Strike a Pose: Is Blogging Still in Vogue?
March 16, 2009
by Guest Blogger, Lena West, Chief of Social Media Strategy at xynoMedia
Last week, thanks to Jory Des Jardins and her ab fab twin sister, Baruch professor and feminist historian, Julie, I was a guest speaker on the "How Blogging Empowers Women in Business, Politics,
and Media" panel at the Friedman Symposium @ Baruch College (video to come soon! but here's a link to an article).
And, immediately afterward, thanks to my fully-focused, "book, book and keep booking" assistant, I was a guest on Jackie Roger's The Kitchen Table Entrepreneur radio show on Voice America. You can listen in here.
One of the questions Jackie asked me on The Kitchen Table Entrepreneur show was:
"Has blogging outlived its usefulness?"
I think it is a totally valid question - especially since people are flocking to Facebook and Twitter like someone's giving away gold boullions.
Here's what I think is going on...three things:
- Yes, people are starting to get their information from sources other than blogs. Take a look at this Google search result from a post on Twitter. (Hmmm...is the 'no-follow' walled garden of Twitter coming down contrary to what we've all been told? Granted, it doesn't have a link...but...another post for another time.)
- Companies are just starting to realize that blogs are not the only social media option/tool. They are becoming smarter and now understand that the social media tool they use needs to match BOTH the personality of their brand AND produce the form of content their audience wants to consume. For example, why launch a blog when you're a better speaker than you are a writer and your market is perpetually on-the-go?
- Social media is just that - social. This has been said more times than anyone can count. And, all that means is that we're still human and humans like variety. Only stale, non-creative people like the "same old same old" so we dabble and perfect additional ways to communicate - audio, video, virtual reality, etc.
This doesn't mean that blogs are passe or you're passe if you're still blogging. That's not what I'm saying here.
What I mean is the more the industry (social/new media, that is) grows and settles in, businesses begin to see their options more clearly and when options are clear, they're more apt to be chosen.
Have you chosen the right social media tool for your business? How do you know? Let me know your social media tool (blog, podcast, community, widget, Facebook Fan Page, etc.), describe your market and I'll give you my expert opinion. Hope you made the right choice! :)
(Image courtesy of Hugh MacLeod of Gaping Void)
@Pat:
Thanks for the kind words. When I share information, it is my hope that it is useful.
I know what you mean. Facebook isn't for everyone. I'll tackle one thing first and then I'll answer your question.
The first thing I would ask you is WHY you were on Facebook in the first place? What did you want it to do for your business? What were you hoping would happen?
Once I understand your motives I would be able to tell you if you were on track with Facebook or not - and if not, what might be better for you.
Also, I have strong feeling about separating personal and business.
I am a very private person. I'm a public personality, but my personal life is private.
Having said that, I believe there is no way to separate personal from business on Facebook or any other social network for the simple reason that at some point the two worlds WILL collide and usually it's not pretty.
And, having said THAT - I will say that technically there is a way to do so. It would require that you only allow your FB profile to be viewed by friends, that you only accept connection requests from friends AND that you create multiple levels of "access" for different types of friends.
I don't know about you, but that's too much work for me. I don't have the time. So, while I am on Facebook, my rule is that I use it 98% for business and the other 2% is family and friends. I don't connect with people who "come out of the woodwork and were left behind for a reason" and I don't allow myself to feel guilty for doing it that way.
I hope this helps!
Posted by: Lena L. West | March 17, 2009 at 02:32 PM
I always learn something from you, Lena, thanks. I am still blogging, tried Facebook but found it made me a little uncomfortable with people crawling out of the woodwork from the past (who had been left behind for a reason). Is there a way to separate personal from business on there?
Pat
Patricia Rose-A Potpourri of Fabric, Fragrance and Findings
www.patriciarose-apotpourri.com
www.patriciarose-apotpourriof.blogspot.com
Posted by: Pat Morello | March 17, 2009 at 12:16 PM