Economic bad times good for blogging: SixApart CEO

Six Apart CEO Chris Alden believes the economic crisis will be good for blogging as people seek alternatives to work.

In an interview with Wired, Alden used unemployment to support his argument:

…a bad economy will probably lead to an overall uptick in blogging, Alden says. “When you don’t know where else to invest,” he explains, “you invest in yourself.”

Which is kind of a slick way of saying that when you get laid off or your company goes under, it’s a good time to build your personal brand by blogging. Or, for that matter, if you suddenly find yourself with a lot of time on your hands, you might blog to fill the empty spaces. “You look for a way to reassert control,” Alden points out. “That’s a reason blogging surges in down times.”

Sound reasoning, if perhaps a little morbid.

In a broader sense though, blogging is well situated coming into an economic downturn. Startup costs are lower, exposure to a downturn in general advertising is lower, and people are going to be looking for alternatives…and yes, some will have more time on their hands.