March 23, 2005

Blogging@Wharton

Knowledge@Wharton from the business school at the University of Pennsylvania has just published a story looking at blogs, asking "Blogs are here to stay. Where are they headed?" Here's an excerpt:

Recently, blogs have been credited with everything from CBS News anchorman Dan Rather's departure, to unauthorized previews of the latest Apple Computer products, to new transparency in presidential campaigns. The big question is whether blogs, short for weblogs, have the staying power to become more than just online diaries. Will bloggers upend the mainstream media? What legal protections should bloggers have? Is there a blogger business model? While no definitive answers exist just yet, experts at Wharton advise questioners to be patient. Blogging, they note, will be around for a long time.

Wharton legal studies professor Dan Hunter puts blogging right up there with the printing press when it comes to sharing ideas and disseminating information. "This is not a fad," says Hunter. "It's the rise of amateur content, which is replacing the centralized, controlled content done by professionals."

Companies can use bloggers to put a more human face on interactions with employees and customers; marketers can create buzz through blogs; and bloggers can act as fact checkers for the mainstream media. There are dozens of applications for blogs, Werbach notes, and many that haven't even been conceived yet. To be sure, the concepts behind blogging aren't exactly new. Comment and feedback have been around as long as the Internet itself. What's new is the ease with which anyone can publish their thoughts on any number of topics, whether it's the latest Congressional hearings, the newest gadget or the hottest pair of shoes. "Blogging is really driven by interest and desires, not commercial activity," says Wharton marketing professor Peter Fader. "It's rare to see something take off like this when commercial prospects are so minimal. People just want to share ideas."

Related note: The BlogNashville conference scheduled for May 5-7 , co-sponsored by the Media Bloggers Association, will include some of the biggest names in the blogosphere, including Glenn Reynolds, J.D. Lasica, Dan Gillmor and many, many more. The BlogNashville registration website will go live soon - be ready, as attendance will be capped at 300.