Will blogs go the way of all media? Will a few dominate?
Well, it has already happened. So called “power laws” seem to apply to blogs where a small number blogs get lots of attention and most very little. See Clay Shirky’s (soon to be a LOTR character) Shirky: Power Laws, Weblogs, and Inequality, a short paper on the subject. He suggests that the very success of a few may change things – they may be percieved eventually as mainstream and cease to be considered blogs.
CBC radio today also had a thing on DNTO (Definitely Not The Opera – one of Peigi’s favorite shows so I hear it too) on blogs. They pointed out how marketers are creating blogs to promote products. The death of blogs! (Mind you, calling the death is getting to me – is anything left alive?)
Does it really matter if a blog gets eyeballs or links. This one is kept unlinked and unannounced – these are, after all, my research notes and I’m not sure I want them out there, whatever I may say about open research. Be slow in private is my motto. Thank human nature for power laws!