Online Journalism News

Blissful blogs for teens

Posted: 05/10/04 By: Jemima Kiss
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Monthly teen magazine Bliss has extended interactive content on its website to offer weblogs to readers.

Readers don't need any technical knowledge to sign up, and can use their mobile phone to post entries. Users can also upload photos using email or MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), and blogs can be personalised with different colours, fonts and page formats.

"We view it as us leading the way - we want to bring readers into the fold," said Emma Hoddinott, web editor of Bliss Magazine.

"Teenagers often don't get a voice for their opinions, and they are very passionate about their interests."

Subscriptions to the blog service cost £2.99 per month, although users can sign up for a 30-day free trial. Bliss developed the service in collaboration with mobile firm Mobrio, which hosts the blogs as part of its Zpace site.

The Bliss office team will also be publishing its own blog, designed to make readers feel part of the Bliss community.

Many print titles have been reluctant to develop online services through fear of losing print sales, but Bliss sees the website as a vital part of the magazine brand.

"Bliss readers are very web savvy and have a short attention span," Ms Hoddinott told dotJournalism.

"One month between magazines is a long time, so the site keeps readers' interest and gives them a daily fix."

The site attracts around 62,000 unique users and records 1.3m page views each month. Surveys showed that mobile phones and the internet were the favourite media for Bliss readers.

As well as entertainment and fashion news, the site also offers interactive quizzes, chatrooms and ecards. Editorial staff take part in regular webchats offering fashion, beauty and health advice for readers.

Research carried out last year by internet survey firm Perseus found that 56 per cent of blogs are run by females, and that teenagers produce more than 50 per cent of all blogs.

More recent findings by US research specialist David Huffaker concluded that the gender split between bloggers is more equal, but noted that many teenagers disclose too much personal information in blogs.

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See also:
Bliss: http://www.blissmag.co.uk/blog.asp

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