Two great New York Times articles: boys vs. girls social sites and the 24-hour blog

The New York Times has two great columns today. One is about how boys and girls differ in their usage of social sites. The other is about how one traditional writer is finding using a blog to create a tight bond with his readers.

Boys and Girls Use Social Sites Differently

The article discusses the differences between boys and girls and their usage of social sites. If you plan to market to this audience, you need to read and understand the full report. Here are a couple excerpts:

Older teenage girls are far more likely than younger girls, or boys of any age, to use social-networking sites like MySpace or Facebook, according to a recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

The study found that, while older girls use such sites the most, older boys are more likely to meet new people through them. Sixty percent of older boys, for example, say they use the sites to make new friends, while only 46 percent of older girls do. And older boys are more than twice as likely to say they use the sites to flirt.

24-Hour Newspaper People

I completely agree with David Karr, author. I think as our blogs grow in readership, we build relationships with the people who comment. When a person comments on every post we write, we do start to form a relationship. I know on HTMLCenter when a person does not "check-in", I start to worry after a bit. I have also called up and emailed site participants to see if all is ok. This post by David is a must read.