Who is reading blogs?

APME did a survey on how readers use blogs:

Newspaper readers who follow blogs remain cautious as they judge bloggers' credibility, but they say a willingness to challenge traditional journalists makes the network of personal sites a vital newcomer to the media scene.

About 20 percent said they sometimes read blogs. But that means 80 percent aren't. Why?

Those skipping out on the sites offered a variety of reasons; for many, the question didn't even make sense: "What the heck is a 'blog'?"

And a couple of interesting quotes:

"Bloggers that are talking about something in their field of expertise are much more trustworthy than mainstream media," said Jason Hartney of Pullman, Wash. "A news reporter talking about guns is a prime example (they generally know very little). Likewise, it is easy to tell when a blogger is outside his area of expertise."

"I cull through them until I trust them. I believe you can read a blog to reinforce your beliefs ... or you can read a blog and learn something," said Sydney Cardner of Lakeland, Fla. "If a blogger never varies on his opinion on a topic, I become suspect."