MediaVidea

Do we really need blogs?

Forums, Youtube videos, Video blogs, podcasts, Wikis, new things such as Twitter and Tumblr, SMS/Texting and social network sites: Facebook, Orkut, Myspace, Yahoo Answers and others.

When you look at the amount of activity in this “Live/Always On” web, you tend to take a fresh look at the blogging phenomenon, which is in its 10th year.

The reason why I ask whether we need blogs is that if your blog does not make much headway, it remains a desperate (and proud) personal outpost flying your flag in the swirling ocean of of humanity.

Looking at other available tools, you begin to think whether blogging is really for you.

You find yourself asking, “Aren’t I better off using other tools?

1. Talking with people who share my beliefs and likings in social networks.
2. Asking questions and for help in appropriate forums.
3. If I wanted to waste some free time, chatting on my mobile phone, twittering my latest activity, looking at photos and videos on Orkut.
4. If I was into news, I might make better friends than the occasional commenter on my blog, when I commented often on Digg and Reddit.
5. Going further, I might use that cultivated friendship for business purposes, especially if I frequented Ryze or LinkedIn.

The Blog becomes a sideshow in this alternate scenario.

What about people who are out to make a money using blogging?
How do you build a brand?
Do you have the resources to stay put for a long haul?

You have to fight the A-listers, Digg cabals, expensive SEO experts, free information on Wikipedia, the news websites, spam blogs (90% of existing blogs) etc for a good place in the search engines, for attention as well.

Vic Keegan has written a good article on the state of blogging in the Guardian.

Labels: blogging

posted by Pramit Singh @ 2:29 PM