To be honest I’m not that fussed or concerned about it. I’ve felt for a while that blogs have multiple setbacks:
- Volume
With so many blogs out there in the world, the chance that someone will read yours is minimal - Lack of excitement
In the advertising/communications/new media world, the topics appear on a rotation. There is hardly anything new anymore and everyone appears to be hell bent on waiting for the next Facebook - The technology/time algorithm
As technology improves and increasingly resembles Back to the Future, people become exponentially time poor. I don’t know why and it doesn’t make any sense, but a blog that someone used to look at every week becomes a biannual viewing as their technology uptake increases. - Favourites quickly become boring
It’s happened to me a few times- the blogs that I love to visit become repetitive and uninteresting. It’s either due to the editor becoming lazy and not giving it the same enthusiasm they did when they first came up with the idea, or the subject matter just becomes boring for the reader
Last week, another nail was added to the coffin. eMarketer sent me a report entitled “The continued rise of blogging”. The title already had me sniffing that something was up.
If you actually look at the numbers, yes more people are reading blogs at least monthly, but they aren’t reading more posts and more blogs. Only the volume of readers is increasing. Don’t overlook either that the increase is at a decreasing rate.
The same goes for bloggers. Here the growth rate is smaller and excludes commitment level of said blogger. Chances are after post 5, they'll be struggling for more content.
The only benefit to blogging: SEARCH.
You write about some topic, chances are someone will find it and see your opinion. Write about a topical issue, the chances are higher.
But, it still wouldn’t surprise me if we start seeing a drop off of blog readers and writers once we hit the peak. Some blogs of course will rise to the top, but at that point they are considered more than just a blog, but a valid publication.
Twitter probably also has something to do with the problem- you don't need to read 5 paragraphs to get what you want. Follow the right hashtag and get everything you need coming to you!
