Will Facebook Kill Blogging As We Know It

// August 6th, 2007 // Blog Stuff // 27,331 views

I’m currently pondering the question if Facebook is killing blogging as we know it? It seems that people are more inclined to update their facebook profiles and friends lists than actual blogging i.e. regular posting and commenting etc.

I don’t have a definitive answer yet, but my guess is that it is. What do you think?

(You can answer in the comments below or directly on facebook {login required}).

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25 Responses to “Will Facebook Kill Blogging As We Know It”

Justin Hartman says:

2007/08/06 at 01:13

While it’s not clear if this is true or not my feeling is that blogging will still exist for many years to come.

With so many communication methods out there we still use a telephone, the postal service, sms and email. None of the new technologies has replaced either of these and my feeling is blogging will be the same.
Derek says:

2007/08/06 at 02:58

I had almost the exact thought this morning but with email. Since moving to Australia we used to get frequent updates from friends via email, but now they tend to just post the messages on FaceBook and the emails have dried up. Its a pity though because FaceBook is a fantastic service… but it still lacks in many areas.
Steve Hayes says:

2007/08/06 at 06:48

Yesterday I got an e-mail saying that someone had left me a message on Facebook. I only look at Facebook on my laptop, since on my desktop computer the screen is too narrow, and I have to scroll sideways for every line. When I eventually did get to see the message, it was something that would have been better sent by e-mail in the first place. Sop I think yes, some people are using Facebook for the wrong things.

Each medium has its own advantages and disadvantages. Facebook, and other siocial networking sites, like Tribe.net, are good for some things, less good for others.
Don says:

2007/08/06 at 09:40

Hehe. It’s funny how you talk about facebook killing blogging, and add a link to a conversation!
Wezzo says:

2007/08/06 at 13:43

Yeah I’ve been thinking about this for a while, I must say it’s definitely killed off the ChumpStyle enthusiasm.
Aquila says:

2007/08/06 at 17:39

Justin, Derek, Steve I think you guys have hit it on the head. These various communication vehicles/social networking/technologies all have their rightful place and should be utilised for what they’ve been designed to do.

One school of thought would suggest to use the one to capture the other, i.e. if you’re connecting with long lost friends on facebook, try to get them to subscribe/read your blog (if you have one) to find out more about your daily musings etc.

Alternatively, use your blog to give people a snapshot overview of your ‘social status’ or whatever (I haven’t figured this part out thoroughly as yet) on facebook.

It’s an interesting question and I’m looking forward to more comments around this.

Don – well spotted…You have to do it on both nowdays it seems. Get the loyal blog readers and try to capture new ones.

Wezzo – and visitor stats this side…
RobC says:

2007/08/07 at 19:23

Facebook is painfully slow and seems to be getting slower day by day.
I will always blog… because I use it as a safety valve… facebook just does not cut it for me.
Facebook is also cluttered imho.
Dolce says:

2007/08/08 at 09:33

It also depends on how much your blog persona is public. I could easily “blog” in the notes section of facebook (as some of my blogger friends do), with the same comments and link functions. But I’ve chosen to keep a line – however hazy and frequently breached – between the veiled “Dolce” and the public, facebook me.

So I’ll definitely keep both ticking over.
angel says:

2007/08/08 at 10:07

i think you may be right, i don’t think it’ll kill blogging- but a lot of people are facebooking i.s.o. blogging coz its easier!
i opted out of facebook. i joined, found a bunch of school “friends” and ex-colleagues and could think of absolutely nothing to to say to them…
i think maybe i get enough “electronic contact” through my blog and various IMs…
Esther says:

2007/08/08 at 23:47

Hmm, I do find that I spend more time on Facebook than on blogging. In some ways Facebook is more entertaining and a lot less work. A sign of our instant gratification lifestyle? Kill blogging? I doubt it. Although, I do think the facebook fad will fade, like myspace.
Freddie Sirmans says:

