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Recently, RockDog - one of my first readers and someone that I've read and followed since I started blogging - brought up that he might be leaving Blogger.
A moment of silence please ... OK ... I think I can continue now ...
In his recent post, Changes; are they coming or are they here?, he writes:
Jay, in his devious ways, introduced me to Twitter, and more recently Plinky.
For those of youliving under a rock who might not be familiar with these two sites, Twitter allows you to announce every time you use the bathroom your daily activities. In other words, it allows people stalk you from afar. I tried to Twitter, but I just can't seem to get in the habit of updating with any regularity. Seriously! Who cares if I'm headed to the grocery store? And if you do care, why?
Plinky is a little different. I'm guessing this will be the new "thing" on Blogger *shudders in disgust* Plinky advertises itself as:
Of course, there are literally hundreds of social networking sites. Wikipedia lists some of the major social networking sites HERE - most of them I've never even heard of!
I can't finish thisrant discussion on social networking without mentioning Facebook and MySpace.
I have a MySpace account only because I need to keep tabs on my son's MySpace page. There have been a few times when someone that I want to follow moves over to MySpace. Y'all know what happens then, right? In order to view a MySpace page, you must create an account. Nothing irritates me more than being required to put my information out there so that I can access content.
Facebook? I actually attempted to set up a page and keep it updated, but I just don't see the draw. I logged in this morning and had the following "requests":
Maybe it's because I'm not attempting to market myself. I blog as a creative outlet - the bonus for me has been a bit of social networking. I read blogs to gain insight into people and subject matter, not to get my name out there so that I can increase readership.
Maybe it's that I really despise trends and wonder about the sanity of those that flitter from one thing to another without ever giving anything their full efforts.
Or maybe I thrive on content. Not content like "Describe Superhero You," but content that requires actual thought and cohesive writing - skills that social networking doesn't even come close to fostering.
Don't even get me started on the censorship aspect of the social networking sites. If I had to chose a single reason that I'll never go - exclusively - to the social networking dark side, it would be censorship.
Tell me what you think - is Blogger (and blogging in general) a dying art? Will I be eating my words 6 months from now and bestowing the virtues of Facebook and MySpace? Where do you think you'll land?
A moment of silence please ... OK ... I think I can continue now ...
In his recent post, Changes; are they coming or are they here?, he writes:
My theory on this is that with social networking being the new in thing, that people are still blogging, but doing it in one place ... the same place where you can view their pictures/videos, get status updates, etc.No! Please!! Say it isn't so!!
A place like Facebook.
Jay, in his devious ways, introduced me to Twitter, and more recently Plinky.
For those of you
Plinky is a little different. I'm guessing this will be the new "thing" on Blogger *shudders in disgust* Plinky advertises itself as:
... a service that makes it easy for you to create inspired content on the web. Every day we provide a new prompt (like a question, or a challenge). Everyone gets a chance to answer. It’s simple to add photos, maps, playlists and more. You can easily share your Plinky answers on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and most major blogging services.Really? Inspired content? Today's prompt was, "Describe superhero you." If that is inspiration, please don't inspire me!
Of course, there are literally hundreds of social networking sites. Wikipedia lists some of the major social networking sites HERE - most of them I've never even heard of!
I can't finish this
I have a MySpace account only because I need to keep tabs on my son's MySpace page. There have been a few times when someone that I want to follow moves over to MySpace. Y'all know what happens then, right? In order to view a MySpace page, you must create an account. Nothing irritates me more than being required to put my information out there so that I can access content.
Facebook? I actually attempted to set up a page and keep it updated, but I just don't see the draw. I logged in this morning and had the following "requests":
* 1 friend requestReally? Y'all want me to answer all of these things? You actually care? I don't ...
* 2 good karma from XXXX requests
* 1 XXXX circle of request
* 1 birthday request
* 3 drinking requests
* 1 XXXX request
* 1 XXXX has a invitation
* 3 xmas stocking requests
* 2 birthday requests
* 1 free gift (new) request
* 1 birthday request
* 1 christmas decoration request
* 1 (lil) green patch request
* 1 christmas ornament request
* 1 mob wars invitation
* 1 (lil) blue cove request
* 1 nicest person request
Maybe it's because I'm not attempting to market myself. I blog as a creative outlet - the bonus for me has been a bit of social networking. I read blogs to gain insight into people and subject matter, not to get my name out there so that I can increase readership.
Maybe it's that I really despise trends and wonder about the sanity of those that flitter from one thing to another without ever giving anything their full efforts.
Or maybe I thrive on content. Not content like "Describe Superhero You," but content that requires actual thought and cohesive writing - skills that social networking doesn't even come close to fostering.
Don't even get me started on the censorship aspect of the social networking sites. If I had to chose a single reason that I'll never go - exclusively - to the social networking dark side, it would be censorship.
