I’ve been reading a lot of bloggers and fellow social media travelers lately and they’ve all had a common thread. That commonality in opinion is that there is a shift in blogging vs. social networks, and I have to agree that there is.
It appears to me that a lot of the interactivity that used to occur on blogs is moving to the major social tools (pick your favorite). As usual, there is a blogging meme to go along with that – something along the lines of blogging being “deadâ€. While I can’t speak to the realities of that – it does seem to me that many of us are spending a lot of the time we used to spend on blogging, now on the social web.
Instead of posting opinions or taking hours crafting a great informative post, we immediately share what we’re currently doing and where we’re doing it. We can do it on the fly with most phones, and since status updates are a mere sentence or so – it’s nothing to whip off a few of these messages and move on.
Does this have a negative consequence for blogging? I think not, but I’ll admit to being biased. Even so, anyone can point to my own blog and see that I’ve been lax in posting in the last couple months. Sure, it is due (in part) to the social web and all the easy-to-use tools. Sure, there are a number of known bloggers either hanging it up, or going on hiatus. However, I think that there are many times when people simply need to do something else in order to rediscover themselves. I remember Robert Scoble doing this about two years ago for a few months. Russell Beattie took a long break before coming back to the blogging sphere as well.
Neither of these guys had preconceived ideas of how long or why, but just knew they needed the change. It’s something I’ve thought about myself when I’m struggling.
I guess the point is that blogging is dead, but the realities of the social web are the same in every part of life: change is constant.
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About Me
Rick Mahn is the Founder of SMBMSP, Principal of Rick Mahn & Associates, and a Sr. Information Technologies Architect with Experis. With over two decades in Information Technologies Architecture and Social Media, Rick connects people & organizations by embracing new technologies and open standards.Learn more about Rick.
Hey Rick,
I’ve thought about this a bit myself lately. I have never been much a “blogger”, but I definitely consume most of my media through blogs. I’ve never been a commenter, so I have welcomed the quick feedback that tools like twitter offer. I think this is just a marked change in the way blogs are used, there will probably be less daily activity chatter and perhaps an increase in substantive postings.
I was glad to hear these thoughts spelled out the way you did it. Thanks.
Hey Rick,
I’ve thought about this a bit myself lately. I have never been much a “blogger”, but I definitely consume most of my media through blogs. I’ve never been a commenter, so I have welcomed the quick feedback that tools like twitter offer. I think this is just a marked change in the way blogs are used, there will probably be less daily activity chatter and perhaps an increase in substantive postings.
I was glad to hear these thoughts spelled out the way you did it. Thanks.
Hey Jason,
It’s interesting as well, that social media tools & networks are bringing more people into the social web. Whether they blog or not, the simplicity of the social web enables people to participate, even if they didn’t have the time to write a blog or maintain a blog.
It’s a great time to be a part of it all!
Hey Jason,
It’s interesting as well, that social media tools & networks are bringing more people into the social web. Whether they blog or not, the simplicity of the social web enables people to participate, even if they didn’t have the time to write a blog or maintain a blog.
It’s a great time to be a part of it all!
I don’t know Rick, but lately I’m tending to agree with Jason. Social media can be a great way to discover good blogs and specific blog posts on topics of interest. Sites like Twitter and Plurk and even LinkedIn compliment blogs more than compete with them, at least professionally-oriented ones. For business blogs, which I help clients develop, I definitely think it will be a positive if social chatter ceases to be a common element within the blog itself.
I don’t know Rick, but lately I’m tending to agree with Jason. Social media can be a great way to discover good blogs and specific blog posts on topics of interest. Sites like Twitter and Plurk and even LinkedIn compliment blogs more than compete with them, at least professionally-oriented ones. For business blogs, which I help clients develop, I definitely think it will be a positive if social chatter ceases to be a common element within the blog itself.
For me, social media has provided a venue blogs don’t. I may have a simple thought that doesn’t deserve a blog post in and of itself but I want to get it out there and see what people think, get some reaction, or simply have a place to put the idea.
Because of the ease of conversations that take place on Twitter and FriendFeed and the rest, they’ve taken time away from my blogging but they haven’t replaced it. I still need a place to help me work out my thoughts, examine something in depth, and perhaps get some reaction.
In that sense, I don’t think blogs are going away any time soon. I think I agree with all of you.
Thanks for the post, Rick!
For me, social media has provided a venue blogs don’t. I may have a simple thought that doesn’t deserve a blog post in and of itself but I want to get it out there and see what people think, get some reaction, or simply have a place to put the idea.
Because of the ease of conversations that take place on Twitter and FriendFeed and the rest, they’ve taken time away from my blogging but they haven’t replaced it. I still need a place to help me work out my thoughts, examine something in depth, and perhaps get some reaction.
