That’s a question we get often and it can be hard to quantify. But Paul found an interesting chart on Forrester that shows almost one-third of all U.S. Internet users read online forums, that comes in to a close 2nd for all online ‘participation’ activities, with video watching just 1 percentage point above that. What’s interesting, is that reading forums, and posting in forums, come in close to the top positions respectively for reading and posting anything online.

In the U.S., more people read online forums or groups than visit social networking sites, read review sites, or read blogs (comparing them individually).

More people contribute to online forums or groups than comment on blogs, upload photos, publish a blog, or edit wikis (again, comparing them individually).

Full chart. Or checkout the book, Groundswell.