Gay and Lesbian Adults more likely to read blogs & use social networking tools.

According to a recent national survey conducted by Harris Interactive, a small majority of gay and lesbian adults online today are reading blogs (a familiar, and abbreviated term for online commentary known as a weblog). More than half (55%) of gay and lesbian respondents reported reading some type of blog, compared with only 38% of heterosexuals. This represents a small increase from March 2008 when 51% of gay and lesbian respondents reported reading some type of blog. A similar question was asked in November 2006 and only 32% of gay and lesbian adults then reported reading blogs. When it comes to the types of blogs popular with Americans, the survey also found 34% of gay and lesbian adults online reported reading news and current issue blogs, compared with 22% of heterosexual adults. A quarter (25%) of gay and lesbian adults also read entertainment and pop culture blogs, compared with 15% of heterosexuals. Considering the global and media attention focused on our new President, 28% of gay and lesbian adults also read political blogs, compared with 23% of GLBT adults doing so in March 2008. In comparison, only 14% of heterosexual adults reported reading political blogs in May 2009. Confirming their strong appeal for travel news and opportunities, 14% of gay and lesbian respondents reported reading travel blogs compared with 8% of heterosexual respondents. The new nationwide survey of 3,000 U.S. adults, (ages 18 and over), of whom 404, self identified as gay or lesbian (which includes an oversample of lesbian and gay adults), was conducted online between May 11 and 18, 2009, by Harris Interactive, a global market research and consulting firm, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the GLBT market. Apart from getting information online from reading blogs, gay and lesbian adults also are choosing to connect online through social networking sites more often than their heterosexual counterparts. Slightly more than half (55%) of gay and lesbian adults state they are members of Facebook, compared with 46% of heterosexual adults. Also, 43% of gay and lesbian respondents report being members of MySpace, compared to just less than a third (30%) of heterosexual respondents. When it comes to the business-oriented social networking site, LinkedIn, 23% of gay and lesbian respondents reported being members, while 13% of heterosexual adults stated they are members.

“In several years capturing trends, we see again that gays and lesbians are not only looking to stay well informed but also to expand their key social, professional and personal connections online”, said Bob Witeck, CEO of Witeck-Combs Communications. “As companies work to make the most of their advertising budgets in the current economic climate, blogs and social networking sites are an even more powerful cross-section of opportunities today when reaching out to this market.”

Oprah Winfrey made the news when she recently made her first “tweet” using Twitter, a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question – what are you doing now? One out of five (20%) gay and lesbian adults reported being a member of Twitter, compared with 12% of heterosexual adults.

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