Tell me what you think - is Blogger (and blogging in general) a dying art? Will I be eating my words 6 months from now and bestowing the virtues of Facebook and MySpace? Where do you think you'll land?
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36 comments:
you all can go off and twitter(been there done that) or plink or whatever floats you but I am staying right here, I have a facebook and have had it forever - I only use it to keep in contact with a couple people when e mail fails, I have a myspace that has cobwebs and that is to keep in touch with some family members - I have plaxo pulse that signed me up somehow - something tells me that I will have whatever comes out....but I will not stop blogging.
Hmm...
I tried twitter as well, after an invite from another blogger, actually. Like you, I could never get into it. It seems incredibly narcissistic of me to think that people would care about all the little things I do during the day.
I do use and enjoy Facebook however. ASM and I have reconnected with a number of old friends that way.
Plinky sounds like endless memes to me. Sure, I like some memes, but blog content consisting of exclusively that? No thanks...
I don't think Blogger is dieing (even though I moved to Wordpress!). Bloggers come and bloggers go, but I suspect that the 'art' of blogging will continue
I use Facebook to keep up with my gigantic family and a few friends. Myspace to keep up with my friends. And blogger to well, blog.
Frankly, I don't want my worlds colliding any more than they already have.
I've found that joining all kinds of networking sites just makes me tired and less fun to blog about. It's hard enough to sound interesting on Blogger. But now I gotta send people shit on Facebook and put a cute little saying in Myspace, not to mention loading new pictures on Flickr with an update on Twitter... Wait what's that smell? Oh yeah. I'm burning the coffee pot, IN REAL LIFE. ;)
Don't worry about Myspace. I'm pretty sure it's already on the way out. I think it's allowance for creativity bothered people and they all went to facebook where you can send endless annoying applications. I have wrist cramps from clicking ignore so frequently. I refuse to even look at those other sites. I have too many online addictions as it is.
Good Morning Dana,
A dying art, I don't think so. Blogging gives you a level of control and possibly a level of comfort that you would'nt get from the other networking sites.
Blogs were started by the youngsters. They moved on to what fit their lifestyles better. Their parents found blogging much more suited to their needs. When everyone I know goes to something else, I might. For now, this works fine for me.
my guess is that google (and maybe wordpress)will enhance blogger to keep us interested...and will merge with other applications owned by them.
my "kids" (27g,21g,18b) started at myspace and then added facebook...so I started pages just to keep an eye. (my cameron defriended me when he turned 18 - ha!)
my space is just about unused by us. I visit facebook about once a day as I have cousins/aunts/uncles who are on there...and several high school friends who have found me.
The real drag is that the cross over from the weblog to facebook blows any hope of anonymity with out being very very careful.
I agree with Knight. I think Myspace is dying away. Facebook seems to be the real mover in this area. I like FB only because it's much more "real". Blogging allows for much more anonymity.
Your "requests" are much like mine, though most of mine are double-digit, and even one triple digit. It's really the one thing I dislike about FB.
I'll admit that I sort of like reading Twitter updates on those sites that have them in their sidebar, but only for a handful of bloggers. I just can't work up the excitement to do it myself.
I can't stand it all.
To be honest, I let my wife deal.
She's the one with the facebook and myspace. She's the one who has to snoop around, and find out who's doing what, and with whom, and why.
Me?
I sit here and write, and I check my email.
I really don't consider blogging an artform, myself.
I consider my blogging a cheap form of self-therapy instead!
After all, I talk about things as they relate to me, not about art, or food, or social status, or politics, or anything else not relevant to my personal life.
Keep Twitter, FB, MySpace, etc. I'll keep blogging, and maybe be one of the few who keep this old Blogger live long after it should have been put out to pasture!
I'm liking twitter so far - I follow libraries - I can see what other librarians are doing, it gives me ideas and it helps me feel connected in a distant sense. I have a facebook but I don't get all those "requests" which to me, seem like nothing more than pushing buttons. But, it keeps me connected with family and we can share photos etc. I think of those differently than I think of blogging. I'm not a great blogger, and I know that I must blog MORE if I want to get better at it - right. Yes, un huh.
Twitter...not a chance
plinky...see above
myspace...nah
facebook, I actually just signed up last week because some non-blogging friends were on it and I wanted to catch up..but everyday I get these invites, requests, questions...etc etc..
funny you wrote about this today, because this morning someone wrote on my 'wall' (WTF is a wall- I am so illiterate when it comes to facebook) their messgae was 'you know you have to write on this every once in a while'
I don't have to do anything! if I post something on my facebook page, I do..if I don't, I don't...
I enjoy blogging whether I get one comment or 200 comments like some get...
If I leave blogger it will be to go to my own url, but other than that I will stay a blogger and let others take over the cyberwaves.
