Blogging is not going away. It may be changing, but it is not going away. I came across the statistics below via Converstations, whose RSS Feed I subscribe to, awhile ago and am only now getting around to sharing it with you.

The reality is that business is only just beginning to understand the value and power of the conversation created with their customers through blogging. This is an honest dialog, and one that customers are increasingly demanding in order to determine the authenticity of the products and services they consider. I don’t know about you, but I subscribe to dozens of blogs that cover a range of topics… from art to marketing, from cooking to parenting. I also read tons of magazines, but that is more of a luxury. I engage with blogs daily, and try to work on my own blog daily. For me, this is of tremendous value, and after reviewing the stats below I think it is safe to say that I am very much not alone in this thinking:

• - Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog.
• - More than 147 million Americans use the Internet.
• - Over 57 million Americans read blogs.
• - 1.7 million American adults list making money as one of the reasons they blog.
• - 89% of companies surveyed think blogs will be more important in the next five years.
• - 9% of internet users say they have created blogs .
• - 6% of the entire US adult population has created a blog .
• - Technorati is currently tracking over 70 million blogs .
• - over 120 thousand blogs are created every day .
• - There are over 1.4 million new blog posts every day .
• - 22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs .
• - 37% of blog readers began reading blogs in 2005 or 2006 .
• - 51% of blog readers shop online .
• - Blog readers average 23 hours online each week .

This list of blogging statistics is at BlogWorld Expo.

Over the last couple of weeks we have had a series of severe thunderstorms blow through our area. This has wreaked havoc on our wooded yard, causing us the loss of a couple of trees and breaking a few quite large branches. Initially, I figured we would just hire a service to come and take care of the tree carcasses. In particular, there was one tree that had become a “widow maker,” an ominous name given to a tree that has fallen but is now supported by another tree. Very dangerous. We also had an enormous limb that had broken but not completely separated from the tree trunk, and was hanging precariously over the entrance to our garage. Also very dangerous.

Here’s the deal, our lot is full of trees. This will happen again, and again, and again. For the money that we would pay for a tree surgeon to come and take care of our immediate problems I could acquire the necessary tools and figure out how to do this stuff myself. I presented this option to my wife, and she quickly concluded that I had a death wish. I don’t. I just saw this as an opportunity to become more self-sufficient. I had never even held a chainsaw. I had no experience with cutting trees and bringing down limbs. I did have a secret weapon. Web 2.0.

Here’s what I did:

1. Googled “how to fell a tree”

2. Went to the first result , then hit a few more to verify information

3. Searched YouTube for “how to cut down a tree”

4. Watched a few videos, then Googled “how to cut down a tree safely”

5. Found this great site, expertvillage, and watched several step by step videos

6. Went to wikihow to further verify information (this is serious stuff)

7. Then I began researching chainsaws at Amazon and FindArticles, reading user reviews carefully

8. Did a price search here, ended up finding the best price at Sears locally

9. Went to Sears, purchased chainsaw (the Husqvarna 142), protective gear, nylon rope, loppers and an axe

I did the bulk of the work this past weekend and am happy to report that I did not maim or kill myself. I made a couple mistakes, but because I took the time to properly inform and protect myself my mistakes were quickly, easily and properly managed.

The success of this DIY project was completely based on user-generated content, online video, and powerful search algorithms. The availability of this content, and the ease of accessing it, meant that before I fired up my new chainsaw for the first time I had a plan of action and had thoroughly reviewed all safety precautions. This project worked for me because of the benefits of web 2.0, and if I had purchased my gear online I would have completed the entire process without actually talking with a real person, other than my wife… who is pleasantly surprised that I am still in possession of all of my appendages.

Bonus: My new chainsaw and axe are both orange.