Bye-bye blogging?

Man, life is so unfair. Just as I get into this blogging thing, there are no end of articles telling me the craze is over. The most recent is this post from The Chicago Tribune. It says: “Gallup finds only 9 percent of Internet users saying they frequently read blogs, with 11 percent reading them occasionally. Thirteen percent of Internet users rarely bother, and 66 percent never read blogs.”

My mom has read my blog, but she has no idea why I do it. I guess she has a point. If you have to ask that question, then blogging might as well be snowboarding -- something for young people who dress badly. The Trib article notes that a big problem with blogs is large corporate money chasing too little revenue. But the article suggests that even if the mega-money boys can’t find a financial windfall in the blogosphere, the fun will continue. Says the newspaper: “Gallup's report gives a nod to the chattering class -- that segment of inordinately dialed-in Americans who are enthralled with, or at least entertained by, one another's opinions about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

That group, however, does not include my mother.

Comments

[Barry Zweibel]

You know there was a time when only 9% of the population used cell phones. Or i-Pods, for that matter. So is it that the blogging craze has peaked? Or that it's still in its infancy?

[Rob Porter]

According to the most recent estimated stats, there are 1.018 billon people on the internet. 9% of that is still over 91 million people reading blogs. That's still a lot of people.

And regarding effectiveness, I don't think blogs are dead, just sometimes not used effectively. Like using a baseball bat to play 18 holes of golf...you can launch the ball, but actually sinking the putt will be extremely challenging. People will eventually know what tool to use to get the job done right, it just may take some time.

[Karl Kapp]

The death of blogging has been greatly exaggerated, I actually think it is moving to a new level.

Corporations and learning organizations need to think of blogging as a way of conveying information and knowledge, too much of the "popular" thoughts about blogging revolve around thinking it is the sole domain of political hacks or social malcontents. The fact of the matter is that very intelligent blogs are creating very worthwhile pockets of knowledge that can be accessed by anyone at anytime if they know how and where to look.

It is a wonder that anyone is reading blogs when they are not really "taught" in schools or in formal training programs. People who have found blogs have mostly done so without help.

I think blogs are here to stay and, as Barry commented, are we at the end, or more likely at the beginning.

And, on a side note, how interesting the article was written, edited and approved for publication by an old time newspaper company???