I'm with you on the whole Facebook thing.. I do not want to maintain some fish pond.. I do not want to be kidnapped.. I do not want to be poked.. Online, anyway!! :):):)
I could only hope that blogger is a dying art! I personally LOVE myspace...can't stand facebook. There is a big difference between myspace and blogger (and I am saying this to defend myself as I know it will be questions). I use Myspace to keep in touch with my FRIENDS and family. I don't have one person on there that I didnt know before I started myspace. If someone wants to add me that I don't know, I decline....Anyway, I dont think I need to say more...you all know my stand point!
DB, like you, I have Twitter, Plinky, MySpace and FaceBook, but blogging is where my heart is.
Hubman, maybe my issue is that I don't have this "stash" of old friends. I am quite picky about the differentiation between friends and acquaintances and would rather be obscure to people who think they no me.
RLL, you happen to be one of the handful of "friends" I have on FaceBook, but I believe you are one of only two bloggers who have any contact with me there. I like to keep those worlds separate.
Tink, that's part of my issue as well - where do people find the time to actually interact with other ... PEOPLE!
Knight, my greatest concern with FaceBook is the censorship. It's not somewhere that I could ever feel comfortable being creative.
Karl, blogging does offer far more control, doesn't it?!
Buff, do you think part of the demise of the younger set in blogging is the work it requires to do it well? It seems to me that many of the social networking sites are so structured they allow to add "content" without really adding anything worth value.
Kat, I do have a few family members as friends on my FaceBook account, but have to be extremely careful with the information I post to avoid that cross-contamination you speak of.
Os, what? Are you throwing your overwhelming popularity (and my lack of) in my face? *wink* I don't know about real - there seem to be just as many "phonies" out on FaceBook as there are on Blogger.
Jorm, I have found there tends to be far more "drama" on FaceBook and MySpace - maybe because it is so much easier to get into everyone's business.
Lee, I have heard there is another side to Twitter - where one follows agencies/groups rather than individuals. That might not be so bad ...
Bond, I'm with you on this one - I'll stay a blogger. I'm not looking to promote myself, or to base my worth on the number of friends I have, so Blogger it remains!
Just me, yep! Please - leave all of those silly applications on FaceBook! Blogger has added enough gimmicks as it is (speaking of which I think I might do away with my "followers" widget)
Gottaluvme3, interesting that your preference is MySpace. I know you aren't quite 30 yet, but my observation was that MySpace is more of an under 30 (including the young kids) kind of social network. I do find it curious that you take issue with blogger when you are so active with MySpace. They really are quite similar - just different platforms!
Facebook to me is like Yahoo Instant Messanger with little applications that allow you to spam folks. I admit to being totally addicted to Flair.
I never remember to twitter. I just space it. Blogging to me is something you do if you want to do more than just annouce you are washing dishes. It implies, at least to me, a level of writing that should go beyond instant messaging =)
I blog as a creative outlet as well. It's a place to put my thoughts, opinions, vents, etc. I have made some *great* friendships and it's opened up many new paths for me.
That said. I do have a FB account. And I do love it. It's a place for me to be *me* (no screen name, no hiding my children's names or where I live, etc) and stay connected with my *close* friends and family. I keep a fairly small number of contacts/friends. I'm not striving to have 'the most amount of friends I can find'.
The majority of my good/close friends live out of state. This is a fun, great way to keep in touch with them on a regular basis.
My mom and I aren't the 'closest', but we have both found that since convincing her to join FB we actually know more about what each other is up to then before. (poss. sad I know, but it is what is it)
I *REALLY* hope FB or Twitter (which I personally could never get into, I don't have the TIME for something like that) or any of those other 'social networking' places don't replace blogging. It never would for me. And I certainly don't have plans to combine the two.
I want to clarify-
I don't want or plan to combine my blogging world with my FB world. Like what RLL- I don't want my worlds colliding in that manner. :)
To show my geekiness for a moment, blogging and Facebook are two separate platforms for separate purposes.
Facebook, Classmates, MySpace, LinkedIn are all meant to reconnect with people in order to share information. It is a canned application that allows these people-driven communities to form as connections are made. This is true social networking.
Blogging is creating content over time where anyone can find and comment on it. It is meant to give a voice to a person in a manner that is as anonymous as the person wants it to be. Content is up to the author(s) and may or may not be around a theme. It is about making connections, not with people you know, but with people who have an interest in what is being written. While there are social aspects to blogging, it is not like social networking.
Both platforms make up part of what is referred to in the tech biz as Web 2.0, but it is like calling a romance novel and a great written work fiction. Yes, they are fiction, but very different genres that fulfill different needs within a reader.
Someone saying that the social networking will replace blogging may be personally looking for some connection that blogging itself is not meant to fulfill. That's not a criticism, but an observation.
