Lately, another round of articles, blog posts and tweets have been circulating about that blogging is dead.
Not only is it not dead, but I think it’s going to be stronger than ever.
Why? As we continue to micro-blog more and more in whatever form (Facebook, Twitter, Friendfeed – and I believe Facebook is going to win the micro-blog war), the wheat comes from the chaff – those serious about the art or the pursuit will continue on (and usually those who are actually GOOD at it) – and we’re going to lose the four-post long blogs and people who think it’s “too hard,” as well as a good cadre of cat-bloggers.
Amazingly, because of that perception shift, blogging is becoming more valuable as a tool because it’s starting to be perceived as more difficult to do than Twitter or other services. And that’s the natural progression of things. How so?
I’m reminded of when desktop publishing came about, and all of a sudden everyone with a copy of Microsoft Publisher became a graphic designer or layout artist. There was a time when the market was flooded and price-squeezed by crap; and eventually, once people realized it wasn’t just the tool but the time and ideas, it, too, faded away. The great takeaway is that, for the most part, the pros got tools and some former amateurs were able to make a mark, stay pros and improve the industry once the fad faded away – as well as the perception it was “easy.”
For the first in years, I have had more than a few internet-savvy people come up to me, and ask something to the effect of: “You blog? That’s so much work! I have respect for bloggers – Twitter is hard enough.” and that’s a good sign for those of us who will continue to use it as a powerful medium to converse with our audiences.
What are your thoughts? Is blogging dead to you? Or is it becoming so mainstream that many people forget that it’s even a blog anymore?
