Steve Rubel caused quite the stir last week when he proclaimed he was leaving blogging for lifestreaming and a focus on social networks – a stance he appears to have retreated on already.
Not surprisingly, it led to some people to wonder whether blogging is passe if a high-profile and well-known blogger is abandoning ship. Computer World’s Sharon Machlis opined that:
Blogging doesn’t necessarily feel over the hill to me, but it’s certainly not cutting edge or real-time anymore. It does feel slow compared to the more instant give and take of Twitter.
For people who have been blogging for awhile, the statement above is not a surprise given people immersed in the Web are always looking for new, shiny toys when they get tired of what’s in their digital toy boxes. There are many people who like the give and take of Twitter, but the reality Twitter takes far less time, effort or, frankly, thought.
But while blogging may not longer be seen as sexy, it’s still a powerful and effective platform for individuals and businesses. It’s a dynamic and interactive way to provide information, insight, explore ideas and talk about what’s going in your world or the world in general.
Blogs are also effective ways to build strong corporate and personal brands. For individuals such as myself, a blog is the new business card. It’s the place where clients, potential clients and people may be interested in my take on the world can quickly and easily get a sense of what I think.
When I started ME Consulting earlier this year, my blogging activity slowed because I was busy trying to meet people and do work. What I soon discovered is blogging is one of my most effective marketing tools, which made it clear that it wasn’t something I could back away from. This is why I would never follow Steve Rubel’s path.
My thoughts about blogging are shared by Brian Clark, who has built a large following and a solid business with Copyblogger.com. When talking about Rubel’s decision, Clark said:
The impact of Facebook and Twitter is a powerful trend that shouldn’t be dismissed (in fact, content creators should be using at least one of them). But the story remains the same: people who mainly want to socialize, share links, and post pictures of their cat should be using social networks instead of blogging, and that’s exactly what’s happening.
Those of us with different aspirations continue to blog, and smartly use social networking sites to promote our content while adding value in those venues. Whether you’re trying to build an online business, market your stuff, or promote a cause, those who seek maximum influence know that creating valuable longer content is the way to go.
I’m a disciple of Clark’s approach to blogging and social media. To me, blogging sits in the centre of my social media world. Twitter, Facebook, et al are powerful extensions but they’re different tools that complement but will not replace blogging.
Technorati Tags: blogs, steve rubel
2 Comments
Very well said Mark. Everything has a place, and blogs inherently provide the opportunity for a deeper level of quality, thought/opinion and information on whatever the topic happens to be. The quality and content of blogs will only get better as people make conscious decisions about where to spend time reading content versus using social app's to give and get sound bites.
I would agree that blogging can remain an effective tool. After all, I posted my thoughts on my blog
But if your needs are primarily informality, speed and crowdsourcing, blogging is not necessarily necessarily your best platform.
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