A post on  Wired seems to suggest that blogging is “old-school” and that blogs are not what they used to be a couple of years ago.

Paul Boutin’s controversial article begins with some words of advice for intending bloggers;

“Thinking about launching your own blog? Here’s some friendly advice: Don’t. And if you’ve already got one, pull the plug.”

“Writing a weblog today isn’t the bright idea it was four years ago. The blogosphere, once a freshwater oasis of folksy self-expression and clever thought, has been flooded by a tsunami of paid bilge. Cut-rate journalists and underground marketing campaigns now drown out the authentic voices of amateur wordsmiths. It’s almost impossible to get noticed, except by hecklers. And why bother? The time it takes to craft sharp, witty blog prose is better spent expressing yourself on Flickr, Facebook, or Twitter.”

So should we stop blogging then?

As expected, this article has started a variety of discussion across the web, with comments pouring in from all quarters. Though many seem to disagree with Mr Boutin, there are quite a few who share his sentiments.

Boutin seems to be of the opinion that blogs have become too impersonal and are being monetized.

“When blogging was young, enthusiasts rode high, with posts quickly skyrocketing to the top of Google’s search results for any given topic, fueled by generous links from fellow bloggers. In 2002, a search for “Mark” ranked Web developer Mark Pilgrim above author Mark Twain. That phenomenon was part of what made blogging so exciting. No more. Today, a search for, say, Barack Obama’s latest speech will deliver a Wikipedia page, a Fox News article, and a few entries from professionally run sites like Politico.com. The odds of your clever entry appearing high on the list? Basically zero.”

In my candid opinion, and just as Mr Boutin’s article proves, blogs are still relevant, and are just about the best way to get the word around on the net.