Blogging or dogging? Media jargon still baffles consumers

DDB Grapevine, a focus group run by DDB London and consisting of a panel of taxi drivers, pub landlords, beauticians and hairdressers, found that 90% of people do not know what podcasting means and seven in 10 people did not know what a blog is.

For all those confused, podcasting is when you download a radio programme to portable media, and blogging is a personal online diary that is updated regularly, personified by free blogging services such as Google's Blogger.

Despite heavyweight marketing by telecoms operators, the research revealed that 12% of people still do not know what broadband means.

The rapid rise in the number of people writing personal blogs in the last year has not reached the mass of the general public, with two out of three men, two out of three 16- to 24-year-olds and two out of three single people not having heard of them.

Having internet access has also made little difference to people's awareness of blogging, with two out of three not knowing what a blog is either.

Sarah Carter, planning director at DDB London who runs Grapevine, said: "Our research not only shows that there is no buzz about blogging and podcasting outside of our media industry bubble, but also that people have no understanding of what the words mean. It's a real wake-up call."

David Hackworthy, chief strategy officer at DDB London, said: "We spend too much time talking to ourselves in this industry, rather than getting out there and finding out what's really going on in the world. 

"Grapevine is proving a useful way of getting our heads out of the clouds, even if it puts them straight back into the gutter."

Least understood media jargon:
1. Flashmobbing  9%
2. Podcasting  12%
3. Metrosexual  22%
4. Blogging   28%
5. Dogging   39%
6. Chav   49%
7. Happy Slapping  56%
8. Broadband   88%

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