Obvious

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I've read a few things recently questioning the value of involvement in social technologies: how recession means retrenchment back to more 'traditional' models...meanwhile the big social networks continue to struggle to find a model that works...how the vast majority of blogs are dormant so that means that blogging is on the wane...

I think this kind of perspective misses a huge point. The internet is one big social network. All media streams will become social. As Charlene Li once said, social networking will be like air, ubiquitous, all around us. It is irrelevant whether people prefer writing a blog, posting their pictures on flickr, or Facebook, or their passing thoughts on twitter, or whether they do all or any combination of the above - the point is is that they are doing it at all. It doesn't matter whether they have a blog or a Bebo profile, the point is is that they have a place on the web which gives them a platform. Dammit, people are social. And the internet is about people, not technology.

Comments

[Sam]

Very well put sir. It's all a reflection of us and how we evolve.

[graeme]

Too right Neil

[eaon]

amen to that.
cheers E

[faris]

ROCKON!

[RedFraggs]

couldn't agree more!

[Andrea]

Very true, I've not seen blogs have a decline in popularity, merely it's the impression of everyone analysing it from every angle that people blog less but even if you blog less, you're probably compensating by being active in some other form of social networking.

I.E. I got a Nikon for Christmas, I start taking photography courses, lessons, I discover flickr as a more interesting community/audience for what I'm doing rather than my blog, hence start blogging less not because I don't have time for it but my interest has shifted towards some other aspect of my personality that, what do you know, has a web manifestation.

You're obviously right, we might be blogging less but involving ourselves more in other things :D

[Richard M Marshall]

Maybe we need a quality metric for blogging - less posting but posting of import sounds better to me than mindless outpourings that no-one wants to read.

rmm

[doug]

you sir, are FTW

bang on

as usual :)

[Asi]

Hear Hear

a.

[Jam]

Plenty of commenting, then :)

Is it any surprise that various forms of social media are contracting slightly? It shouldn't be. People are simply changing their evaluation critera from 'novel' to 'useful' and reappraising their worth as a result.

Remember the slew of useless Facebook apps? We all do - then fb went back to being useful again, rather than an end in itself.

Remember the microwave dinner restaurants that sprang up in America in the 60s, where you got a ready meal that you microwaved at your table? I don't, obviously - less than a twinkle - but it's symptomatic of the same point. It didn't kill of Birdseye when they shut down.

It's not something we should worry about. But we can sure as hell blog about it.

[BenAS]

Very true, I was talking last week to a large voluntary organisation wanting to adopt "new technologies" to engage their audience. Brilliant, this is what I love to hear, but their initial response was interesting.

I used my slot to talk about the importance of treating their audience as people, and not to worry about the technology they used. I was worried that I had not given them what they wanted, but to give them the credit they deserve - after a while they really got it to it.

It was interesting, as we got in to the details and I pointed out that they need not worry about which platform to use for social networking, just get out there and use what ever your community are using - you could see them visibly relax!

It seems that often the clients I talk to about social media are fearful of the technology, it is that fear they prevent them from engaging in social media, please lets remember "we're all human".

[neilperkin]

Thanks for the great comments all.

Andrea, Jam - think you're both right that (to paraphrase a certain tune) video didn't kill the radio star (so to speak). I don't see anything social truly on the wane - just developing.

Ben - Great point about using what your community is using

[Brett]

Couldn't agree more. All year I've been hammer the point that Media is Social, all of it, traditional or "new school." But only if it is good and interesting. When you do something good and interesting people will talk about it, be social social around. Sometimes they will do it in a social network, but often not. Which raises the question are is the message becoming increasingly more important than the medium?

[david cushman]

There are still course for online media and people still (and will for some time) label stuff social media. Only when they realise that a course about this stuff will have to cover every single aspect of life (whereever the network touches it disrupts) only then will those in the centre see how much has truly changed.
Blogged on a similar theme myself today. Fine sentiments fella