Gartner Predicts Weblogs to Level at 100 Million
Gartner, Inc. predicts 2007 will be the year weblogs reach their peak at 100 million worldwide:
The reason: Most people who would ever dabble with Web journals already have. Those who love it are committed to keeping it up, while others have gotten bored and moved on, said Daryl Plummer, chief Gartner fellow.
“A lot of people have been in and out of this thing,” Plummer said. “Everyone thinks they have something to say, until they’re put on stage and asked to say it.”
That’s no knock on blogging. Plummer noted that this leveling-off dynamic plays out all the time, though it often comes as a bit of a surprise when it hits things that had achieved quick popularity.
An accurate prediction doesn’t bother Joe Wikert. Ian Delaney sees growth coming from businesses and intimate weblogs devoted to audiences of a tiny few.
There’s one giant hole in that prediction: the whole world hasn’t gotten wired up yet. That’s the whole point of the OLPC. Weblog numbers will probably increase dramatically as more people get online. Tony Hung takes a similar angle by mentioning the possible growth in non-english speaking weblogs.
And if the number of webloggers flattens out that doesn’t mean their importance diminishes. Weblogs will still gain readers as hobbyists become more professional and the MSM takes on more weblog-like qualities. The blogosphere has a long way to go.
“Gartner: Blogging to Peak in 2007″
“Blogging to Peak in 2007″
