Who's Blogging?

The growth of blogs is growing at an expotential rate. Let's take a look at why people blog. For more information check out this article. http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/blogging_digestion_phase.phpProfessional blogging - Can you make a living as a blogger? Making a living from a blog is difficult. In each vertical market - gadgets, technology, politics, celebrity gossip - there are a few very successful blogs that get a large volume of traffic. In the long tail, and even in the middle tier, there is simply not enough traffic to run a blog as a sustainable business. How do you make money on a blog? Ads and subscriptions.

Blogging for professional and personal pleasure - Many find that blogging is an incredible learning experience. I've learned more about Web 2.0 and eLearning 2.0 in the last two weeks than I'd learned in two years of reading and listing to podcasts/webinars. I also expect to build connections in the legal learning industry as a result of this blog. I also get a good deal of pleasure from learning and sharing information. Could I make some money? Yes, it might be possible by using AdSense to add advertisements from my blog. Maybe in the future.

Blogging for a cause - While some bloggers hope to make money from their blogs, many blog because they are passionate about their cause. Top causes? Religon and politics. The upcoming presidental primary has generated a large number of blogs. Currently the Democrats beat out the Republicans in the number of blogs.

Personal blogs - Money making and blogs for causes make up a small portion of the blogosphere. The long tail is all about self-expression. Are you a closet poet? Want to share your passion for kitties? Want to stay connected with a spread out family? Personal blogs proliferate.

Spam blogs - Most posts find their way through the blogosphere only to be republished on so called splogs (spam blogs). These fake blogs work by scraping the content of legitimate blogs, republishing it, driving traffic via search engines and selling ads. They are completely useless, but are clever pipes that just make money for the owner with little-to-no work. Very little can be done to stop these blogs, since they've gotten great at remixing the content. They are so good sometimes that you do not realize right away that you are reading a fake blog.

What does this mean to law firms? Most bloggers are in their late teens and early twenties. If history is a guide, they will carry skills and knowledge about weblog capabilities into workplaces. Does your firm allow employees to blog? Do you block blogs? Do you have any blogging policies?