When Blogs Mainstream

When will blogs mainstream?  Who knows for sure, but when it happens, all us bloggers still in the first wave will benefit.

Six months back, I knew barely more about blogging than the average Internet surfer.  Though my expertise had always been technology, blogging just wasn’t something I ran into often.  I had played with web design and had my own site for my consulting business, but never really thought about designing a site founded on interactive engagement.  Web forums were the community I knew, and I was only an occasional participant.

One day I got it in my head that I would look into these odd sounding sites.  I went to my favorite book store (archaic I know) and pulled a few paperbacks on blogging from the shelf.  I quickly realized these simple sites were much more than a single soul on an Internet podium preaching to those who managed to stumble by.  There was a whole world out there, teeming with culture, curiosity and captivating content.  Not only did I suddenly long to become a blog reader, but a content creator as well.

Blogging, the Greatest Hobby/Career In The World

Back when I was into model trains, there was an add campaign in circulation that touted these little plastic trains as the ‘greatest hobby In the world.’  The idea was, no other hobby provided SO MUCH diversity.  Creating a train layout involved painting, model building, electrical work, basic engineering, crafts, history, etc.  I believe blogging holds true to this concept.  You create a website to record your thoughts, but are then also provided the possibilities of social networking, graphic design, moderating, advertising, community building, etc.

The possibilities are as endless as the population.

Are blogs mainstream now?  No, not yet.  This is only a small swell when compared to the title wave that will be coming.

There’s ongoing discussion about the future of blogging.  Will the bubble pop or is it only now inflating?  In an interview on “Motivate Thyself” I asked Leo Babauta of Zen Habits this very question.  This was his answer:

“…I really feel like there are huge amounts of people out there, in my experience, who are using the Internet on a regular basis but who don’t know much about blogs. It’s really a huge group, and I think as they learn more about blogs we’ll all get more readers…”

Since about 2006, the blogging fad was supposed to fade.  Each year has instead seen fluid growth in both blogging and social media.  I see the question as not if blogs mainstream, but rather a matter of when blogs mainstream.  As Leo mentioned, there are massive amounts of regular Internet users who have yet to discover the wonders of blogging.  They may have heard about it, but really have no clue what a blog is or how they might benefit from participation.

The fact that this fairly new medium is continuing to grow so rapidly, shows me the idea itself has proven desirable.  Blogging is by no means a niche activity.  The masses WILL participate, but not until some misconceptions are conquered first.

Privacy, Privacy, Privacy!!!

Jun Loayza, from Future Delivery TV, published a very telling post the other day that opened my eyes to some common misconceptions.  One example was the idea that blogging is too public for most people’s comfort.  Not to say this isn’t partially true, but I know many of these interviewees wouldn’t feel this way if they were participants in the process.  I don’t think the public understands the intimacy involved.  From the video, you get the idea that people picture blogging as a person on a podium, screaming  diary entries through a megaphone.  This, along with many other misconceptions, tend to keep the average Internet user from participating in this wonderful process, thereby postponing the inevitability of seeing blogs mainstream.

Breaking barriers and BLASTING into the coming decade!

2009, I believe, will be a transition year for Blogopolis.  Social crazes such as Twitter will start to take hold in the mainstream market while the border between Facebook and the average blog will start to evaporate.  Before long, the tide will swell with surfers who have become bloggers without even knowing it.

2010, on the other hand, should see the beginning of blogging as a norm.  Many used the Internet in the ’90s, but the masses flooded the web in the new millennium.  So too is blogging only JUST entering into its own.  Right now it’s in beta, and we’re the lucky souls who get to test the goods before blogs mainstream.

Eric

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