Last week Paul Boutin declared that blogs are dead. On Wired’s blog. Hmmmm.

Yes, there are lots of continually “new and improved” ways to communicate. Twitter, Facebook, etc. offer different ways to connect, but just because there are options doesn’t mean you must kill one that works quite well and move on. This desire to declare things dead and “oh so tired”, makes me tired. Boutin’s thesis is that since blogs have become a tool for marketers they are no longer genuine. I don’t buy it. There are still millions of people using blogs to express their personal opinions, share their art, and just plain get out there.

Read Technorati’s recent State of the Blogosphere 2008 if you believe blogs are a dying art. There are 184 million blogs world wide, with 26.4 million started in the US. What in the world is Boutin talking about? Today, Brian Solis posted some interesting stats on bub.blicio.us about readers using blogs over search and the influence of blogs on purchase decisions.

I read blogs everyday. They keep me connected, informed and I would feel the poorer if they went away. And while Twitter is fun and great for quick sharing, you can’t get the info or thoughts out in 140 characters the way you can with a blog.

So, I’ve started a new blog. It’s called adifferentkindofsushi and it’s about my exploration into the world of extreme performance and visual art. As a new board member of San Diego’s historic Sushi, I have a lot to learn and hope to share that learning with others who may be new to this inventive, radical and sometimes in-your-face art. It’ll have interviews with the artists, guest posts and lots of photos. I’m sure at least 5 people will read it.

Maybe it’s old school now to start a blog. Isn’t that hilarious?