Is blogging dead? Do you blog less than you used to? Are you spending the majority of your time using sites like Twitter and Facebook? I’ve tried to integrate social media with this site so I’m not stuck in 2005, but I don’t get much out of Twitter and Facebook except tips for stuff to blog about, cute pictures of babies, and an occasional cool music video. What do you think?
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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Social media allows people to promote articles and educate people outside of the Mainstream. I think that’s very important. As I said in a previous thread that Steven started, I’ve had a lot of people come up to me, personally, saying that something I posted changed the way they look at the world. I didn’t even do anything. Just provide 400 characters of commentary, post a link, and bam…easily 40 or so comments and a bunch of people start reading.
Some probably get annoyed, but what else is social media to be used for? I don’t care that you walked your dog today; who gives a shit? However, I think it’s integral to the future of news, and I’ve tried using it for that purpose.
As a matter of fact, without posting news and such on my profile — and occasionally trolling conservatives on my pseudonym out of boredom — I see no real purpose for social media other than keeping track of my connections and events. There’s organizational tools and activism, too, but that’s part of the news aspect imo.
Blogging is not dead… or even dying. I don’t Twitter and don’t understand the appeal of it. I do get a lot of information and stimulation from Facebook though. “Tips for stuff to blog about” is not invaluable to you. And no one should ever get tired of cuteness; it would be bad for your mental health. 😉
I read blogs more than ever. There is a lot going on and I like to read what people think about these things.
Twitter has it’s place for short messages. I don’t like Facebook and don’t use it.
even before I burnt out on blogging, facebook began to take time away from my longer pieces. this is because I have more FB friends than readers and I can get more impact from a well-timed link and comment at FB than I do at my place. It’s almost like being atrios: I post a link and a remark, and my friends (and often their friends) do the rest, re-posting, commenting, and starting their own discussions.
I find myself troubled by my lack of longer pieces, but I very much like the responsiveness of FB.
Are you on Twitter? If you are .. it doesn’t appear you use the name of your blog 🙁
nah, i don’t twitter.
the word “twit” is off-putting, “twits who tweet” more so.
I’ve definitely been blogging less the past couple of years. Part of it has to do with Twitter & Facebook, the other side is the increased responsibilities at the day job that doesn’t allow me to follow things online like I did from 2004-2009ish.
Blogging has changed somewhat due to an increasing number of writers who commit acts of journalism rather than just editorializing.
In Oklahoma, Facebook has been a great help with organizing and promoting events and campaigns. That’s all I use it for. As for blogging, I was always a sporadic blogger, so hard to compare, but FB does allow me to reach more people. And when I meet them in person, I get comments about how my content there is interesting and helpful, so I keep doing it.
I read just as many blogs but post mostly fluff pieces. It’s a distant memory but there was a time when I made the rec list (here and dkos) for actual substantive posts.
FB is great for spreading links and such but there is so much crap to weed through. I use Twitter only when there is something worth tweeting, and that’s not often.
actually i think twitter has made blogging more important than ever. weirdly, its twitter that is making our TV’s irrelevant. With my twitter feed I can get breaking news from my preferred venues AND analysis from my favorite reporters/analysts/writers/philospohers/friends. It makes TV as primitive as radio is to TV. And its weirdly empowering, as I control my filter of news/analsysis from millions of options, unlike TV which is like 5 channels.
Both FB & Twitter have been very handy the last few days in conjunction with the union activities here & in Madison. I picked it up from the new poli-sci grads I was working with last year. Still much prefer the blogs for substance though. If you want tweets about the Madison protests, check #wiunion.
Interesting discussion. I haven’t found a use for Twitter yet, but then maybe I’m not trying hard enough. Facebook, on the other hand, is great for keeping up with friends and family and I always post links to my blogs there. In fact I may start doing my blogging there as well in an attempt to reach a wider audience.
In a weird way Facebook narrows the gap between the real and cyber worlds in that I am more likely to connect with people I also know in real life. It’s a great organising tool for events and campaigns which again heightens its real world impact.
