Recently I’ve seen a few forum comments that say blogging is dead, it’s time to move on. In some ways, I think this statement is true, and I’ll share my reasons for that statement in a minute. But don’t panic. Because I also think blogging is still going strong. It’s just evolving into something bigger and stronger than ever.
Blogging Is Dead: May It Rest In Peace
I truly believe that the Golden Days are over. Those days when you could buy a packet of PLR articles, add a couple of RSS feeds and set up an automated Amazon blog are long gone. Just a few short years ago bloggers could set up a full-blown blog in a matter of hours, and they paid more attention to their social networks and building up a massive subscriber list than they did to the quality of the information they were providing.
And when you think about it, it makes sense. A few years ago there weren’t as many blogs out there. You didn’t have to worry about the quality of your information because you didn’t have much competition. For most searchers, any information was better than no information at all.
A few years ago it was important to focus your attention on Facebook and Twitter because many of those users were still unfamiliar with blogs. So it was a good idea to go where the people are so you could pull in that new traffic.
These days, though, you have a lot more competition and searchers are a lot more savvy. Those people on Facebook and Twitter know there are blogs out there and they also recognize which ones are quality and which ones are just phoning it in. So yeah, those Old Style blogs are dead because they’re just not good enough anymore.
How Has Blogging Evolved?
I’m seeing some major changes in the blogosphere. For one thing, bloggers are spending a lot more time and energy creating the best quality content they can. I rarely see someone using PLR articles or using RSS feeds to pull in low-quality syndicated content anymore.
Instead I see bloggers creating entertaining videos or high-quality infographics, or just putting their heart and soul into each and every blog post.
I also see more and more bloggers taking on contributors or, at the very least, accepting guest blog posts, to help provide a more consistent flow of high-quality, unique content.
But the biggest change I’m seeing is a move away from social networking and a higher focus on creating sharable content. Now, what does that mean, you’re asking….
Bloggers are finally beginning to realize that socializing on Facebook and Twitter and all the other networks is a complete waste of time if you’re not able to keep those visitors on your blog when they arrive. So, instead of spending a couple hours a day sharing links and commenting and liking, they’re putting that time into creating the type of content that their readers want to share.
This additional focus on quality, sharable content only leads to a bigger, better, stronger blog. So yes, some blogs are dead, and thank goodness for that. But blogging is still going and it’s stronger than ever before.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!