Marketers still can't decide whether blogs are worth their time. They're intrigued by the chance to reach targeted consumers, but fearful of the lack of control over the blog content alongside which their ads would run.

Blogs cam be an unpredictable environment, and that has many marketers hesitant to move into the medium, Ad Age reports. "Marketer participation in blogs requires total immediacy and a willingness to let go of control. Many aren't prepared for it," Art Sindlinger, VP-activation director at Publicis Groupe's Starcom USA, Chicago, explains.

Still, high-traffic blogs are showing solid support from advertisers; newspaper blogs are a clear winner, with their traffic having increased 200 percent in 2006, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.

Media buyers also tend to consider marketer-created blogs an excellent source for collecting consumer opinion about product offerings and brands.