How blogs are changing

My siblings told me, just a few weeks ago, that they don't really read this blog anymore. They used to read the blog to see how I'm doing, but that doesn't show up here much anymore.

I was surprised at first, but it kind of makes sense, and it made me think of the ways that this blog has changed. Not just this blog, but many of the blogs I used to read years ago that are still around today.

I have a few theories of why blogs change, but it basically comes down to two main theories:

• Blogs are focusing
• Other technologies pick up the slack

Blogs are focusing - I think as someone blogs for a number of years, one's greatest passions come out. Eventually a blog drifts to a person's greatest passions, and you start to see what's really on their mind the most. So, blogs that once looked very similar now look very different. One focuses on current events, another on theology, and so on. At one time they all looked the same.

So, I have all these categories on this blog that I hardly use anymore: entertainment, family, music, politics, sports, technology, etc. I don't dabble in these blog topics much anymore. Most of this blog is about faith and theology.

Other technologies pick up the slack - Jordon Cooper once talked about blogs as sort of a front porch where you connect in a semi-public way with others. Increasingly, I find that my front porch has moved to Twitter. My other interests mentioned above - sports, technology, etc. - now show up a lot more on Twitter. I'll often think twice about posting a trivial piece on my blog, but I rarely think twice about Twitter. Other technologies have become what blogging used to be.

Make sense? I don't think I'm alone in this. A lot of blogs are focusing, and other technologies are picking up the slack. I'm curious if you've noticed the same thing.

Comments

[Rev. Mike]

I think you are absolutely right, Darryl. I see the same shift in my own blog content and in the use of a Facebook/Twitter combo to do the social side of things. My blog used to be about linking to others and what they were writing about, and now it depends a lot more on original content. (Which is why although it's not dormant, it takes nice log naps.)

[brad]

Hi Darryl. First time to comment, though I've linked here through Bill Kinnon's blog before or felt like I had vicariously ... you know Bill! I was just in a GoToMeeting with four other people and this subject came up. Seems commenting on blogs happens less, the equivalent of journaling online has moved to Twitter and status-update programs, and the blog commenting to keep up with people has moved to technologies and features like texting and twittering and status-updating. When I started blogging about six years ago, it was like a personal digital diary. Now it's all about content that I care to leave as a sort of theologizing and missional-living explorer's journal for those now and in the future who care to read it. And maybe this kind of content has more sustainability and searchability for the long run legacy ... Overall generalization: seems like reaction to life has moved to twittering et al, and reflection on life has moved to focused blogs. And those are my reactive reflections on the matter -- oops, do I need to go twitter that now?

[Tim Bailey]

This is good thinking. I am experimenting with this right now. It is really interesting to see which posts create the most interaction and activity, based on what people expect from me...