There's no doubt blogs will continue to grow, both in audience and in influence. They will force more transparency and accountability in government, media and other institutions... We'll know they've truly arrived when blogs feature glitzy production values, big staffs, and use their resources to expose the hidden motives of ... other blogs.
I don't know about the big staffs or glitzy production, but the currentcommotion over blogger Jeff Gannon's hidden past suggests we've reached a milestone. If you don't believe me, Steve Colbert says about as much, at the end of this hilarious bit with Jon Stewart (Colbert, as it happens, has a hidden past as well.)