Your Brain on Blog – Video from The Atlantic
Just as I was getting comfortable with my blog, I started hearing whispers to, “Kill Your Blog.” Yeah, today it’s all about Twitter and FriendFeed, and blogs are so yesterday.
Well, I don’t care if blogs aren’t hip anymore, I’m not giving mine up, and you shouldn’t either.
Who Says You Should Kill Your Blog?
Wired’s Paul Boutin says that “the time it takes to craft sharp, witty blog prose is better spent expressing yourself on Flickr, Facebook, or Twitter.” He argues that you should kill you blog because:
- Blogging is too big. Personal sites can’t compete with teams of professional writer who post a slew of articles daily.
- Blogs lure low-lifes. Blogs are magnets for hecklers.
- Blogs aren’t the best way to display multimedia. YouTube, Flickr, and Facebook are better for your videos, photos, and music.
- Blogs are out, Twitter is in. All the cool guys are on Twitter, and the 140-character limit levels the playing field.
Rumors of Blog Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Rumors of blogging’s demise have been circulating for at least as long as I’ve been blogging. Last year, Richard MacManus tackled the buzz around suggestions that social platforms, such as MySpace/Facebook, were killing blogs.
In ReadWriteWeb, MacManus gave several reasons why people will keep on blogging (with my personal commentary):
- Media Website – There are still niches, or micro niches, that you can cover well with a blog. You can even recruit your own team, if the topic warrants the coverage.
- Discussion Platform – Blogging is still the best way to communicate thoughtfully on a topic. A blog article is just the beginning of a conversation. It’s the comments, and sometimes back-and-forth on linked articles, that make this the ideal medium for covering a subject. For example, one of the joys and benefits of my blog has been a sustained conversation with Amy Jussel, of Shaping Youth on a variety of related subjects (kids online, video games, media literacy, politics, etc.)
What Are Other Bloggers Saying?
Andrew Sullivan, of The Daily Dish, has a very persuasive essay currently in The Atlantic, describing Why He Blogs. He relishes the freedom of direct broadcast, with the depth of related links and multimedia content, and the connection to material that comes before and after. Additionally, he appreciates the connection between writer and reader where a blog evolves into a collaborative enterprise in which the collective mind gathers good ideas, while filtering out the bad.
Michele Martin, of The Bamboo Project, worries that killing blogs is a recipe for trouble. In What To Say The Next Time Someone Asks Why They Should Blog, she counsels you to respond that, for learning, “We need more sustained discussions and reflection, the kind that’s supported by blogging.”
She then pulls out the big guns, Seth Godin and Tom Peters’ short video on why blogs have changed their lives, “Do it for yourself, to become part of the conversation…to change your perspective…intellectual outlook…and emotional outlook.”
Why I’m Going To Keep On Blogging
Personally, I blog for all of these reasons, and more.
I blog: to remember, to influence, to find like-minded peers, to learn, to grow, and to share.
My blog was born out of an ongoing conversation with a dear friend, and fellow mom, who inspires me to think about parenting and education choices.
Over the past year, I’ve met many parents and educators who have given me pertinent advice and much food for thought. Some are also on Twitter, and this has been a good way to pose a short question or request. However, tweets are not a replacement for longer, evolving conversations.
Paul Boutin Is Wrong, Don’t Kill Your Blog
As far as I’m concerned, Paul Boutin is wrong:
- Blogging Is Too Big? Not For Me – I’m not trying to compete with a blogging conglomerate, not that there is any in my particular area of interest. I’m not in this for the money, anyway.
- Blogs Lure Low-Lifes? Wrong – The people who comment on this blog are some of the nicest, smartest, remarkable people you will ever meet.
- Blogs Aren’t The Best Way To Display Multimedia? I Disagree - Using Windows Live Writer or WordPress Plugins makes it incredibly easy to add multimedia elements to this blog, and this allows me to easily add the full story behind the photos or videos. That’s not so easy to do on Flickr, You Tube, or Facebook.
- Blogs Are Out, Twitter Is In? Not a Chance! – I love, love, love Twitter; but it’s no replacement for my blog, not at all.
Why Do You Blog, Or Why Not?
Tell me, do you blog? What do you love about blogging? Would you replace blogging with other media such as Twitter, Flickr, You Tube, Facebook, or something else? And if you don’t blog, why not?
