As reported in Nautilus (1):

The official forum for Science Blogging 2008, to be held at the Royal Institution, London, on 30 August 2008, has been set up at Nature Network.
The science blogging community is growing rapidly and reaching larger audiences. At Science Blogging 2008, science bloggers from around the world will have the opportunity to meet and discuss the pressing issues in science, science communication, publishing and education. What can science bloggers do to maximise their impact? Can blogging contribute to scientific research and careers? How can blogs be used to help educate the public about science? Readers and writers of science blogs, those who follow trends in online scientific communication and anyone else interested in learning more about science blogging will benefit from the discussions. You do not have to have a blog in order to attend.

This is just a recent example(2) of the growing role of blogging to communicate science, not just for popular reports but to communicate results between researchers. The immediacy and lack of a restrictive format fill in the gaps left by traditional journals. Key questions in the near future will continue to focus on how to quantify the contribution of blogging to an academic career.