To Blog or Not to Blog

That Is the Question

And now there is a catchy tune to go with it!  Thanks to Todd Andrlik over at Todd And, he made us think (and hum) the rest of the day about this very question.

"The Attention Crash"

Steve Rubel of Micro Persuasion recently wrote two posts that address the current state of our information overload -- one being the effect, coined the "attention crash." Noting that the influx of Web 2.0 apps, broad and niche-based communities for social networking, communication channels make emerging technologies, like weblogs, seem more mainstream now where Twitter is fast becoming the new way to communicate -- in quicker, faster, shorter "bites." Luckily, in Rubel's post which raises the question is blogging starting to "wither,"  Rubel takes a healthy attitude towards the quickly shifting tides of "emerging, emerging techonologies" and embraces the notion that he is going to be a a multi-format contributor. I think even in the face of a serious "attention deficit dilemma" staying committed to blogging (and exploring all of the other formats available) is the smart and sane thing to do. Once the dust settles during this gold rush of communication, collaboration, and community, blogging, in my estimation, will still garner the attention of those who seek it.

"The Time:Investment Deficit"

There is no doubt as a content and community contributor, there is a committment you need to make to blogging if you want to be taken seriously. In a recent "in-depth article" posted by Jakob Nielsen, he advises bloggers to "avoid commodity status" and "demonstrate leadership."  Overall, his point boils down to don't "post quanity," but instead "author quality" content that provides value and expertise in an area. While we subscribe to this fundamental rule in blogging, what I feel is overlooked is the consideration that this does take time -- thoughtful and carved out time to invest and dedicate to this type of effort. Blogging fundamentally, to me, did not originate this way and offered the ability for "anyone" (expert to novice) to post with frequency about things that are timely and help engage others in further conversation.  In-depth articles, to me, fly in the face of this fundamental offering and cannot be spit out with the frequency that blogging affords us. I haven't posted at all this week partly due to my struggle with Nielsen's post. I agree with what he is saying in principle, I disagree that "in-depth" is the requirement for every blog post to be worthy in the blogosphere.

"The It's Already Been Said 1000 Times Dilemma"

Often times as I review my feeds, I see strands of thought or memes that set the tone for the day. It might be a timely news story, a great post, or something hot on the internet that everyone interprets and modifies to make it their own. In Nielsen's post he says "don't contribute to information pollution," which is really about articulating your message clearly and succinctly to be succesful on the Web (and screen reading, etc.) Connecting this back to Rubel's post on the attention crash, this is a good point. However, the beauty of the blogosphere is that everyone can have a say on things. Other than proper ettiquette to give credit where credit is due, the blogosphere allows people to "chat" with one another. It gave permission to be "real" (authentic was the word used most). Blogging opened up a new channel for people to read many viewpoints -- globablly even, on various topics. Blogging gives everyone and anyone the opportunity to "voice" their thoughts, opinions, pictures, video -- whatever. Additionally, it opened up people to respond, comment, trackback to engage and extend the conversation.

The Answer

When it comes to the question "to blog or not to blog," my feeling is this. If you are considering jumping into the blogosphere now, know that "there's a lot of us here blogging away." Some may say that we have reached a saturation point. Others may see this as a more stable medium now to try. Blogging requires committement and time. It is extremely rewarding in building bigger and better relationships than you may have had before. It's a great outlet for frequent communications and response. Blogging is a great channel to connect, communicate, correspond, and create community around.

While I have not met many of our favorite contributors in person, the blogosphere is filled with very generous, supportive, thought-provoking, inspiring, and smart people who take the time to reach out and offer something to think about. In my opinion, every blog post does not have to be in depth, to provoke new thinking. Every post does not have to be formally articulated to influence and innovate. Your posts do not have to be unique and ground-breaking every time to still be heard and appreciated.

Maybe my experience with blogging this year has been "rosy," but I have to say if you are faced with this question yourself personally or professionally, I say, talk to anyone with blog experience and they'll tell you to join us here, in the blogosphere.

And, now for that catchy tune...

Comments

[Marilyn]

That's a question I have asked myself over the past several years. For me, the biggest question is who am I blogging for? And the answer is really just me. It's great if I can entertain without re-spewing out pre-digested Web 2.0 content I've picked up on other blogs, but sometimes the best I can offer is posting my favorite Simpsons trailers. Great post Heather D!