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created over 4 years ago | Tagged: |
Kay
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Something I’ve noticed over the past few months is a growing number of formerly-profliic bloggers being less active while spending more time on Twitter. As well, a growing number of blog readers are staying within the friendly confines of Twitter to get their news and access to user-generated content. So it begs the question whether Twitter is delivering a one-two knock-out punch to blogs and blogging?
So it begs the question whether Twitter is delivering a one-two knock-out punch to blogs and blogging? My sense is Twitter is emerging as a vibrant alternative to bloggers and blog readers. Some bloggers who may find the grind of writing daily are now able to share their thoughts in quick bursts on Twitter, and still like they are contributing and cultivating their digital brands. Meanwhile, Twitter has become a quasi-RSS reader where people gain access to the information (news, blog posts, services) they see was valuable without having to visit blogs directly or use an RSS reader. Many of these people are using still blogs but perhaps not as actively.
Going back to blogging, I recently had a conversation with an entrepreneur who’s engrossed in getting a new service off the ground. For months, he’s been agonizing with having a blog as a marketing and content tool. After getting the idea he didn’t have the time or energy to blog, I told him to Twitter instead given he could deliver a value-added service when and if he had the time each day. It was as if I had taken a 1,000 pounds off his back by suggesting something so simple. This isn’t to suggest blogging is going into a death spiral but other tools are battling for attention that may address the needs of people who believed they had to blog. Truth be told, blogging isn’t for everyone - it can be a labour of love that takes time and energy with little in return (e.g. traffic, recognition, comments, cash) other than personal satisfaction. And blogs can also be difficult to keep up as a reader given content keeps on getting pumped out, especially from the leading bloggers who now employ teams of writers. This may go a long way in explaining why Twitter is traction.
# Says: January 26th, 2009 at 7:22 am Twitter +is+ blogging. # Mark Evans Says: January 26th, 2009 at 8:02 am Robert, You’re right, they both fall into the blog “camp” but I would suggest they’re different animals - sort of like SUVs vs. a Honda Civic - that appeal to different people for different reasons. # rob tyrie Says: January 26th, 2009 at 8:18 am Twitter can be messages that beg for the depth of blogs, video, mags or books depending on the need of the information of consumer. I use twitter to lead me to interesting things like blogs.What may be dead is the really short blog post. I don’t think that new media can replace an existing one, they just evolve. I think Twitter is like info-grease,it removes friction to other sources.
# # Joe D'Andrea Says: January 26th, 2009 at 9:15 am Your entrepreneur friend and my wife share similar stories. Nancy had been resisting blogging for her travel business - for years. I recently introduced her to Twitter as a way to dip her big toe in the blogging waters. It took some getting used to, but now she gets it! She microblogs regularly with travel tips and buzz. Meanwhile, she gets feedback and ideas for longer-form blog posts as dividends. # Patrick Moorhead Says: January 26th, 2009 at 9:36 am Twitter is an entry-way to blogs. Not everything can be communicated in 140 character bursts. FriendFeed is a potential disruptor to blogs. FF could really drive blogging mainstream, but once folks start their first FF blog and they want to add features, then they go to Blogger, Typepad or Wordpress. There just could be room for Tweeting, FF, and real blogs. This is just the natural evolutionary cycle of these things. Remember when folks said that “portals” were going to dominate and kill search engines? Well Google kinda proved that theory wrong. # AC Says: January 26th, 2009 at 9:53 am If there were as many available utilities for my blog as there are for Twitter I might answer “no” to the title of your post — but things like this? http://www.tweeteffect.com/index.php
# # Bill Doskoch Says: January 26th, 2009 at 10:29 am Scoble’s thought +is+ underdeveloped. Tyrie and Evans got it right. I have a blog, but the really quick-hit or stream-of-consciousness stuff now goes on Twitter almost exclusively. The speed of Twitter has changed how I perceive my blog. I tweeted the following on Jan. 7: “I suspect I’m not the only one to observe this, but my blog feels like a newspaper these days compared to Twitter. :)” Twitter also brings a lot more stuff flowing into me. Here’s another question I asked out loud on Jan. 14: “If my blog just becomes a repository of things I first saw from someone else on Twitter, will I have failed? :)”
