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New to the whole “Twitter” thing? Twitter is an efficient way to share insights and information. It uses 140 character “tweets,” which are somewhat a cross between a blog post and a Facebook status. It’s the hip topic in social media. And it almost single-handedly destroyed my blogging career.
How Twitter killed my blog
Twitter has several advantages over blogging:
- It’s easy. The 140-character limit keeps things simple. Numerous desktop programs, mobile applications, and text messaging allow you to Twitter anywhere.
- It’s quick. As soon as you get an idea, post it.
- It’s conversational. Replies are built in. Having everyone in the same place facilitates conversation.
- It’s challenging. I think it’s fun to craft concise messages that still convey my meaning.
Twitter quickly became my creative outlet of choice. When inspiration struck, I no longer needed to develop enough elaboration for a blog post. Instead, I distilled it for consumption on Twitter. Find something inspiring online? Link to it on Twitter. Need to send a message to a friend? Twitter’s the way.
Twitter also takes time, especially as you’re learning to use all the tools. You can limit your involvement, of course, but it’s tempting to linger, especially as your connections grow. That’s time that I no longer spent updating my blog.
Why Twitter inspired my to resurrect my blog
But there are some things Twitter is not:
- It’s not flexible. Every tweet is 140 characters (or less). That’s it. If you want to add something else, you have to link to another site. There’s countless things you can do with those 140 characters, but the basic format’s the same.
- It’s not in-depth. Twitter teaches you to say a lot in just a few words. But sometimes that doesn’t cut it.
- It’s not (usually) the end destination. Many tweets are links to the other sites that host a variety of in-depth content. It’s great to provide good links, but it’s better to provide good content for links.
- It’s not enough. Because it’s quick and easy, the barriers to entry are low. As more bloggers move to Twitter, the payoff for those who remain developing content outside of Twitter (and Facebook, for that matter) stands to increase.
Perhaps ironically, it was a blog article, posted on Twitter, that reminded me of the importance of developing content (not just linking to it).
What am I doing about it?
I’m now using my blog and Twitter presence to complement each other. Some ideas will still go straight to Twitter. But the ones that deserve more attention will get it. I’m posting lots of new content this month (every day). Hopefully you’ll like some of it enough to share it.
What about you? Do you blog? Twitter? Both? Just Facebook? How do you split your time–and why?
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I am not ready to get addicted to anything else! I am a blog slacker as well right now. I am glad you are getting back into the world of blogging and I never really knew what twittering was and so I thank you for filling me in! Have a great day David!
When you are ready to get addicted to something else, Twitter is definitely something to consider.
Thanks for coming by and commenting. It’s great to see you here, and I hope you come back! Also: I always look forward to your new posts.
So, I think a lot of people have been through the same thing. You get into twitter and you start neglecting your blog. There’s probably a trick to finding a balance, but I haven’t found it. One of the things that I used to blog about was upcoming sales and deals in some of my favorite stores. I found that these notifications were well suited to twitter, where I could just add a link and be done. I let my readers know that I wasn’t forgetting about giving them sale updates, but that they could now be found on my twitter page. Like David, I also have my twitter updates on my sidebar, so my blog visitors can also see my tweets!
sarah’s last blog post..More for the Money: Claire Danes
Exactly. I figured I wasn’t alone in this experience.
I think you’re a great example of how to use Twitter and a blog to complement each other. You keep a consistent brand across the two platforms by sharing content with a similar theme on both, but Twitter’s focused more on links and other short content. Including Twitter updates on your sidebar is a great touch, because, like Emily mentioned, not everyone wants or needs to get addicted to another service.
Finding the balance–that’s the trick.
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