Comments on: Blogging Is Dying; Twitter Is to Blame

By: Is the written word dead? « Thoughts Along the Road…

Is the written word dead? « Thoughts Along the Road… — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:56:54 +0000

[...] say Twitter is to blame. But haven’t they just provided us with a tool, adapted to our hectic lifestyles? Many of us [...]

By: Gyncetenuen

Gyncetenuen — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:08:31 +0000

I follow your posts for a long time and should tell that your articles always prove to be of a high value and quality for readers.

By: Savar

Savar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:15:02 +0000

I wish Twitter would kill Jaffe’s blog.

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:18:13 +0000

Sorry but isn’t this blatantly obvious? And as for “legends in their own mind” I take it you are referring to yourself?

By: Final Expense Insurance

Final Expense Insurance — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:10:50 +0000

The Quick is the Enemy of The Good.
Or something very much like that. Consider the following:
Craigslist drives out classifieds.
Blogs drive out editorials.
Forums drive out face-to-face debate.
Emotional reaction drives out reasoned argument.
Quick is winning in our society, and that can’t be a good thing.

By: Shelley Lieber

Shelley Lieber — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:48:41 +0000

Please don’t stop blogging. This was so entertaining! And when you figure out how to stop the Twitter addiction that steals time and creative energy from your blog and other writing, please let me know! (My name is Shelley and I am a Twitterholic.)

By: gianandrea facchini

gianandrea facchini — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:14:14 +0000

I mostly agree with CK (better @CKsays…) opinion.
More, I think that Twitter is a great amplifier for blogs: most of the people uses it to spread blog posts. That’s why I believe that the two can go along together.
Then you may, one day, just share an opinion and use Twitter, and another day articulate in a longer post and use the blog.

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:02:45 +0000

We use it to get people to our blog – We’re a small wine shop, but we’re doing a lot on Facebook & Twitter – we just launched a promotion for someone to win a B&B Dream Vacation along the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday to see how very small “mom & pops” can use social media to get the sort of results that the big guys like Queensland and Goode are doing. We’ll see if people are as competitive to get a vacation as they are to get a job. More info here: http://whyineedabreak.ning.com

By: Chris Terschluse

Chris Terschluse — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:41:18 +0000

For me Twitter acts as a filtering system from which I can select from multiple sources of information and determine whether what is being posted is worth a good read. The short 140-character summaries serve the same purpose that an abstract might serve on a lengthy research report. I evaluate the information and decide whether I will find value by clicking through to access the extensive long-form thought.
Before I utilized Twitter, Google was my go-to source for scouring information, most of the time generating search results that led to editorials, news stories, and published information. While that’s all and good, now I can use Twitter to access information from thought-leaders, industry executives, CEOs, people you would normally pay good money to see speak at a conference or trade show.

By: Kevin Chan

Kevin Chan — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:56:24 +0000

I for one still love blogging. What was the reason to blog in the first place? It would be because it is more of a journal, and I still get a kick out of reading something I wrote a couple of years ago.
I do not want to look back on a tweet 2 years ago that had a one liner saying I went to work. Or even multiple tweets just to capture the events of the whole day, because of the word constraints.
Emails and instant messaging/ text messaging are the ones to blame for simplifying all words, generally to help you avoid typing too much, and to make you sound relevant.

By: Greg Linnemanstons

Greg Linnemanstons — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:49:05 +0000

If Twitter helps to siphon away those bloggers whose lack of talent makes them annoying wherever they’re writing, than thank you Twitter!
The reality is that Twitter makes it easier for good bloggers to be discovered and appreciated because it’s a communication accelerator. I read your post today because someone Tweeted it.
Blogging, like Public Radio, will never go away because it’s all about thoughtful conversations with people who actually understand an idea with some complexity. While Twitter for so many is the moron talking on their cell while negotiating rush hour traffic.

By: John Bottom

John Bottom — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:14:50 +0000

Joseph – your thoughts have got us all talking. Even on Twitter. Isn’t that proof that both can work for you together?
And the fact that we comment at all suggests a well-reasoned piece of more than 140 characters is still appealing to us. I feel like I’m signing a petition here! Keep up the good work and keep blogging!

