Slate - An online magazine that was originally owned by Microsoft and now is under the Washington Post has begun an advertising campaign featuring their roundup of "over 5 million blogs". The skyrocketing popularity of this alternative news medium has pervaded the online and offline world and invited a host of theories about the future of blogging.

The intense scrutiny that blogs have garnered from the mainstream media has recently transitioned to the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" philosophy. It will be interesting to see where this trend carries us and whether major media conglomerates can maintain their reach and attention over the coming years. As SEOs, this diversification of sources can be both a blessing and a curse. It will make it easier to find links and generate buzz without having to run the gauntlet to the mainstream press, but it also depresses the value of certain "holy" links like those from CNN, Forbes, MSNBC, etc.