(((Remember when blogs were part of a democratic revolution of honest individual voices instead of fully-monetized, consolidated, new-media institutions beloved of the MSM? Oh wait – you DON'T remember all that? Well, the future of blogging is here, and maybe you shoulda expected this instead of sitting around in your pyjamas.)))
Link: Blogs: A History, A Future - Profy.Com.
Blogs: A History, A Future
Posted by Paul Glazowski on November 26th, 2007
"Do you recall the blogosphere, circa 2000-2006?
"It was something of an experimental landscape, was it not? Millions of personal blogs were created within that time frame. Thousands of “professional” ones, too. All of them unique to some degree, though some of course have been undeniable copycats of the successful, financially-lucrative few.
(((Of course, for some of us graying bloggy veterans of the Golden Age turn of the century, blogging is STILL an experimental landscape because we were *experimental all the way down.*)))
"Okay, a lot of blogs are copycats of the popular bunch. And now what do we see? We see a great many amateur items remaining active, for sure. We’re even witnessing people in the developing world, who’ve only very recently been made privy to the Web and it’s multitudinous options for publishing one’s thoughts and ideas, latching on to the long tail of the phenomenon with their own voices, adding to the millions and millions which have existed for many yesterdays before. (((Yeah, yeah, the little people... those millions and millions of "tailies" – do you actually read 'em? Naw, me neither.)))
"And, oh yes, we also see in real time the evolution of select blogs from amateurish beginnings to new professional heights, attaining national and international influence and notability along the way.
"Some examples of such transformations are fairly evident: The Huffington Post, GigaOM, Ars Technica, Autoblog, TechCrunch, portions of Wired.com (Listening Post, Threat Level), (((aw come on, Wired.com SCIENCE has got a real TV show, doesn't that count?))) portions of NYTimes.com (The Lede, The Pour), and many other widely-read and widely-referred new-media institutions. (Dare we put Profy in that boat as well? We dare.) (((Huh? Who?)))
‘Referred’ being an especially poignant term in the progression of blogs.
For years, we have seen instances of blogs that have amassed steady readerships well past the million mark. Whether they be political in nature (DailyKos, The Huffington Post) or cover all things gadgetary (Engadget, Gizmodo), they’ve regularly shown, for many, many a season their ability to attract seriously large audiences.(...)
"All in all, the modern blog has progressed. Greatly. From a simple beginning, it’s managed to carry itself up the proverbial ladder in a few years’ time, and now stands tall amid big-money media houses. Yes, even the giants have joined in on the fun, creating their own blogs to gain new followings of their own.
"What does this mean for the future of blogging? Does it portend a consolidation in the total number, with a decrease in amateur blogs, and disproportional fame given to the topmost percentile?
"In short, yes, it does...."
