I sense that most people still regard blogging as personal hobby or marketing enhancement, or both (which is okay), but not the lucrative game-changer of the publishing industry. This is about to change, and here’s why:

The Future of Blogging

Blogging has its roots in personal publishing and more recently—paid personal publishing. We need to brace ourselves for what’s next.

Modern blogging won’t be the same from what it is today, but the fundamentals will remain: niche sites with excellent content and aggressive self-branding.

The first thing this shift will eliminate is the romantic notion of the “Problogger”—the average blogger guy turned celebrity millionaire blogger. In its place will appear the savvy entrepreneur-editor.

So while “print is dead” may be the laughing stock now, the publishing industry demise won’t last forever. Keep that in mind.

Stigma, Stigma, Stigma

Blogging suffers from amateurish stigmas, like:

The Soapbox

Blogs as diaries, filled with personal rants and raves and daily musings. There’s certainly nothing wrong with free expression of the individual (after all—it’s how blogging began), but it’s not going to withstand the enterprise of free markets.

Luckily more people are migrating their personal lives to microblogging spots like Facebook and Twitter, so it’s not as much of an issue. But still…

Make Money Online

If I see another blog about how to make money or how to become some kind of guru online, I’m going to vomit and rabbit-punch my face at the same time.

Soon after blogging took off and a few guys made some money at it, everyone thought they could come in and do it, too. Then they discovered the way to make money was by telling people how to make money. Update: there’s no long term strategic value in that model, especially when its saturated.

The MMO movement is not a bad model, but it’s an incomplete one. Blogging can and should make money but only if there’s real, viable content for a loyal and passionate audience. Most (not all) of the MMOers so far are dime-a-dozen used car salesman type with a penchant for fast cash.

Amateur Night

Even the few bloggers who are focused, diligent and worthy of their title will be up against the heavy hitters—companies with deep publishing experience and staff with the resources and talent to outshine and outmarket the small guys.

For the independent blogger, this leaves two options. They either compete against bigger budget teams and editorial standards or join them. Yes, blogger: you may soon be assimilated.

‘Content Marketing’ is a Great Start

I give credit to Copyblogger’s Sonia Simone for officializing the phrase “Content Marketing.” It means building a business around publishing content people love and are willing to pay for.

The only shortcoming in that buzzword is that it doesn’t  strongly connect the blogging/web marketing genre with the long-established principals of publishing and editing.

So maybe in a few years, we’ll just go back to calling it publishing.

For those of you unfamiliar, IzeaFest is a blogger’s conference put on Izea, which is led by Ted Murphy. From everything I’ve seen and read of Ted, he’s a cool guy, if not a bit on the bizarre side, but I like that.

Ted is also very enterprising: he has founded six companies–including Izea–and is one of the forefathers of paid blogging. Plus, he and I have tweeted each other about marathon running (I know bloody nipples, Ted).

I bought my IZEAFest ticket way back in February when I was projecting some sort of smashing success with my blog. Something to the effect that I’d finally get to meet all the superstars who had heard of me but hadn’t yet met me. How naive.

Let’s say I’m nowhere close to that point, but I’m okay with that. Anonymity is not why I’m bowing out.

The real reason I won’t be attending IZEAFest is because it’s not marketed as an event to be taken seriously. When I think Izeafest, I see a raging, four-day Carnival Cruise across multiple watering holes and ending at SeaWorld.

In other words — a big blogging drinking party. I can already taste the hangovers.

Biggest Disclaimer Ever

I have to say this immediately: the speakers are not why I’m not going. Missing their presentations and dynamism is obviously where I lose out.

Izeafest invites some of the best and most respected web marketers and bloggers around. Brian Clark is someone I’d love to meet. Same with Rae Hoffman and Chris Brogan. And I was lucky enough to meet Arleen Anderson when I was in Honolulu in June.

But…

[End of Disclaimer]

…at the same time, I’d much rather engage with these talented folks in a more progressive and intellectual setting.

An event, perhaps, that puts blogging into a much greater and more thoughtful context. Something that recognizes publishing and editorial standards and the industry as a whole, not just making money online through what works well for individuals.

Blogging is certainly pioneering in its own right, but it’s unlikely to electrify the sagging publishing industry without bold and pragmatic leadership. Izeafest offers spirited work sessions with some very bright people, but it’s all conducted between dirty martinis and an entire day with Shamu.

Bloggers should be mobilized for life after the personal internet gold rush. It’s not going to last forever. Sure — we can all continue to blog away, maybe make a few bucks as we go, but there’s much greater opportunities than this.

We need a conference that calls upon bloggers, writers, editors, publishers, web marketers and everyone in between. A meeting to challenge—not just celebrate—ourselves.

For example: How do we collectively innovate and reconcile a failing industry so it’s scalable, likeable and profitable?

If I were in a party mood, I’d go to Izeafest without hesitation. It feels like I shouldn’t be missing it. But I checked-in my party mood at the door, and I intend on leaving it there while I sort things out.