A million people, a million interests, 126 million blogs

Have blogs reached the maturity stage? Yes – they are everywhere and in use by millions – like cars and phones, but what does this matter? There are millions of people with a million interests who need an inexpensive place to work and share their knowledge and passions.This is my argument as to why blogs likely won’t loose steam anytime soon. People are inherently creative, and there are just enough of them sharing their hobbies, jobs, and thoughts in Web 2.0 platforms to keep blogging alive and well.

I can speak from experience here, as sustainability professional interested in lifestyle (and pretty media literate I like to think). I can pick through the world of sustainability-oriented blogs with adeptness to find what I need. The only hard part is finding them quickly. In fact, one of the beautiful things about blogging that keep it interesting in the same way new phones keep the public interested, is that blogs and their creators are an endless march of creativity. Attempting to find what suits your interests in a timely fashion in a world of 126 million blogs (Belch, 507), will require a dedicated chunk of time.

Speaking again from my personal tastes with my preferred blogsites is something that I feel encourages blogs to grow even in a saturated market - their humanity. We are social creatures, and bloggers who are successful tend to be just open enough about who they are. Their hearts are out in the open on their blogs (at least the ones I read), as are their world views and a healthy dose of DIY that is hard to find elsewhere these days, especially in the 'big box world'.

However, to argue the other side of this – blogs in the wrong hands can cheapen the whole experience. Personally I find product blogs to be boring and heartless, especially when celebrity endorsementsare the case - I honestly cannot see their value as part of a good IMC campaign unless it is for certain industries; and this is especially true in an age where people are hopefully getting better at spotting the real deal. For example, food and recipes are a natural topic for a blog, so is motherhood, traveling and crafting unique jewelry or other artisan endeavors.

The Big Box Blog does not belong in the personal realm of real blogging in my opinion, and I think people will never come to them with the same personal zeal.

sources:

Coffee, Patrick (2014). No one cares about your celebrity endorsements. Retrieved from http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/study-no-one-cares-about-your-celebrity-endorsements_b90492

Belch, George and Michael Belch. (2012)  Evaluation of Print Media. Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective. McGraw-Hill.