The Evolution of Professional Blogging
Business Blogging and professional blogging at this point in its evolution is still crawling from the primordial ooze. In the world of business blogging or the life of a professional blogger, the shape of the being is only now forming into its final shape. The early adopters have begun the “big bang of blogging”, yet the infancy has only begun. Chris Garrett at Performancing discusses today the future of blogging and asks “Does Blogging have a future?”
Yes Chris, blogging does have a future, but it has not yet taken its final form. Websites of old can be likened to the dinosaur. We are finding now that blogs are evolving as the website of the future. In my mind, a blog is a website, but it is a faster and more streamlined version, morphing and progressing to a different level in the evolution of technology and how business uses its tools provided by the Internet.
Chris goes on to say:
Outside of the blogging echo chamber they are just not issues. Beyond “good website” and “bad website” it seems the general web user does not make a distinction. And you know what? I am not sure they should care.
I completely agree with Chris’ assessment of how people, in our case customers, clients and consumers, could care less if a website or a blog provide them with the information they are looking for or the product that they are searching for in the online medium. If I want to buy product A for myself, what difference would it make to me as a consumer how product A was presented? Blogs have the versatility to be a website, but they also have what websites do not have, interaction beyond the cold “Contact Us” script. A customer that receives product A from the seller and has a good or bad experience with the shipping of the product, can open a conversation with the seller on a post about shipping. The buyer immediately provides the feedback necessary for adjustments to be made to the shipping process if bad, and if good, they may be selling the next customer based on their experience and feedback given.
Blogs are evolving and taking the shape that will benefit the user, either the person behind the keyboard, or the one in front of the monitor. As they are used in business and as they are used as a career for people, they will gain momentum in their evolution. Need and wants will shape the blog’s future. It will be our job to listen to the wants and needs so that we may adjust that morphing of the blog into its future. I hope this helps answer some of Chris’ concern:
The future of blogging is an important factor in the lives of people who want to be professional bloggers, our livelihoods might depend on getting this stuff right. Perhaps as pro bloggers we need to consciously educate our readers. Rather than expect our readers to know about this blogging stuff. Should we educate our readers or make it so easy there is nothing to learn. Should they be aware they are visiting a blog or is it not important? If this is the case, though what future is there in “blogging”?
We have been handed the keys Chris, let’s try not to wreck the car. Perhaps the answer is, by consciously making blogs easy to use and read we fill a need or a want which creates the best of everything for the readers, businesses and for professional bloggers. Needs and wants will drive the future for blogs.
