New Trends in Blogging

In a recent eMarketer article, David Tokheim (GM of Six Apart Media) commented on the latest trends in blogging (http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007085). According to Tokheim, “blogging and social networking are moving toward each other...you’re going to see on the blogging platform side better tools that allow for aggregation and integration with the social net." Since Tokheim's comments were intended as a bare-bones overview of blogging trends rather than an in-depth analysis of these trends, he did not elaborate on the specific ways blogs are engaging with the social net.

Recently, many blogs have evolved from personal journals shared with a few to interactive platforms for discussion shared with the masses. Bloggers themselves have transformed from authors of a monologue to facilitators of a conversation. Over the past few years, bloggers have begun referencing and linking within the blogosphere and beyond. For instance, several bloggers include shout-outs, links, or references to other bloggers or even include lists of their favorite blogs to follow. In this way, bloggers are leveraging their internal community to advertise for and with each other. In addition, it is rare to find a blog these days without some interactive, engaging component, whether a quiz, contest, video, article link, or audio clip. Bloggers have risen from the ranks of mere freelance online writers; they have become cultural commentators, advocates for each other, and key influencers in ever-expanding networks.

The blog's essence is no longer limited to its individual posts. Rather, a blog's true value lies in the comments and interactions inspired by such posts. Now, blogs can do more than propagate ideas - they encourage conversation, discussion, debate, content development, sharing, and interaction.

We are entering an age of participatory culture where co-creation is key. As blogs evolve their connections with the social net, they provide a platform for communal exploration of content. Yet one question remains: how much credibility as an information source will blogs gain and sustain? Already, we are seeing blogs regarded as reputable sources. For example, when I collect online press information for my company's records at my internship, I include both New York Times articles and relevant blog posts.

In the coming years, as blogs and the social net begin to move closer as Tokheim predicts, it will be interesting to track how bloggers secure and maintain credibility, establish an individual voice AND an interactive conversation simultaneously, and continue to empower each other as influencers of the masses.