We were recently contacted by Elisabeth A. Sullivan, a staff writer for Marketing News, a publication of the American Marketing Association. She asked if we had noticed a decline in interest in corporate or B-to-B blogging, and wondered if this Web 2.0 phenomenon would prove to be another flash in the pan, disappearing from sight by the time we emerge from our current economic woes. (Read the story.)

We responded that blogging is more than just one thing. As with any other use of a medium, new or old, it depends on your objectives, your market, and your marketing communications strategy.

Specifically, we’ve seen a number of different uses of blogging technology, all of which have a different role in today’s marketing mix:

• As an exercise in executive vanity, they are definitely on the wane. There simply aren’t many B-to-B executives who have the time required to write a thoughtful, provocative post every few days. It looks easy, but it’s actually hard work. It’s a rare person who doesn’t begin repeating themselves after the third entry.
• As an opportunity to interact with customers and prospects, I think we're still working things out. Not many B-to-B bloggers have mastered the art of starting a discussion (a dialogue), as opposed to ending it (with a monologue). That's a real skill to learn and the key to making business blogging cost-effective. That’s one reason why your typical hard-charging executive often loses interest after a short period of time.
• As an alternative way to generate content, blogging definitely has a future. Godfrey passed the point a long time ago where the number of entries on this blog surpassed the number of pages on the site. I now suspect we've doubled or tripled the size of the site, adding current, topical, and relevant content that does well on search. That’s a hard combination to beat.

The key, of course, is quality content. As business guru and super-blogger Seth Godin remarked, "You don't publish it unless it's good." We had one situation where one of our clients sponsored a blog by an expert who became almost a rock star in his industry. Readership grew and each month, more and more comments were offered by readers. So the process does work. But it requires dedication, an open discussion style, and the kind of insider knowledge the target audience will find attractive.

So, yes, the recession may take its toll. We may have fewer, but better, B-to-B blogs. And that’s probably a good thing. Do you agree (inviting a dialogue!)?