By: CK

CK — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:11:00 +0000

Good stuff here.
Having been at this blogging thing for 3 years and at Twitter for under 2, I recently found my own “balance” with the two. And, oddly, the last couple months I’ve written some of the longest blog posts ever (ha!)
I’ve honestly found why I like each independently and how they complement one another–but most of the commenting on my posts happens on Twitter, which is just fine. But I have to say, for a solid 6 months there my blog was not getting the ‘love’ it should have as I was finding my footing on Twitter.
I don’t think blogs will die. Just like I don’t think books, networks or radio will die. But I do think people will find what fits them… just like they find what fits them on TV, on the radio and so forth. We allot our time to that which brings us value, both professionally and personally. Simple as that, really.
PS: I should also note that I have different communities on Twitter than on blogs, there is some crossover but that’s been a huge benefit to using both platforms.

By: Alain

Alain — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:03:50 +0000

I think Joe never got over the fact he was so busy talking about Second Life that he missed the beginning of the Twitter bandwagon.

By: Free Email Marketing

Free Email Marketing — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:32:14 +0000

Twitter is like a breath of fresh air on the Social Media scene. I have been on it for just a few weeks now and I have met several interesting people. It is a platform to network with people you would like to meet in real life.
KZ

By: Joseph Jaffe

Joseph Jaffe — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:23:23 +0000

The funny thing is this isn’t really even a post per se. Certainly if you look at the average length of what is considered to be a “blog post” versus “magazine article” (the original purpose of this piece)
Even though I wrote it somewhat tongue in cheek in an irreverent and self-deprecating manner, it is filled with several intriguing thoughts and very real concerns.
I’m glad it’s resonating with so many people

By: Catherine Maino

Catherine Maino — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:14:15 +0000

I agree that keeping up with twitter, blogging, Facebook and Linkedin is a struggle. I work full time and it can most certainly be consuming! More tools are coming out that sync some of these together for ease of maintenance…but not enough or fast enough. I do think Twitter has been an awesome tool to connect me with those of interest around me. I wouldn’t want to give any of them up…but working full time AND trying to keep up…I need a nap!

By: Dave Pool

Dave Pool — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:10:51 +0000

All things are relative, I guess. There’s pressure on bloggers to “keep it short!” As a result, I find lots of blog posts to be very shallow. Often, they just raise a question (that had already been raised) and leave it at that with no real exploration of the issues.
Perhaps the real reason that blogging is slowing down is a growing realization of the nugget of truth to be found in the line “Everything has already been said…just not everyone has said it yet.”

By: Darrell Pruitt

Darrell Pruitt — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:47:05 +0000

I am exploring ways of using Twitter alongside blogging – aggressively playing one off the other to demand accountability from bureaucrats such as insurance CEOs. If an insurance company, or any other traditional command-and-control entity, ventures onto Twitter, insensitivity to consumers is easily exposed by anyone who can effectively express a legitimate complaint. Insurance CEO are naturally easy targets.
In the future, those who can hold an audience’s attention will be the most effective in promoting improvements in society. You know what this means?
English majors will run the nation. Now that’s scary.
D. Kellus Pruitt aka, “Proots”

By: Linn

Linn — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:30:42 +0000

Ahh, this age of meta-twittering… frankly, it’s exhausting
Someone rambled on about how “only 10 % of social media users understand Twitter” and that that should say something about the quality of Twitter as a tool…
I think you’re on to something – blame yourself
We should all blame ourselves for being stupid and ignorant and not stating the purpose of why we do stuff before we do it.
Someone tweeted the link to your post – that’s why I use twitter – instant RSS from all over.
The biggest reason I don’t think blogging is threatened by Twitter – it’s blog post marketing in 140 characters.
People who tweet “oh, just saw a bird” could maybe use a purpose in life – and I thank GOD for Twitter keeping those guys from blogging!

