WebProNews

Once a year, Conan O’Brien gives a “State of the Show Address” address, and for a certain audience, it’s great - but not everyone cares about this late-night comedian’s realm.  As Dave Sifry gave a “State of the Live Web Address,” as opposed to a “State of the Blogosphere,” some onlookers feel he’s addressing a similar problem.

The Guardian’s Victor Keegan writes, “To the average Joe, blogs aren’t cutting it.”  It seems that in English-speaking countries around the world, “blogging is still very much a minority sport.”  (Figures differ for blogs in other languages, as both Keegan and our own Jason Lee Miller note.)

A coworker of Keegan’s, Jonathan Freedland, seems to agree completely; he wrote an article titled, “The blogosphere risks putting off everyone but point-scoring males.”  Fairly harsh words, those, yet all of these tidbits seem to be pointing towards the same conclusion: the practice of blogging is on shakier ground than we might have guessed.

And all of this comes in the midst of an uproar that is causing some serious divisions within the blogosphere.  Perhaps, if only for the sake of peace, Tim O’Reilly should have kept his mouth shut.  “Web gurus want blog etiquette despite backlash,” reports Reuters.  From South Africa’s News24: “Furious bloggers reject rules.”  And courtesy of Australia IT, “Rules ignite blogger fury.”

The blogosphere could, it seems, benefit from some internal solidarity as it confronts foes (or at least indifference) from without.  Come on, guys; in the words of Red Green, “We’re all in this together.”