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Sandra -
First of all, thank you for the complement that you gave to all bloggers, since I now consider myself a part of he new bloggers group, as well! Secondly, I agree with you, that there really is no replacement for someone’s personal blog. Twitter is definitely a wonderful tool and a great outlet for short blog thoughts and ideas, but when a broader idea, concept, craft, etc., is needing to be shared, it’s much easier to do that on a personal blog site, where you have the freedom to get more indepth and detailed for the benefit of your readers.
Glad to see you’re not getting rid of yours, as I have enjoyed it. I think I’ll join you.
- RhondaH
I’m a serious fan of blogging. I started blogging on Myspace about four years ago, and transitioned to Livejournal a year later. I blog because it’s a great way to vent about the trivial things as well as serious issues in my life and on the web. However, one of the greatest things about blogging for me is the community surrounding it. I have met so many amazing people via LJ. More than writing my own entries, I love reading other people’s. It is a very intimate act to be able to read the thoughts in someone’s mind. It is beautiful to see a story unfold over several months of entries. And it is wonderful to connect with someone whom you may never actually meet physically.
I just signed up for Twitter a couple of weeks ago, and though I am growing to love it very much, there is no way it will become a replacement for my blogging fix. Twitter is a great place to get small tidbits on people’s lives, but it is no way one of the ultimate web connectors like blogging is.
The feeling of community that surrounds blogging cannot be replaced.
Blogging is definitely not dead.
You are so right; Paul Boutin is so wrong. Just to tackle one point: Twitter levels the playing field. Nope, it doesn’t. It takes a better writer to put the message in 140 characters than a long, sometimes rambling, blog. The only tweets I really think about and stop on are those that get the message to me.
I LOVE this post…I think I might just have to feature you and answer these questions myself on my blog…b/c I tell all of my clients to blog. My blog is so dear to me. It is my place, my corner of this world where I can be political, authentic, smart, funny, sad, real.
My blog is one of my favorite things in the world.
I’ll send you the link…you get major kudos for this terrific post.
Fantastic. Keep on blogging girl.
Twitter is super fun and I love it! I am new to blogging both as a blogger and as a reader. Blogging just allows a much more natural development of ideas then Twitter ever will. Twitter for me is a night out on the town – fast, fun, and loud. Blogging is more like an intimate dinner with close friends, even if you have never met. There is actual conversation and exchanging of ideas. Hard to do that in 140 characters, unless you link back to your blog
What a great post. I really like having my blog even though I use Twitter. It is nice to have my special place to send people if they have further interest in what I’m tweeting.
Anne
For more reasons why microblogging will not replace blogs, see:
The Benefits of Having a Blog for Your Business, Company, or Self
http://spedr.com/gboi
Reasons Why Twitter Can’t Replace a Blog
http://spedr.com/a357
Sandra, Finally wrapping up All Things Girl Week and am SO thankful for YOU and for this blog and new friendships formed this Thanksgiving week…I’ll no doubt guest post your generous offer of same…and wanted to share that today’s ‘philanthropy webinar’ on how to use Twitter and FB for doing good had this tidbit to offer on this subject:
(I’ll post the full transcript soon on Shaping Youth!)
“Question from Britt, Red Cross:
With the increased emphasis on video/photo services such as YouTube and Flickr as well as brief updates/messages (Twitter) why are you pushing blogging so much? Thanks, Britt”
“Chris Garrett:
Britt that is an excellent question. Blogs can help centralize all these different venues media while playing to the strengths of the individual services. Also you want to bring people in from the satellite locations back to your blog to inform, and engender loyalty using email or feed subscriptions. I see flickr/YouTube as good recruitment sites and supporting players, but they are never going to have the donation pulling appeal of a good sequence of blog posts or emails that send people to a dedicated donation page
”
Hmn…you are ahead of your time, m’dear…both in instinct and in fundraising/philanthropy/NP efforts to boot!
I love my blog, even though I ‘ramble’ and should ‘shorten’ I know some folks are getting the juicy stuff they want…and others skim the headlines. As long as I’m having fun, so be it, eh? (now I just have to figure out how to keep the lights on!) 
Thanks again for all you do…on living, and learning. Ancora Imparo indeed. –Happy Thanksgiving! –Amy
Another reason to keep on blogging: Writing To Connect http://spedr.com/u1tc
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