This blog is now 9 years old. It contains over 900 posts and pages and has had well over a million views since it was started on April 1st, 2005. It’s been a good run. A lot of things have changed since those early days of WordPress. The WP blogging software has matured into a robust content management system, the templates are larger, brighter, and much more functional. Hosting has come a long way and now allows larger graphics, and a myriad of Javascript operations to take place without a whimper.
All in all, Blogging is the best it has been in years.
Unfortunately, it’s also the worst.
Commenting, the backbone of a good blog universe, is way down. Spam comments, are way up. And now a hybrid spam comment has made the scene, which looks and sounds like a real comment, but really is spam in disguise.
Spam has gotten so bad that blog powerhouse, Copyblogger, has moved all their comments to Google+.
The other problem is noise. When I first started this blog, it was easy to connect with other bloggers, and have engaging conversations back and forth. But over the years, blogs have proliferated into a business and marketing must-have. Millions of blogs now exist, but the grand majority are dead and lifeless, being updated rarely, if at all.
So what am I trying to say…?
I think it’s time for something better, more interactive, and spam free.
I think it’s time for software that is intelligent and has an easy to follow, well organized hierarchy.
I think it’s time for a blog platform that gives us ownership, yet connects us to the entire world of social media.
Many will say it already exists. Just add 30 plugins to WordPress and you can do almost anything.
I’ve seen sites like this, and I agree, you can do wonderful things with WP.
But that is one blog. One optimized site.
What I would like to see is a whole new software platform, built from the ground up to be spam free, and allow communications across all media. Something that gives us ownership, yet gives us connection, and most importantly, gives us authorship.
Something called Blog 3.0.
Who will build it?
What will it look like?
How will it work?
Please leave your ideas in the comments below…