Blogging Cool?

For many of the digital cognoscenti, blogging is so passé. What with Twitter, Seesmic, Qik and countless other tools that tout and tweet, who has time for that once-heralded, longer-form RSS-enabled conjecture? It’s just so outré.

But for the rest of America, e.g., those outside of Silicon’s valleys and alleys, the weblog remains very much the next big thing. Word today has famed, feared and the fabulously financed financier Carl Icahn (at right) poised to start blogging.

“I may do something to finally focus on more than making money,” said Mr. Icahn.

He’s got that right! Today’s WS Journal says:

“For now, the site — Icahnreport.com — just shows a picture of Mr. Icahn sitting on a desk along with the promise ‘Blog Coming Soon.'”

My friend in the (bloodied) Beantown John Cass is keeping tabs on the Fortune 500 blogging set with a wiki that allows one to review the citizen corporate speak (as opposed to “corporate citizen” speak). He estimates that some 10 percent of the Fortune 500 companies now have blogs. Active? I don’t know. But blogs, yes.

And finally, as if the sustenance of the blogosphere weren’t enough, what are the best ways for companies to keep their fingers on the pulse of all the other social media on which their reputations often hinge? A new study from Aberdeen Group and my friends/collaborators at Converseon tackles this vital question for PR and marketing pros at a time when the online conversation’s influence over offline behavior is on the rise.