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The end, or at least the peak, is near, according to Gartner. The research firm predicted that blogging will top out in 2007; bloggers have responded to the forecast with various degrees of laughter and contempt.

Brian Bergstein interviewed Daryl Plummer, a chief Gartner fellow, who said that "those who love it are committed to keeping it up, while others have gotten bored and moved on."

Bergstein was careful, however, to mention that Plummer's comments were "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."

Nonetheless, bloggers aren't exactly thrilled with Gartner's prediction. Duncan Riley wrote, "They're wrong. Totally wrong," although he did admit, "Sure, it will peak in 2007 in the Western world, if it hasn't already (I believe that we've probably already passed the peak point now), but it won't worldwide, which is what Gartner is claiming."

Others bloggers were more categorical in their denials. As long as the population is growing, the number of blogging cat ladies and whiny teenagers will do likewise (although it doesn't seem polite to cite an example of the latter). There are also, of course, hundreds, if not thousands, of more "constructive" blogs, including those run by businesses.

The Gartner prediction took those into account, however. "Another Gartner forecast states that regulatory compliance - a time-consuming issue in the post-Enron business world - will soon wane as a corporate priority," Bergstein wrote. And, "More tricky for them, Gartner expects, will be handling 'social responsibility' - a complex weave that involves everything from environmental issues to customer service to employee compensation."

So, is the blogging world about to reach its peak? Perhaps. But bloggers certainly aren't going to quiet down if Gartner keeps "riling them up" like this.

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Doug is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest eBusiness news.