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Before we delve into this topic, lets look at some figures concerning the blogosphere.
As of Aprill 2006, Technorati is tracking around 35 million weblogs. Moreover, the number of weblogs have been doubling every 6 months for the last 42 months. All these statistics point to a behemoth that shows no signs of slowing down. What then are its impacts?

In a bid to be cost efficient and to maximize profits, news agencies came together to pool their resources. An example of this collaboration would be wire services such as Associated Press. However, due to this, news agencies began reporting on the same issues, and often presented the same point of views. The blogging world has caused changes in this aspect. Blogs are the exact opposite of this homogenized news. They focus on different issues and present their own opinions. This has led to a wealth of information that the common man like you and me can use to formulate our own thoughts on world events. Previously, we had to depend on the news agencies for this very purpose. Yet, due to the flexibility and adaptability, blogs have slowly but surely began taking over in the aspect. Recognizing this, news agencies have started to change the way they operate. They now make it a point to include alternative points of views and present a wide range of topics.

Blogs have always stood out as they allowed a bi-directional flow of information. Readers can post their own comments to what the blogger writes about. This level of interactivity has contributed to the massive growth of blogging. News agencies, however have long adopted an unidirectional information flow. The news agencies decide for us what the news is and present it in a manner they best see fit. In addition, they were limited feedback channels. All these is changing however. News agencies now attempt to engage their customers, either by asking them to write in with their own comments or to report on any events that they come across.

Blogs have also taken on the roles of both a grassroots level reporter and a fact checker. Often, news agencies are unable to get information direct from the place where the event is occurring. This could be due to safety concerns or logistical problems. Blogs help fill in this gap. All anyone needs to blog is a computer with internet connection and time to spare. This is another factor contributing to its growth. It also means that now, information direct from the event is available as people experiencing these events begin blogging. An example would be American soldiers blogging about their involvement in the Iraq war. News agencies can thus tap on this rich source of up to date information. In addition, once they publish the news, it is checked by these very bloggers for accuracy of facts. As a result, news agencies are now more careful about the information they publish as they know that whatever they put out is being scrutinized. Blogs can thus take on the role of a watchdog of the news industry.

All these impacts that blogs have had will only serve to improve the news industry and continually keep it on its feet. This can only mean good news for us.

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