Yesterday I gave a high-level overview of Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere Report for 2008.  Today I want to underscore a few more of the findings about blogging and brands, the growing credibility of blogs, and the active role of bloggers in other online activities.

The research shows that brands make up a major part of bloggers’ online conversations. “More than four in five bloggers post product or brand reviews, and blog about brands they love or hate. Even day-to-day experiences with customer care or in a retail store are fodder for blog posts. Companies are already reaching out to bloggers: one-third of bloggers have been approached to be brand advocates.”

The Technorati research also shows a general sense amongst bloggers that blogs are being taken more seriously as information sources.

37% of bloggers have been quoted in traditional media based on a blog post. Half of bloggers believe that blogs will be a primary source for news and entertainment in the next five years. Bloggers are less bullish on the prospects for traditional media — one in five bloggers don’t think that newspapers will survive the next ten years.

Bloggers are active Web 2.0 participants, using a variety of Web 2.0 tools.

Blogger Participation in Web 2.0 Activities

Bloggers are generally the first to learn about new web technologies and applications, such as RSS and Twitter. On average, bloggers participate in five of the ten Web 2.0 activities listed, with one-third regularly conducting more than seven Web 2.0 activities.

[via Grown Up Digital] by Don Tapscott

Here’s someone you need to meet. Seth Gordon, Managing Partner @ Gordon|Diaz-Balart.

Seth Gordon brings over thirty years of intensive local market experience in community relations, economic development, and corporate relations to Gordon|Diaz-Balart, widely known as the “Miami Relations Firm” for their ability to help clients succeed in the complex and rapidly changing Miami market.

In addition, Seth is an active aggregator of like-minded people. He established the TUESDAY NETWORK, a pioneering networking organization for Florida’s and Latin America’s emerging entrepreneurial technology sectors in the late 1990’s. More recently, Seth has been active with MiamiLink.org, a locally-focused analogue of Linkedin.com. Seth is also an active political adviser and expert fund raiser for wide range of candidates (including his former business partner U.S. Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart).

Prior to his partnership with Tia Diaz-Balart, Seth was partner with Jami Reyes in Gordon Reyes & Co., a Miami-based marketing, public affairs and communications consulting firm established in 1989.

Gordon previously was associated with the statewide public affairs consulting firm, Chiles Communications. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President Public Affairs for Citicorp Florida where he was responsible for public relations, community involvement and governmental affairs and marketing support activities on behalf of Citicorp’s ten Florida-based businesses.

For five years prior to Citibank/Citicorp, Gordon was Vice President for Public Affairs of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. He remains active with the Chamber, currently serving as head of the Entertainment & Media Group and member of the Board of Directors.

Gordon earlier served as Tallahassee lobbyist for Metropolitan Dade County and in several capacities in Florida State government including Executive Assistant to the Attorney General, Executive Assistant to the Senate President Pro Temp, and Legislative Analyst for the Senate Committees on Governmental Operations and Health & Rehabilitative Services.

Gordon is and has been involved in a wide array of civic organizations including:

ARTS:

City of Miami Arts & Entertainment Council, founding chairman

New World School of the Arts, founding chairman

Performing Arts Center Foundation, founding member

Florida Philharmonic, board of directors

Miami Arts Exchange, founder/chairman

The Rhythm Foundation, board

Performing Arts Network (PAN), board

ENTERTAINMENT

Miami Film Festival, chairman

Florida Entertainment Commission, chairman

Entertainment Group, One Community/One Goal, co-chairman

BUSINESS & CIVIC

Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors

South Florida Coordinating Council, President

Beacon Council (Greater Miami’s economic development agency), board member

Dade Public Education Fund, president

Gordon received his AA degree from Miami-Dade Community College in 1971, attended Boston University, Florida State University and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida International University in 1974.

http://www.gd-b.com

[via UrbanLandInstitute, Linkedin]

Take a visual look into how Boomers, Gen-X, and Gen-Y communicate – and how.

Boomers had it pretty simple back in their youth. Want to connect with your friends? Write them a letter, give them a call or go and see them.

Gen X-ers had a little more fun. They could’ve emailed each other over 28.8 or used their pagers to send 1-sentence messages back and forth.

Here’s what Generation Y uses to stay in touch.

To an outsider, it can be a confusing to understand how Gen Y uses those channels just to talk to each other. After all, Boomers just had three channels and they made friends just fine.

To put things in context, here’s what my communication habits are like and how I use the above.

Looking at that chart makes me envy my father’s generation. They didn’t have to worry about drunk texts. Or having personal information all over the internet.

Honourable mentions for Blackberry PINs and Twitter.

[via TheMarketingStudent] by David Fallarme