I'm with you, Dana; anybody else can do whatever they want, but I'll still be here blogging. I have a Myspace, that was strictly to communicate with certain people, and that's all I ever did with it; haven't been on it for ages. I started a Facebook at the urging of a few of my blogging friends, but I've never gotten into it. Every now and then I'll sign on and IM for a while with one of them, but it's nothing like blogging. Blogging is something I do just for me, and the friends I've found and made are a bonus. Take all of that away and I'd still blog. Facebook seems more like an instant gratification, on-the-surface type of thing. Maybe it's good for when I'm having a short attention span day ;).
My vote goes to blogging. I'm just sayin.
*sigh* I've had my blog for five years, and for five years I've rambled on about my life and random things because I enjoy it. My readers come and go. A lot of them just straight up leave the blogworld for lack of topics to write about. To me, those are the people who started blogging to join a new trend. I believe if you love to journal, write, and express yourself through your blog, then blogging doesn't tend to be a "phase" for you.
I'm on Myspace & Facebook, which I use only to keep in touch with new and old friends. I can't get into Twitter either. And I love hitting the IGNORE ALL REQUESTS button on Facebook. Ahhh...
I dont think you can really put an age on Myspace users. My mom and aunt both have myspace and they are in their 50's. It also depends on the age on what you are using it for. The younger crowd my use it to meet people, and the older crowd uses it to keep in contact with family and friends. (I am in the older crowd). Blogger is used to talk/meet people you have never met before...has nothing to do with keeping in contact with others. They are VERY different in my opinion.
I have already abandoned MySpace and Facebook for Blogger. Even announced it on those two. Don't care. I'd rather write and explore things. So, I totally get it.
I have a myspace I rarely use. I have a facebook I use a lot! I don't answer those stupid requests though. Just the friend ones. After a 100 it deletes them off I think.
I like my wordpress blog best. Blogger for HNT. ;)
I don't blog on FB or Myspace. I don't want my deep, personal thoughts out there w/ my friends from real life and old classmates and shit.
Starlight, I'm not even going to look at Flair ... nope!
Vixen, you know, you bring up a very good point. One that my "transient" lifestyle is often missing. Other than family (and as an only child I have a very small one), seldom do I stay anywhere long enough to put down roots and develop friendships like those you speak of.
Emmy! Stop being so literal *wink* I know - completely different platforms (in the IT sense) - I was just speaking generally, as in they are all places to connect with others at some level.
kim-d, I do believe that FaceBook and MySpace are geared towards immediate gratification.
Doomed, if I'm forced to switch to FaceBook I guarantee there will be no more HNT's!
Random, I would say that is true. My love of writing is what keeps me blogging, and what will continue to keep me blogging!
Oh but Dana it is soooo cute! And addicting!
gottaluvme3, just as I may have lumped all users of FaceBook and MySpace into a less than accurate lump, I think you may be doing the same with blogger. In all honesty, *I* don't know a single blogger who started blogging to meet new people - that just isn't the nature of blogging. It's far more about self-expression and self-exploration.
NV, yes, you do get it!
FF, from what I understand, FaceBook has added a blogging component. Nope! Not even going there ...
I am still new to blogging but I have been on "Myspace" less and less since i started writing here. My sister insisted I have one, she is wanting to keep tabs on me I guess. Most of my "Myspace" was the blogging anyway. I just moved it here.
Sorry I'm so late for the party!...fashionably late that is! LOL
Anyway, obviously there are annoying traits in every system and none of them are "one size fits all".
Towards the end of last year I saw a LOT of bloggers drop off the face and while that is part of the blogger life cycle, it also seemed to happen more then it did in previous years...or that was my impression anyway.
trust me this is going somewhere. LOL
I was feeling the same way, bloggin was boring and myspace was too "kiddie" and spam filled for my taste.
I hated Facebook when I started, but have grown to love it. It seems more personal and fits what it is that I am trying to do. Again, it's not for everyone. But more than that is that in encompasses the new trend in computing and that is having everything in one place on the web...and that truly fits into my lifestyle at the moment.
I will probably keep my Blogger.com blog simply because I can post adult content there with little to worry about. Facebook has a "No Nipples" rule and is not the place for my Porn Snobbery lessons. LOL
I also have a Tumblr account which is 100% family oriented. Videos/pictures/blogs all about the family.
Blogger & Tumblr rarely get updated though.
Anyway, Dana, thank you for posting your views. I always love what you have to say and respect the way you do it!
:D
I have oodles and oodles of different requests just sitting there on Facebook. I don't do most of them. If I get one more Little Green Patch request I'm going to hit somebody. But, I don't really care about that. I can interact with and keep up with people on Facebook and Twitter much easier than on blogs even.
The blog and Facebook/Twitter are separate though. Although I want to use both as a way to connect with people, I can keep a running conversation going with people on Facebook or Twitter much easier.
But, I don't use the "social media" as a marketing tool like a lot of people do.
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