Online advertising is already on the increase, and blogs will be among the venues for advertising, according to an article in this week’s BusinessWeek.  The explosive growth of blogs—and the growing number of Internet users who read them (up to about 11%) has led Madison Avenue to pay more attention. But don’t expect the kind of advertising blitz that occurred when banner ads suddenly began appearing everywhere on the Web back in the 90s.

In the meantime, the value of blogs as a marketing tool continues to be debated. The latest entry on the pro side comes from Bob McCarthy in DM News, a site for the direct marketing industry.

Clearly, if a blog is defined only as an online journal or diary on a subject of personal interest, I agree with him that it will not be a very effective marketing vehicle. But I suspect blogs also can provide commentary, news, helpful information and useful tips. Most importantly, all blogs should be able to, if the author chooses, sell products and make informational offers.

Another DM News writer, Susan Heywood, offers her own perspective in support of blogs as a business tool.