Over the weekend I took the opportunity to take in a film called “State of Play” starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck. I wasn’t so much as interested in the story as I was the underlying premise, a testament to traditional journalism contrasted with the all-too-common diatribe of the new media blogging community: the idea that blogs have a distinct purpose that ought not replace nor be confused with that of traditional media.

Blogs are particularly appealing by the nature and rapidity of the material they produce. A traditional newspaper is governed by the time it takes to print and publish daily. A blog has no such governor. Its content can be delivered hourly. Couple that with targeted advertisements and page rank influence generated by frequent content and you have an Internet phenomenon.

The most significant problem with blogging, much like other modern technology, is that it is easily abused–even if the publisher is well versed in the topic at hand and writing with the best of intentions. The time governor on traditional media journalism such as newspapers goes a long way to ensure the proper development of thoughts and ideas. Unlike blogs, it’s easier to get the whole story in a newspaper and formulate a prudent response or opinion, rather than react minute-by-minute.

Thus, newspapers and traditional media, by their nature, assist readers in thinking through issues more clearly and developing more informed opinions. This is not to say that newspapers cannot be slanted, opinionated, or otherwise misused. They can be. However, the same applies to any media outlet.

Thus I arrive once more at my thesis: blogs have a purpose as newspapers and traditional media has its purpose. The purpose of blogs would seem to not be news. Blogs are a great tool for community development, something that can bring people together to communicate quickly about an issue facing a community. One example I’ve personally witnesses is http://www.stopthecap.com. People came together as a group and collectively put pressure on Time Warner.

From a business perspective, blogs can serve a purpose there too. They take forums to another level, allowing for better two-way communication between product and development teams and users. When given a common theme and thesis for their content, blogs can help develop new product offerings and improve those already in existence.

The days of blogging just to blog, the Internet diaries of the 1990′s aren’t over. They are an important part of some people’s lives, giving them a sense of purpose. However, the use of blogs in a professional environment must be a refined, targeted, and purpose-driven process. They are an excellent tool for keeping our businesses and traditional media, even our politicians, honest.