In that sense, I don’t think blogs are going away any time soon. I think I agree with all of you.
Thanks for the post, Rick!
David – thanks for the comment! I think you bring an important point up, that it’s quick and easy to get a thought out there to get feedback on. Most all social tools are really good at this – quick to publish an idea and quick to get reaction.
The time away from blogging for me is distracting, but I think you’re onto something else – that blogging will always be the long-form platform for thinkers.
David – thanks for the comment! I think you bring an important point up, that it’s quick and easy to get a thought out there to get feedback on. Most all social tools are really good at this – quick to publish an idea and quick to get reaction.
The time away from blogging for me is distracting, but I think you’re onto something else – that blogging will always be the long-form platform for thinkers.
There is a series of intellectual debates over at Media Nation, maintained by Northeastern University journalism professor Dan Kennedy about the quickly-changing world of print journalism trying to adapt to the online world. For, as you probably already know, newspaper editors are among the oldest bastion of society who would rather resist change than accept it with few exceptions.
I find it interesting that more Baby Boomers understand the concept of blogging even if they never read one, but have no idea what Twitter is but that may partially because they’ve never sent a cellular data message or engaged in online instant messaging.
I wrote a post on my blog yesterday that everyone is a de facto ambassador of social networking. I’m curious what you think.
There is a series of intellectual debates over at Media Nation, maintained by Northeastern University journalism professor Dan Kennedy about the quickly-changing world of print journalism trying to adapt to the online world. For, as you probably already know, newspaper editors are among the oldest bastion of society who would rather resist change than accept it with few exceptions.
I find it interesting that more Baby Boomers understand the concept of blogging even if they never read one, but have no idea what Twitter is but that may partially because they’ve never sent a cellular data message or engaged in online instant messaging.
I wrote a post on my blog yesterday that everyone is a de facto ambassador of social networking. I’m curious what you think.
Rick, I really enjoyed your insight on this topic. I don’t think blogging is dead but it is definitely evolving. There does seem to be a trend toward less frequent posting. I believe that the blogging community must adjust their methods and expectations. For example, conversations may not always take place on your blog but on other social media platforms. I sometimes post on Facebook or a social forum and have more interaction than I do on my blog. Blogging and social media do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Rick, I really enjoyed your insight on this topic. I don’t think blogging is dead but it is definitely evolving. There does seem to be a trend toward less frequent posting. I believe that the blogging community must adjust their methods and expectations. For example, conversations may not always take place on your blog but on other social media platforms. I sometimes post on Facebook or a social forum and have more interaction than I do on my blog. Blogging and social media do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Ari – how I missed your comment 3 weeks ago is inexcusable, sorry about that.
You make an excellent point on everyone being an ambassador of social networking. Taking that thought one further – how about social networking being a function that our great grandparents understood better than we do today?
In eras past, social interaction was much more easy, more involved, an art even. From pie & ice cream socials to barn raising and dances. From the lack of instant communication, and instant news, personal interaction was welcomed, sought out even, where today we’d rather eat in isolation in our cars on the drive to and from whatever event takes up our day.
You’re more right than you know.
Ari – how I missed your comment 3 weeks ago is inexcusable, sorry about that.
You make an excellent point on everyone being an ambassador of social networking. Taking that thought one further – how about social networking being a function that our great grandparents understood better than we do today?
In eras past, social interaction was much more easy, more involved, an art even. From pie & ice cream socials to barn raising and dances. From the lack of instant communication, and instant news, personal interaction was welcomed, sought out even, where today we’d rather eat in isolation in our cars on the drive to and from whatever event takes up our day.
You’re more right than you know.
Karen, thanks for your comment!
I see that too. For months now, I have been thinking that there is some reason that I haven’t been able to write anything that I really like. But you’re point on social micro-media taking up our daily opinions and interactions is changing the blogging landscape. Possibly for the better – meaning that more thought goes into the longer blog pieces rather than the spur of the moment Tweets.
Karen, thanks for your comment!
I see that too. For months now, I have been thinking that there is some reason that I haven’t been able to write anything that I really like. But you’re point on social micro-media taking up our daily opinions and interactions is changing the blogging landscape. Possibly for the better – meaning that more thought goes into the longer blog pieces rather than the spur of the moment Tweets.
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Very good point. one that I hadn’t given thought to in the past.
The move with social networking is on the move. Everyone I know is going off about Twitter and yet personally I have perhaps missed the wow-factor responsible with business application.
Joel – Change My Mind´s last blog post..Curing Erectile Dysfunction the Natural Way
Very good point. one that I hadn’t given thought to in the past.
The move with social networking is on the move. Everyone I know is going off about Twitter and yet personally I have perhaps missed the wow-factor responsible with business application.
Joel – Change My Mind´s last blog post..Curing Erectile Dysfunction the Natural Way