Remember Blogging and Podcasting

cobwebs Some days, it feels like more and more people have abandoned their regular blogs and podcasts and have run off to tools like Twitter and Friendfeed. I just stopped by a friend’s blog, worried that I had a bad RSS subscription, only to discover that he hadn’t blogged since June. Another of my friends only blogs Twitter links now. What happened? Why are all the bloggers and podcasters going to Twitter or Seesmic or other temporal moment-in-time platforms?

One reason is that products like Twitter and Seesmic and uStream.tv all give us even faster, simpler conversations. We don’t have to synthesize information, compose a position, and build a post. Instead, we can talk back and forth about things we like. Another reason is that the feedback loop is so much tighter when doing a ping pong game of ideas instead of the blogger-to-comments model.

But wow. I sure miss you bloggers and podcasters that I know in love. Thanks to Mitch Joel and Christopher S. Penn and Valeria Maltoni and a whole host of others who keep writing and/or recording something interesting and useful daily. To the rest of you, come back?

**Update: Inspired in no small part by a great Mitch Joel post, though I didn’t realize it until Mitch commented. : )

Photo credit FotoDawg

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  • http://www.twistimage.com/blog Mitch Joel – Twist Image

    I know there’s always some kind of sync between us. I recently wrote a Blog post titled, Are You Excited To Be Here? (http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/are-you-excited-to-be-here/). The point? People Blogged and Podcasted because they “could” not because they “had to.”

    I “have to”. I’m a writer and a communications guy at heart. I’d be Blogging and Podcasting even if there wasn’t a “publish” button, simply because I love to write stuff down or have a conversation about it.

    Like you, there are some great Bloggers and Podcasters who have slowed down or disappeared, and that makes me pretty sad.

    What makes me happy is knowing that someone like you cares enough to come by and read what’s on my brain… thank you :)

  • http://www.twistimage.com/blog Mitch Joel – Twist Image

    I know there’s always some kind of sync between us. I recently wrote a Blog post titled, Are You Excited To Be Here? (http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/are-you-excited-to-be-here/). The point? People Blogged and Podcasted because they “could” not because they “had to.”

    I “have to”. I’m a writer and a communications guy at heart. I’d be Blogging and Podcasting even if there wasn’t a “publish” button, simply because I love to write stuff down or have a conversation about it.

    Like you, there are some great Bloggers and Podcasters who have slowed down or disappeared, and that makes me pretty sad.

    What makes me happy is knowing that someone like you cares enough to come by and read what’s on my brain… thank you :)

  • http://www.twistimage.com/blog Mitch Joel – Twist Image

    I know there’s always some kind of sync between us. I recently wrote a Blog post titled, Are You Excited To Be Here? (http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/are-you-excited-to-be-here/). The point? People Blogged and Podcasted because they “could” not because they “had to.”

    I “have to”. I’m a writer and a communications guy at heart. I’d be Blogging and Podcasting even if there wasn’t a “publish” button, simply because I love to write stuff down or have a conversation about it.

    Like you, there are some great Bloggers and Podcasters who have slowed down or disappeared, and that makes me pretty sad.

    What makes me happy is knowing that someone like you cares enough to come by and read what’s on my brain… thank you :)

  • http://www.annhandley.com Ann Handley

    Looks like you and Mitch have a case of BSP! (Blogger Sensory Perception)

    I guess it depends largely on where your heart is… in the writing, just communicating, or in the ping-pong. Most folks will find a platform that suits them… but I agree, I do miss one of two really good bloggers who post less, or post shorter.

  • http://www.annhandley.com Ann Handley

    Looks like you and Mitch have a case of BSP! (Blogger Sensory Perception)

    I guess it depends largely on where your heart is… in the writing, just communicating, or in the ping-pong. Most folks will find a platform that suits them… but I agree, I do miss one of two really good bloggers who post less, or post shorter.

  • http://www.annhandley.com Ann Handley

    Looks like you and Mitch have a case of BSP! (Blogger Sensory Perception)

    I guess it depends largely on where your heart is… in the writing, just communicating, or in the ping-pong. Most folks will find a platform that suits them… but I agree, I do miss one of two really good bloggers who post less, or post shorter.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    Truth is, I read stuff all the time, love it, and then think to write about something related days later. Probably I owe Mitch a link to that post. In fact… *fix fix*

  • http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    Truth is, I read stuff all the time, love it, and then think to write about something related days later. Probably I owe Mitch a link to that post. In fact… *fix fix*

  • http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    Truth is, I read stuff all the time, love it, and then think to write about something related days later. Probably I owe Mitch a link to that post. In fact… *fix fix*

  • http://regulargeek.com/ robdiana

    Chris, very timely as I was planning to write about this in the next day or two. Why Twitter is replacing blogging for some people is something I will never understand. Twitter is great for a quick note due to its 140 character limit. However, having “conversations” or even trying to put an opinion together on twitter is near impossible. Maybe I just use twitter differently than a lot of people.

