area, some of which they may not have initially considered. These functions allow consumers to compare businesses offering similar products/services and to offer insight into their experience with companies.

You can access the article I reviewed by clicking the following link: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/services/2008-05-20-online-reviews_N.htm

This paper is also posted on another site, you can find it by clicking the link below:
http://e-marketingclass.blogspot.com/2008/05/impact-of-online-reviews.html