Don’t have a blog? Don’t bother starting one.
Go Twitter, Facebook or Flickr.
This from Wired Magazine correspondent Paul Boutin in a recent post.
“Writing a weblog today isn’t the bright idea it was four years ago. The blogosphere, once a freshwater oasis of folksy self-expression and clever thought, has been flooded by a tsunami of paid bilge. Cut-rate journalists and underground marketing campaigns now drown out the authentic voices of amateur wordsmiths. It’s almost impossible to get noticed, except by hecklers. And why bother? The time it takes to craft sharp, witty blog prose is better spent expressing yourself on Flickr, Facebook, or Twitter.”
The time-cost factor isn’t his only argument for discouraging blogging. Professional blogging sites, he says, have hurt the singular model of blogs.
“Scroll down Technorati’s list of the top 100 blogs and you’ll find personal sites have been shoved aside by professional ones. Most are essentially online magazines: The Huffington Post. Engadget. TreeHugger. A stand-alone commentator can’t keep up with a team of pro writers cranking out up to 30 posts a day.”
I tend to agree with Mathew Wingram’s view on Boutin’s post:
“Facebook and Twitter are probably enough for many people. Not writing at all is enough for many people. But why does it have to be all or nothing?”
People use blogs, Twitter, Flickr and Facebook for all kinds of reasons. Each of us in MCDM have a blog to post social media-related thoughts and findings. I update my Facebook status like crazy because it keeps me connected to my homies in Kansas and beyond. I Flickr to show my mom what I’m experiencing in Seattle.
For a lot of bloggers, posting is an easy way to publish — the ONLY way we can publish — to be heard, to be seen. Do we all expect — or desire — to be at the top of Google search rankings? Sha, I’ll take it, if it happens. But it’s not my only aspiration. What happened to writing to inspire creativity, for yourself and others reading, even if it is just your classmates?
Also posted at FlipTheMedia.com
