(First, an apology:  It's one of those predictable passages in a blogger's life - I've started blogging about blogging.  Sorry about that.)

I've been asked by the bloggers' group that meets on Thursday evenings at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society to put together a little session about blogging for nonprofits. 

Fortunately, I was able to recruit two highly respected colleagues from the nonprofit sector, Beth Kanter and Brian Reich, to share their ideas on the topic.  This is a Good Thing, because my own opinion is that if you've read my blog or heard me chatting with fellow members of the Berkman bloggers' group then you're already familiar with the few insights that I have on this topic.

At this point, there isn't much data from which I can draw conclusions. In fact, in my efforts to recruit presenters for this session, I haven't been able to find very many nonprofits in Massachusetts that maintain blogs, and I note that (in the blogosphere as a whole) the few nonprofit professionals who are active bloggers are also technology assistance providers.  There just aren't a lot of nonprofit executive directors, field organizers, fundraisers, or direct service providers who blog, unless they are already geeks.

However, in the absence of empirical data, I can always resort to another research method - staring off into space for 20 or 30 minutes.  On the basis of my findings, I will venture to make a prediction: 

The future will favor well-designed web sites that feature clusters of blogs by diverse authors who are focused on a coherent mission.

Here are some examples of mission-based web sites that serve up a range of blogs to readers:
The Digital Divide Network:  "Knowledge to help everyone succeed in the digital age."

Global Voices Online:  "The world is talking. Are you listening?"

Omidyar Network:  "We believe every individual has the power to make a difference. We exist for one single purpose: So that more and more people discover their own power to make good things happen."

WorldChanging:  "Models, Tools, and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future"

Although real simple syndication (also known as "RSS") makes it possible for all of us to read blog content without surfing from one web site to another, I'm convinced that a web site with a strong focus that offers rich visual and verbal content will continue to draw web users.  A cluster of blogs that offer compelling insights and new points of view can be a part of that strategy.