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The future of blogging was never at the forefront of my actions or decisions when I began my first blog. Nor was it my intention to create an income engine to fuel my personal budget. My sole intent was to create a quality site with information useful to anyone interested in history. The “blog” was the natural choice for displaying such content so I never considered how popular it would be in the long run. May bloggers though are “in it for the money” and it is these bloggers that are constantly being blown about by “every wind of doctrine.”

In recent years, the rise of social media outlets has presented unique, new challenges and opportunities in the online marketplace. Such changes often send short-term visionaries scurrying for the “next big thing.” There is certainly no doubt that blogging has changed over the years, but a quick look into the history of and the trajectory of blogging is quite interesting.

A CNet news article on April 5, 2005 titled, “The Future of Blogging,”
questioned whether or not bloggers would upend the mainstream media. The article included research from Wharton legal studies Dan Hunter who stated that blogging was “right up there with the printing press when it comes to sharing ideas and disseminating information. “This is not a fad,” Hunter says. “It’s the rise of amateur content, which is replacing the centralized, controlled content done by professionals.”

Further information in the article suggested that “blogging overexposure is on the horizon and that it will eventually slow down. The conclusions derived however that, “Blogging will remain disruptive to the traditional media, and new uses will surface. It’s just the beginning.”

Another article dated August 4, 2008, titled “The Future of Blogging Revealed“,” stated that “blogging as everyone’s preferred method of communication may be over. What’s taking its place? Lifestreaming.” Such a reality certainly has not come to pass at all. In fact, with the exception of this article, I haven’t heard of it at all.

Later in 2008, in December, an article written by Jevon MacDonald and titled, “The uncertain future of Blogging,” proposed that while blogs have become media, they are “latent in comparison to twitter or text messaging, so the value proposition of blogs as a source of breaking news is losing its luster.”

Fast forward to July, 2009 and another article titled, “What is the Future of Blogging?” stated that

“If blogging is to evolve, there are a number of potential outcomes:

One possibility is that blogs remain the primary social hub for many of us on the web but turn into lifestream sites that syndicate our content to and/or aggregate it from anywhere.

Another possibility is that blogs become social networks of their own. Each of the major weblog platforms has such a mechanism in place. However, they are disconnected from each other.

Finally, we have Facebook (Facebook) and others aiming to become connective tissue between many sites. This could help evolve the blog format more quickly. Of course there’s grey here and all of the above could converge.”

There is a great deal of foresight in this line of thinking and Facebook has indeed emerged as a driving force for social media changes and growth. But let’s get a little more contemporary and see what bloggers are saying today.

An article, aptly titled “The Future of Blogging,”  written in March of 2010 states that “”A recent Pew Survey revealed that the popularity of blogging among teens and young adults has declined dramatically from 28 percent to 14 percent from 2006 to 2009. While this wasn’t an exhaustive scientific study, it does reveal a trend that clearly shows that blogging is losing its luster with today’s younger generation. There are many factors that could have contributed to this drastic decline, such as the plethora of real-time communication platforms like social networks, the explosion of gaming platforms (Wii, Playstation, Xbox) and 24/7 access to instant entertainment such as Netflix and Hulu. Regardless of the reasons, the bottom line is that young people are getting bored of traditional blogging.”

This conclusion may pose a dim outlook on blogging’s future, but if the Pew Study is actually read in context, a new picture emerges. What is actually reported is that teens and young adults are not blogging, but that adults 30 and over are blogging more and more. What I think this proves is that blogging is becoming even more of a reality and a true means of authentic communication and commerce. Teenagers in general are not typically interested in business or commercial endeavors. They are consumers more than providers.

And this Twitter phenomenon that many predicted would overtake the world of online communications is not living up to the predictions. In fact, the study shows that only 8% of online teens 12-17 say they ever use Twitter. Instead, these younger generations is turning more to wireless connectivity and guess what, blogs are visible on wireless devices. It is recommended that blogs be better formatted for use of wireless devices, but blogs remain a mainstay of communication and commerce.

I do agree with the conclusion of the March, 2010 article that “Content is Still King!” How you format your content for viewing on cell phones, tablets and other emerging wireless devices will be a major factor in overall performance, but the internet remains a highly viable conduit for information and commerce for the long term. Bloggers will obviously be on a continual quest to reach out to greater audiences, but in the end, blogging is here to stay.