BlogHer Finds Women Online Twice as Likely to Use Blogs over Social Networking Sites as Trusted Source of Information; Shift Away from Traditional Media Continues

Second Annual Study Confirms Growing Influence of Social Media Among U.S. Women
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Women are nearly twice as likely to use blogs than social networking sites as a
source of information (64%), advice and recommendations (43%) and
opinion-sharing (55%), while they are 50 percent more likely to turn to social
networking sites as a means of keeping in touch with friends and family (75%),
BlogHer announced today. The 2009 Women in Social Media Study by BlogHer,
iVillage and Compass Partners, which will be released today, found that while
women who use social media platforms share a strong desire to connect and to
entertain themselves, there are also ways in which the motivations for using
various social media platforms differ. Since the release of last year`s
Benchmark Study of Women and Social Media, women are turning in even greater
numbers to blogs (55%), social networks (75%) and online status updating (20%)
as primary sources of community interaction, entertainment and information.
Because they are regarded as trusted sources of information, blogs now wield
considerable influence on consumers` purchasing habits - 45 percent of survey
respondents stated that they decided to purchase an item after reading about it
on a blog.

BlogHer and iVillage, who together form the largest interactive community of
women online, conducted the research in partnership with Compass Partners to
gather insights on the ways women in the United States use social media in their
everyday lives. The study reviews and compares data from two user sample sets -
a general population sample of more than 2,000 U.S. women aged 18-77 years
against a BlogHer Network sample of more than 1,000 women.

"Social media continues to be a growing phenomenon, and bloggers, in particular,
represent a highly engaged and influential segment of social media users for
brand marketers looking to connect to consumers online," said Susan Wright,
President of Compass Partners LLC. "Bloggers have a broad reach in the social
media population and the survey demonstrates that women who blog are the most
actively engaged social media participants -- constantly seeking out new ideas
and ways to share their opinions about those ideas."

This study measured the habits and attitudes of women who participate in any
social media activity weekly or more often with approximately half participating
daily. Of the 42 million women engaged in social media weekly, 55 percent of
women participate in some form of blogging activity; 75 percent participate in
social networks such as Facebook or MySpace and 20 percent use Twitter. As a
result of this increased activity, the 2009 study found that women online are
now more than ever before spending less time engaging in traditional media
activities like watching TV (30%), listening to the radio (31%), and reading
magazines (36%) or the newspaper (39%).

"The scale of social media usage among U.S. women continues to grow, and blogs
remain the go-to resource for those who want to gather information, share ideas
and get reliable advice," said Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer co-founder and COO.
"At a time when the economy is top of mind for more than 70 percent of these
active social media participants, women who blog are turning to online
resources, including blogs, to help them make their day to day purchasing
decisions."

The Executive Summary of the 2009 Women in Social Media study by BlogHer,
iVillage and Compass Partners can be found here:
http://assets3.blogher.com/files/2009_Compass_BlogHer_Social_Media_Study_042709_FINAL.pdf.

About the Survey

The 2009 Women in Social Media Study compares two user samples:

* A general population sample consisting of a sample size of 2,821 U.S. women
aged 18 - 77 years, weighted by key age breaks to be representative. Of this
group, 1,505 women qualified as "active" social media participants who
participated weekly or more often. The margin of error at 95% confidence is +/-
3.0%.
* A BlogHer Network sample, consisting of a BlogHer web network intercept sample
of 1,008 respondents. The margin of error at 95% confidence is +/- 3.0%.

Both portions of the study were conducted in March 2009. The data is
comparative. Responses from the two samples were not combined.

About BlogHer

Founded in February 2005 by Elisa Camahort Page, Jory Des Jardins and Lisa
Stone, BlogHer`s mission is to create opportunities for women who blog to pursue
exposure, education, community and economic empowerment. BlogHer provides the
number-one community and media network of blogs by women via a community hub
(http://blogher.com), annual conferences and an advertising network of more than
2,500 qualified, contextually targeted blog affiliates. BlogHer provides the
highest quality content on a range of topics, with all blogs continually edited
to meet strict editorial standards, including content quality, category
relevance and blog frequency. In July 2008, BlogHer entered into a strategic
partnership with iVillage, part of Women@NBCU, which includes other NBC
Universal brands including Bravo and Oxygen. The partnership also includes an
investment by Peacock Equity, a joint venture between NBC Universal and GE
Commercial Finance`s Media, Communications and Entertainment business, and
returning investor Venrock.

About Compass Partners, LLC

Compass Partners, LLC (www.compasspartners-llc.com) was founded by Susan Wright
in 2003 as a strategic marketing consultancy anchored by intelligent market
research. Susan leverages her vast experience gained at top tier, consumer
driven companies such as Quaker Oats, Nestle and Microsoft. Compass Partners
strives to help clients reach clarity in brand and business building challenges
by uncovering actionable consumer insights. A significant focus for Compass
Partners is in the arena of social media helping clients who want to understand
how to build community around their brands.

Racepoint Group
Lindsey Scott, 415-694-6713
lscott@racepointgroup.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009