Swine Flu, Easter, and Somali Pirates topped Nielsen's monthly index of most blogged news stories for April 2009, according to Nielsen's just released top 10 most-blogged topics report.
"Understanding what is currently important to bloggers is essential to marketers since we know that highly blogged about topics are important indicators of conversational sustainability and impact," said Pete Blackshaw, executive vice president, digital strategic services, Nielsen Online. "Moreover, those topics with high blog links tend to embed themselves prominently in search results."
| RANK | NAME |
|---|---|
| 1 | Flu Outbreak |
| 2 | Easter |
| 3 | Somali Pirates |
| 4 | 2009 NFL Draft |
| 5 | Democratic Party |
| 6 | Nuclear Weapons |
| 7 | Bea Arthur |
| 8 | Hugo Chavez |
| 9 | X-Men Origins: Wolverine |
| 10 | Carrie Prejean |
Source: Nielsen BuzzMetrics Custom Analysis
Despite the fact that it wasn't until April 24th that the World Health Organization issued its first Disease Outbreak Notice regarding the H1N1 virus, the flu outbreak quickly ascended all other topics to become the most blogged about subject for the month. Discussions ranged from reporting the first flu-related death in the United States to conversations on the Centers for Disease Control’s handling of the situation. Easter was also an important topic for the month, deposed from the No. 1 position by the flu buzz late in the month.
Politics were also top of mind for the online community in April. Bloggers discussed PA Senator Arlen Specter's switch from the GOP to the Democratic Party, with opinions ranging from it being a disastrous power play to believing the move will work in his favor. Bloggers also discussed President Obama's speech in early April in which he stated that America will "seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons." Some felt that this idea, while good on paper, is not realistic, while others took the opportunity to express their thoughts and concerns on nuclear weapons as a whole.
"The blogosphere is not just a place where people write about the day-to-day events of their own lives—it also acts as a forum for people to share their opinions and thoughts on things that are occurring in the world. The influence of these bloggers is far-reaching, whether it is sharing their opinion on an upcoming movie launch or a devastating flu epidemic, they are talking and people are listening,” added Blackshaw.
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