By: Rob Murray

Rob Murray — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:27:15 +0000

Well I blog and I tweet and I find the two serve completely different purposes. They are more synergetic that competitive. My Twitter promotes my latest blog post and my blog allows people to follow me on Twitter.
Twitter is by no means a replacement for a blog. How can you present a detailed argument or article in 140 characters? You can’t. I certainly wouldn’t call Twitter the enemy. It opens my eyes (and web browser) to loads of different sites/articles/news every day. I found this blog through a Twitter post. The irony?
I do however agree that Twitter does dumb things down to a certain extent. And Tweetdeck certainly is distracting!

By: WendyB

WendyB — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:15:48 +0000

Great post that articulates (in more than 140 characters) something I have been struggling with since I started Tweeting. IMHO, there is a DIRECT correlation to the uptake of Twitter and the reduction in blog posts. I Tweet, therefore my blog suffers. I like Twitter, but I agree it’s dangerous to reduce all thoughts to a mere sentence or two. Thanks for inspiring me to do better. And to (macro)blog more.

By: Tara Meyer-Robson

Tara Meyer-Robson — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:11:26 +0000

I really liked this post – and I, too, have been watching as the world – and our collective attention span – has become shorter and shorter, which saddens me.
While there is a wonderful place for Twitter – I personally love it and have found great info on it – I also know the great pleasure of reading an incredible book, and then savoring it for a while as I ponder it.
There will be no time that any tweet will be as rich and inspiring as, say, Whitman’s Leaves of Grass or, my most recent delightful find, Jasper Fforde’s “Tuesday Next” series.
As an author myself – and one who works on crafting the best words to create the very best book – it is definitely something that I think about a lot.
Thanks for the interesting post today – keep up the great work! ) Tara Meyer-Robson

By: David Reich

David Reich — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:32:18 +0000

Joe, I like this post. I’ve been struggling withTwitter myself (http://reichcomm.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/05/i-wrote-this-post-more-than-a-week-ago-but-hesitated-putting-it-up-i-know-some-of-my-readers-and-online-friends-swear-by-tw.html), giving it a try because of all the buzz and because some blogging friends swear by it.
I can see the benefits of Twitter, but I think they may be outweighed for many people by the negatives — the biggest being it’s an incredible time-drain. And I don’t need to know everytime someone I follow is having a cup of coffee or on their way out to the deli.
I’ve been noticing a drop-off in blogging for while — before Twitter became the in thing. Blogging requires thought and time and the ability to put words together in more than 140-character sequences.
The blog drop-off is probably a normal housecleaning of those who are serious and have something to say and others who saw it simply as a new fun thing. Having fewer blogs or fewer posts isn’t at all bad, if what’s left has real value.

By: Sonny Gill

Sonny Gill — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:16:44 +0000

I thought about this the other day as Facebook launched their vanity URL feature and the mad gold rush was afoot. These social tools are fun and great to use on a daily basis but they all don’t last forever. Yes, Twitter is not going to last forever, sorry.
What can though is your blog. It’s a platform where you can feel pretty confident that it won’t go anywhere (unless you don’t pay your hosting provider). It’s the platform where we’ve built a community of loyal readers, not for 140 characters worth, but for a thought-provoking multi-paragraphed post that has us chewing on our own thoughts and subsequent post.
That’s where the real growth occurs IMO. Where we, as hyper-connected conversationalists, can showcase are full thoughts and ideas, for the world to see & read…and also not having to wait until the fail whale is gone or servers are back up for these other social platforms.
With our blogs, at least we have a say as to how long it will stay alive in this online world.

By: Spanish Nick

Spanish Nick — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:25:42 +0000

Surely there is room for both, we use twitter to point clients to our blogs, new pages and pr release and other points of interests so I see Blogs and Twitter working together. Ive always seen blogs as a bit of ranting platform. If Google didnt pay much credence to blogs how many people would actually reply to blogs? however on this subject I look forward to the replies because it does effect our business, you know when people like Sky sports say follow us on twitter you ignore twitter at your peril