    The only thing I could understand is the time that twitter and friendfeed take away from blogging. They can be a serious investment of time.

  • http://regulargeek.com/ robdiana

    Chris, very timely as I was planning to write about this in the next day or two. Why Twitter is replacing blogging for some people is something I will never understand. Twitter is great for a quick note due to its 140 character limit. However, having “conversations” or even trying to put an opinion together on twitter is near impossible. Maybe I just use twitter differently than a lot of people.

    The only thing I could understand is the time that twitter and friendfeed take away from blogging. They can be a serious investment of time.

  • http://regulargeek.com/ Rob Diana

    Chris, very timely as I was planning to write about this in the next day or two. Why Twitter is replacing blogging for some people is something I will never understand. Twitter is great for a quick note due to its 140 character limit. However, having “conversations” or even trying to put an opinion together on twitter is near impossible. Maybe I just use twitter differently than a lot of people.

    The only thing I could understand is the time that twitter and friendfeed take away from blogging. They can be a serious investment of time.

  • http://reachingforlucidity.net Eban Crawford

    This mirrors something I was thinking about last week. Here you speak of former bloggers that have moved on to micro blogging and the like. At least they are still around.

    Last week, a podfaded show started towards making a comeback. It was a pretty popular show in the early days and I missed it when it quit. I was really happy to see that it was starting up again. It is Me and the Bean.

    But, seeing that show come back made me think of a lot of the shows that were around in the early days, late 2004 -2005. There was a totally different feel back then, better feel actually. Much tighter community.

    I have to admit, I got bummed for the rest of theat day missing the first days of podcasting, back when it was all new and we all had hopes of how it would play out.

    But hey, things change. Hopefully people will find their way back to regular blogging, but at least you know where they are. A lot of those early podcasts just disappeared, along with the creators.

    I know I just dropped episode #378 of the main show and have several new shows, such as the Animated Adventures, so I am not quitting anytime soon.

    Just make sure you don’t stop either.

  • http://reachingforlucidity.net Eban Crawford

    This mirrors something I was thinking about last week. Here you speak of former bloggers that have moved on to micro blogging and the like. At least they are still around.

    Last week, a podfaded show started towards making a comeback. It was a pretty popular show in the early days and I missed it when it quit. I was really happy to see that it was starting up again. It is Me and the Bean.

    But, seeing that show come back made me think of a lot of the shows that were around in the early days, late 2004 -2005. There was a totally different feel back then, better feel actually. Much tighter community.

    I have to admit, I got bummed for the rest of theat day missing the first days of podcasting, back when it was all new and we all had hopes of how it would play out.

    But hey, things change. Hopefully people will find their way back to regular blogging, but at least you know where they are. A lot of those early podcasts just disappeared, along with the creators.

    I know I just dropped episode #378 of the main show and have several new shows, such as the Animated Adventures, so I am not quitting anytime soon.

    Just make sure you don’t stop either.

  • http://reachingforlucidity.net Eban Crawford

    This mirrors something I was thinking about last week. Here you speak of former bloggers that have moved on to micro blogging and the like. At least they are still around.

    Last week, a podfaded show started towards making a comeback. It was a pretty popular show in the early days and I missed it when it quit. I was really happy to see that it was starting up again. It is Me and the Bean.

    But, seeing that show come back made me think of a lot of the shows that were around in the early days, late 2004 -2005. There was a totally different feel back then, better feel actually. Much tighter community.

    I have to admit, I got bummed for the rest of theat day missing the first days of podcasting, back when it was all new and we all had hopes of how it would play out.

    But hey, things change. Hopefully people will find their way back to regular blogging, but at least you know where they are. A lot of those early podcasts just disappeared, along with the creators.

    I know I just dropped episode #378 of the main show and have several new shows, such as the Animated Adventures, so I am not quitting anytime soon.

    Just make sure you don’t stop either.

  • http://shannonehlers.com Shannon Ehlers

    Twitter reminds me of email on a VAX terminal.

    I sort of think of platforms like twitter as an evolutionary improvement of email. Evolutionary, because a couple of key improvements have been forced: a character limit to keep it brief, and a subscription (“following”) model to keep the noise down.

    Now that I am thinking/writing, this is more a throwback than an improvement. This is what email was before rich text and html formats, and before spammers.

    Is this what they were referring to five or six years ago when the prognosticators were saying RSS would kill email?

  • http://shannonehlers.com Shannon Ehlers

    Twitter reminds me of email on a VAX terminal.

