Blogging in Accounting

I researched about blogs used in accounting, and thus far not many blogs exist in the accounting industry. Most that do exist deal with tax issues, but there are more on the rise dealing with niche topics such as Sarbanes-Oxley, business valuation, and estate planning. I read through a few blogs posted by CPAs and smaller firms around the country. One blog in particular deals with posting updates of tax rules and regulations. Other topics included accounting software, auditing, GAAP accounting, internal control, and fraud. While reading them, I kept in mind the virtues we discussed in class, including reliability, objectivity, and accuracy. In my opinion, the blogs didn't have much substance. One blog dealing with auditing, simply offered a link to new standards released for internal financial reporting for smaller companies. It offered no insight or opinions on the topic. One blog I read, on the subject of Sarbanes-Oxley was simply announcing the death of Ken Lay, the former Enron executive. I didn't see any reliable information on the actual topic of Sarbanes-Oxley. The only blogs that seemed to have any depth and accuracy to them dealt with various tax issues. These blogs appeared reliable and accurate, based on my prior learning experience on tax issues in the past.

Thus far, I don't feel that blogs have had a very big impact on the accounting industry. They are still on the rise, but have not yet had significant impact. I think in the future the industry could benefit from these blogs dealing with views on GAAP standards and tax issues. If significant players in the industry were involved in the blogs as well, offering their opinions, the impact would increase even more. But as it is today, there are not enough blogs to impact the industry.