So what has been happening in the last few days?

Over on Scoble I think we are seeing a new trend. Senator Edwards used ‘A List’ bloggers and the blogosphere the other day together with traditional media to announce his run for the 2008 US Presidency. At the recent Le Web 2.0 conference in Paris the second day had a number of presentations by French politicians participating in their Presidential race.

My prediction for 2007 – blogging will become a mainstream communication tool for UK politicians. Why? Bloggers are mainly aged 16 – 35+. This is the group that is least likely to vote and most immune to traditional marketing communications (TV and press adverts, party political broadcasts and posters). But is most connected by the use of social media. Smart politicians know that. To get them engaged and active in politics will pay dividends at the next election not only for the system generally but for whichever party wins their ‘hearts and minds’. One interesting aspect is the ‘long tail’ and its relevance to party funding. Will an active blogging strategy mean new potential funding sources or ‘e-foot soldiers’ to mobilise the vote?

The big unknown - will blogging become 'mainstream' for business? My prediction - no - but well on the way to becoming so.