    I sort of think of platforms like twitter as an evolutionary improvement of email. Evolutionary, because a couple of key improvements have been forced: a character limit to keep it brief, and a subscription (“following”) model to keep the noise down.

    Now that I am thinking/writing, this is more a throwback than an improvement. This is what email was before rich text and html formats, and before spammers.

    Is this what they were referring to five or six years ago when the prognosticators were saying RSS would kill email?

  • http://shannonehlers.com Shannon Ehlers

    Twitter reminds me of email on a VAX terminal.

    I sort of think of platforms like twitter as an evolutionary improvement of email. Evolutionary, because a couple of key improvements have been forced: a character limit to keep it brief, and a subscription (“following”) model to keep the noise down.

    Now that I am thinking/writing, this is more a throwback than an improvement. This is what email was before rich text and html formats, and before spammers.

    Is this what they were referring to five or six years ago when the prognosticators were saying RSS would kill email?

  • http://writerdad.com Writer Dad

    I have to say, I would be pretty sad if the rich texture of the well thought out word lost its way to the veneer of things like twitter. I’m not saying that it doesn’t have its place, but it would be sad if it was the only place there was.

  • http://writerdad.com Writer Dad

    I have to say, I would be pretty sad if the rich texture of the well thought out word lost its way to the veneer of things like twitter. I’m not saying that it doesn’t have its place, but it would be sad if it was the only place there was.

  • http://writerdad.com Writer Dad

    I have to say, I would be pretty sad if the rich texture of the well thought out word lost its way to the veneer of things like twitter. I’m not saying that it doesn’t have its place, but it would be sad if it was the only place there was.

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  • http://www.webomatica.com/wordpress/ Webomatica

    Definitely is a trend of bloggers fading. I agree that microblogging is way easier. The other thing I’d mention is blogging is several years old now, and people change. I think the minority are able to stick with blogging – heck, anything – for longer than a few years.

  • http://www.webomatica.com/wordpress/ Webomatica

    Definitely is a trend of bloggers fading. I agree that microblogging is way easier. The other thing I’d mention is blogging is several years old now, and people change. I think the minority are able to stick with blogging – heck, anything – for longer than a few years.

  • http://www.webomatica.com/wordpress/ Webomatica

    Definitely is a trend of bloggers fading. I agree that microblogging is way easier. The other thing I’d mention is blogging is several years old now, and people change. I think the minority are able to stick with blogging – heck, anything – for longer than a few years.

  • http://www.conversationagent.com Valeria Maltoni

    What’s interesting, Chris, is that Mitch and I had this conversation over lunch when I was in Montreal recently. For a writer, writing is what we do. Also, in many ways, you don;t know what you’re thinking until you write it.

    I know that many people are inspired to insights and action from my posts – even as they, admittedly, tend to comment less these days. I must admit that conversation is more fun when there is one outside my head ;-) To those who still like to read posts, do come in and comment – it really makes a difference in terms of taking the conversation to a new level.

  • http://www.conversationagent.com Valeria Maltoni

    What’s interesting, Chris, is that Mitch and I had this conversation over lunch when I was in Montreal recently. For a writer, writing is what we do. Also, in many ways, you don;t know what you’re thinking until you write it.

    I know that many people are inspired to insights and action from my posts – even as they, admittedly, tend to comment less these days. I must admit that conversation is more fun when there is one outside my head ;-) To those who still like to read posts, do come in and comment – it really makes a difference in terms of taking the conversation to a new level.

  • http://www.conversationagent.com Valeria Maltoni

    What’s interesting, Chris, is that Mitch and I had this conversation over lunch when I was in Montreal recently. For a writer, writing is what we do. Also, in many ways, you don;t know what you’re thinking until you write it.

    I know that many people are inspired to insights and action from my posts – even as they, admittedly, tend to comment less these days. I must admit that conversation is more fun when there is one outside my head ;-) To those who still like to read posts, do come in and comment – it really makes a difference in terms of taking the conversation to a new level.

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  • http://www.ChristopherSPenn.com Christopher S. Penn

    If you’d like MORE Valeria in your life, check out Marketing Over Coffee :-)

  • http://www.ChristopherSPenn.com Christopher S. Penn

    If you’d like MORE Valeria in your life, check out Marketing Over Coffee :-)

  • http://www.ChristopherSPenn.com Christopher S. Penn

    If you’d like MORE Valeria in your life, check out Marketing Over Coffee :-)

  • http://www.sparkplugging.com Wendy Piersall

    Seriously! Sometimes I feel like I am blogging in an empty room – the conversation has significantly moved off of blogs and onto Twitter, especially for my regular readers. There are times when I have gotten more comments about a post on Twitter than I have on my blog.