Blogging as an isolated process of analysis may be dying just a little, but the real world impact of bloggers is increasing all the time.
As much as anything, Twitter functions as an instantaneous ratings guide.
I’m not signed up for Twitter,and I visit my facebook page probably once a month. All about the blog.
I’m still reading a lot, and commenting almost as much as before, but not writing much. I put that down to working more in 2010 (and reviving two of my old bands)–working longer and with more responsibilities than before (hooray for middle management). I have lots of ideas to write about but haven’t pulled the trigger. Ammo is being used for other creative endeavors–and I gotta say that band beats blog any day of the week.
Oh and I do use Facebook and Twitter a lot.
Twitter is great for updates on breaking news stories (though you have to be careful about verification when possible); otherwise I’m not sure it’s even possible to communicate an idea, let alone justify it, in 140 characters, and I have no use for it. I do not care whether you just did a #1 or #2, and that applies to FB as well.
FB you have to wade through a lot of crap, but it can be useful for events & organizing, for discussions among tagged folks (similar to instant listserves), and for connecting with acquaintances or long-lost friends. It’s a different audience, for the most part, than blogging or my print work.
Neither Twitter or FB is in any way a replacement for blogging, whether it’s just opinion or acts of journalism. I find it just as vital as ever, and as circumstances change and some of the early voices of the blogosphere burn out or move on, other talented folks are coming along to replace them. Plus, the world of bloggers, especially political bloggers, is not nearly as uniformly white and male as it was five years ago, which is a very good thing.
Blogs, social network sites, and micro-blogs have different uses for which they excel. Blogs are increasingly long-form articles plus comments. They can be useful for serious discussions, but are not good for coordinating action. Social media can distribute information virally rapidly in multiple media forms. Microblogging is the new social news reporting medium.
We have not seen these used effectively in US politics, but they have been very effective when the normal media is state-controlled, or there is repression of communication and news coverage.
I am blogging about the same amount, largely driven by news events.
following fewer blogs now than did a few years back, I appreciate the value of twitter and occasionally follow some of it in situations such as WI now, Egypt, etc but actually not much. was on FB for a while some years back but no longer, just don’t have time though I recognize it’s value for keeping up w. friends and for organizing.
Speaking for myself, I couldn’t continue blogging at a high level while working full-time at a demanding job nd deal with personal things. I wish I had the time to develop sources and keep up with events. I did pretty well at it for from ’05 through the summer of ’09 – fueled by opposition to Bush and the early months of the Obama administration. Now I mostly lurk at blogs I respect and otherwise consume and disseminate the news as best I can.
I’m the same way. I used to blog a lot as Wulingren at The Mandate of Heaven when I was living in Taiwan. Now I’m mainly a lurker and occasional commenter. Facebook is a good place to post articles and videos to share with friends and acquaintances. Occasionally interesting conversations erupt there.
I think Nicholas Kristof has been an interesting presence on Facebook lately.
Wulingren! I remember you! Good to see you here!
I’ve almost completely given up blogging in favor of Twitter and Facebook, though I still keep an eye on a couple of blogs. Social media turns out to be a much better way for me to reach the readers and fans of my books. It allows me to connect directly and to keep interest high by talking about the work in progress and doing little snippets of micro-fiction. It also lets me keep in touch with my professional community (science fiction and fantasy authors), as well as old friends and family, in a way that blogging simply didn’t.
Twitter gives me a headache. BUT, yes, blogging is not what it used to be.
Maybe because most people now just want the facts, and less commentary. Most of us can think for ourselves and want to come to own conclusions. And as for friendships, FB is better.
And for obviously reasons it’s hard for me to mix friendships with politics. I want to see real change in the ME, more than making friends. It’s never been making friends for me.
Though, people like Dessert Peace or Weiss I’d open my home for any day. Their bravery knows no bounds.
I’m not a huge fan of social media. I do use Facebook to promote my website, QueerReader.com. And I have noticed a distinct drop off in comments there. Apparently people are content to comment at Facebook. That’s okay, because more people are visiting my site.