I think blogging is still one of the most useful tools available from a marketing standpoint.  It's relatively inexpensive and really only takes your time.  Think about how many businesses include a link to a blog from their website.  It'd probably be easier to list those that don't – it's becoming the norm in corporate society.  In fact, there's been a huge influx of outsourcing work directly related to writing for business blogs because companies are realizing the value of blogging and marketing that way vs. traditional methods.

Personal blogs are also on the rise.  There are even blogs about how to get the most out of blogging!  I don't think we'll see the end of this type of online marketing and communication any time soon.

True that it's not going away anytime soon, and true that it is free and can be useful when done right.  It's a great way to position yourself as an expert in your field… if you actually are one.

But don't you think the law of diminishing returns is going to apply eventually?  At some point, there is just going to be too many postings without much new info out there so readers will get weary of blogs.

In the end, it's only those that have something interesting and meaningful to say that will be followed, which is probably how it should be anyway.

I think, particularly from a business standpoint, blogging has opened so many doors to be able to interact with their customer base like never before.  Also consider the fact that blogs offer a platform that is much more personal and casual, and are therefore the perfect tool to launch fun things like contests, giveaways and other promotions that encourage customer interaction and can result in viral marketing (think of how many people would "tell a friend" about a giveaway) thereby increasing brand awareness and good will in general.

So, I have to disagree that blogging will lose its appeal.  It's too great a benefit right now, and it only seems to be gaining in popularity. 

Blogging is still a relatively new web media for the marketing of business and encouraging user interaction. To say that it has “had its day” is premature, but there may be factors which reduce bloggings´ long term effectiveness.

Poorly written/presented blogs. There are plenty of these around the Internet, and they are like bad shop windows that blight a high street or shopping mall. Even though there might be something of use or relevance in the content, people will not look beyond the presentation. Get enough of these, and like a poorly maintained shopping mall, the whole area will become unappealing.

Blogs contrived for SEO purposes. These blogs are effectively unreadable. A very high keyword density is the equivalent to a sales pitch – which will immediately turn readers off. Consumers want to buy products rather than be sold them, so a blog full of obvious promotion material has the opposite effect of what it is meant to achieve.

Discontinued blogs. This is one of my pet hates. A lot of blogs have been established for monetisation, and if the author has not generated enough income from the site, s/he decides to move on to something else without considering the “footprint” they have left behind.

There are a great many international real estate web sites still “active” on the net, which originate from prior to the housing crash of 2007/2008 and are just full of misleading and out-of-date information. This is just an example which highlights the above negative factors, and I hope that blogging does not follow in the same way.

If you keep the content entertaining and informative, current and relevant, then blogging will have a lasting place as a marketing tool on the Internet.