    I miss everyone too. :)

  • http://www.sparkplugging.com Wendy Piersall

    Seriously! Sometimes I feel like I am blogging in an empty room – the conversation has significantly moved off of blogs and onto Twitter, especially for my regular readers. There are times when I have gotten more comments about a post on Twitter than I have on my blog.

    I miss everyone too. :)

  • http://www.sparkplugging.com Wendy Piersall

    Seriously! Sometimes I feel like I am blogging in an empty room – the conversation has significantly moved off of blogs and onto Twitter, especially for my regular readers. There are times when I have gotten more comments about a post on Twitter than I have on my blog.

    I miss everyone too. :)

  • http://www.chilesadvertising.com lawton chiles

    I’m still here Chris, and writing almost daily. Is anyone listening? That is certainly the case, and of the folks I have talked to, my writing is making a difference, so I can be grateful for that impact.

    -> I think people are using Twitter and other social go-betweens b/c like you said, it is faster and more well, like regular conversation. But the Twitter experience is not a lasting experience, like a blog post can be.

    Not enough thought processes go into 140 little characters.

    Each has it’s own use, right?

    Rock on,

    lawton

  • http://www.chilesadvertising.com lawton chiles

    I’m still here Chris, and writing almost daily. Is anyone listening? That is certainly the case, and of the folks I have talked to, my writing is making a difference, so I can be grateful for that impact.

    -> I think people are using Twitter and other social go-betweens b/c like you said, it is faster and more well, like regular conversation. But the Twitter experience is not a lasting experience, like a blog post can be.

    Not enough thought processes go into 140 little characters.

    Each has it’s own use, right?

    Rock on,

    lawton

  • http://www.chilesadvertising.com lawton chiles

    I’m still here Chris, and writing almost daily. Is anyone listening? That is certainly the case, and of the folks I have talked to, my writing is making a difference, so I can be grateful for that impact.

    -> I think people are using Twitter and other social go-betweens b/c like you said, it is faster and more well, like regular conversation. But the Twitter experience is not a lasting experience, like a blog post can be.

    Not enough thought processes go into 140 little characters.

    Each has it’s own use, right?

    Rock on,

    lawton

  • http://www.seanbohan.com Sean Bohan

    No more twitter feed – original ideas from now on, not re-tweets

    quantity vs value = value wins

  • http://www.seanbohan.com Sean Bohan

    No more twitter feed – original ideas from now on, not re-tweets

    quantity vs value = value wins

  • http://www.seanbohan.com Sean Bohan

    No more twitter feed – original ideas from now on, not re-tweets

    quantity vs value = value wins

  • http://prospere-magazine.com Cynthia C

    Twitter type sites only work if your blog is intended to be just that…a blog. If you have an online newspaper or magazine as I do, it’s virtually impossible to do so! Posts are too long!

  • http://prospere-magazine.com Cynthia C

    Twitter type sites only work if your blog is intended to be just that…a blog. If you have an online newspaper or magazine as I do, it’s virtually impossible to do so! Posts are too long!

  • http://prospere-magazine.com Cynthia C

    Twitter type sites only work if your blog is intended to be just that…a blog. If you have an online newspaper or magazine as I do, it’s virtually impossible to do so! Posts are too long!

  • http://paulstallard.wordpress.com/ Paul Stallard

    Your comments are in line with a number of other pieces I have read recently which suggests the number of blogs actually being written is falling. Is this because of the lure of other tools or are people falling out of love with their blogs? I personally prefer the freedom a blog provides you on length over the 140 characters which can be frustrating.

  • http://paulstallard.wordpress.com/ Paul Stallard

    Your comments are in line with a number of other pieces I have read recently which suggests the number of blogs actually being written is falling. Is this because of the lure of other tools or are people falling out of love with their blogs? I personally prefer the freedom a blog provides you on length over the 140 characters which can be frustrating.

  • http://paulstallard.wordpress.com/ Paul Stallard

    Your comments are in line with a number of other pieces I have read recently which suggests the number of blogs actually being written is falling. Is this because of the lure of other tools or are people falling out of love with their blogs? I personally prefer the freedom a blog provides you on length over the 140 characters which can be frustrating.

  • http://www.23gears.se Steve Cook

    My personal blog (which I have been maintaining since 2000) has not been updated for quite a while thanks in part to using Facebook and in part to not prioritising it during an intense period in my life.

    However as I am currently starting up a new company (spun off in a new direction from my old company) I am now looking at starting a new business based blog.

    I think that it is perhaps the intention behind the blog that affects whether people move to social media instead. If the main reason you blog is to keep friends updated about what’s going on in your life, then Twitter and Facebook etc can do the job easier and allow you a richer interaction with your friends. If you use your blog as a means of self expression, promotion or to make money in some way then you’re more likely to keep on blogging as it’s more visible through search engines etc, is more possible to mould into your own personal brand and is probably the right tool for the job.

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