The report says: "Of more than 1,100 adults polled in December, nearly 80% said they were very or somewhat more likely to consider buying products recommended by real-world friends and family, while only 23% reported being very or somewhat likely to consider a product pushed by "well-known bloggers."
The shift here, thought, is that social network users are going to look for family and friend comments and opinions online--in a related study, Pollara learned users considered social media channels--whether blogs, social networks, or community forums--important for sharing their thoughts on products, services, organizations, and brands, and that "57% of those 18-to-34 deemed social media tools very or somewhat important for sharing such opinions online" and 59% said SM was very or somewhat important to learn about products, services, organizations, and brands."
In line with these findings, 44% of the users surveyed said they felt that online forums are a reliable source of information--so the wisdom of crowds found in Digg.com and Yelp.com matter, just not as much as what your cousin or office mate says.Link to original post