2007/08/10 at 05:39

Just browsing the internet, you have a very, very interesting blog.
angel says:

2007/08/10 at 11:53

ooh ooh… TAG! if you feel like it…
tripeak says:

2007/08/13 at 16:14

It all depends on the individual â€“ what do you use the web for and how much time do you spend on it? In my case the starting point is going through my feeds, then clicking through to individual blog posts and after checking my mail itâ€™s off to facebook.com

Facebook is something I tend to neglect, not only because itâ€™s blocked by our TI department (working for a corporate and all) but mainly because it feels like itâ€™s just a popularity contest of who knows more people.

If anything I think the part that is true is that people tend to write on your Facebook wall more often than leave a comment on blog posts.
Eishman says:

2007/08/14 at 21:19

If you blog for your family and friends then sure Facebook is a natural replacement for that medium. Blogging as morphed into far more than journaling. It’s now a real news and information source. Facebook will not replace this … surely?
Daedalus says:

2007/08/17 at 09:35

Nah … Facebook becomes boring in a snap… I tend to agree with Eishman… it is a wonderful medium for family and close friends, blogging is something else.
Andre SC says:

2007/08/20 at 13:23

Irk, great minds and all, (though you beat me to it, darn!)
I was thinking about the same thing last week:
Is Facebook killing the blogosphere?
Aquila says:

2007/08/20 at 16:23

RobC – Facebook is getting very Myspace-ish with all the clutter abound. That reminds me, my virtual sheep need some carrots in the garden…

Dolce – so…when do you add me to your friends list then?

Angel – it’s been interesting to find school/varsity/ex-coworkers again, will they translate into meaningful relationships in the future is another question. Maybe that’s what social media is supposed to be doing, get people to start socialising again.

Esther – agreed, it is a bit easier to update than blogging, with a poke here, a hug there and a virtual gift…it’s practically point and click. But I do believe there’s a lot more going on in the blogging world, maybe more meaningful conversation?

Freddie – thanks

tripeak – Yes, it looks like the old faithful bloggers are the ones commenting on the walls and all… So now we know who our real friends are – the bloggers

Eishman – You have something there – if it’s updating family and friends (quickly) then facebook may be the way. Otherwise, blogging will give you the opportunity to be a bit more in-depth, a bit more visually rich and a bit more free to do what you want.

Daedalus – I heart blogging too

Andre SC – hehe vanity indeed…
angel says:

2007/08/29 at 07:26

i gave in and i’m back on facebook…
although not all the time and with a limited access profile… and all the flipping app notifications are driving me steadily bonkers so i dunno how long it’ll last!
Champagne Heathen says:

2007/08/31 at 11:47

Late into the conversation…but I have an excuse… And I think it has all been said. Facebook has definitely killed the “fad” of blogging, but this can be good, as now blogging is allowed to find its place in communication/ media.

Now you really need to have something to say to get your blog read. And you have to be a pro at how to say it so as to get good commentary back to your topic. Facebook just trimmed off the “social networking”/ “Bored at work” part of blogging, and so is making it progress.

Plus, it depends on what you use the two mediums for… you may be my mate on FB but I am definitely aware you have not written on my wall in MONTHS!!…but it is not for that…my FB is for my real persona. My blog for thoughts, theories, ranting beyond my real persona.
Eishman says:

2007/09/07 at 12:51

Well said, Champers. I echo your sentiments
Johan Swarts says:

2007/09/11 at 12:51

Nah. I don’t think blogs will die for a very long time to come. There’s just been a huge blossoming of Afrikaans blogs – they all just started and facebook aint gonna stop’em…
Jeanne says:

2007/09/13 at 13:01

I am probably the last of my friends NOT to join StalkerNet… I mean Facebook ), and I don’t see this changing in the near future. Looking at how much time and effort my blog eats up, I simply don’t see how I would be able to attend to both AND keep my day job

I think Facebook and blogs do two very different things – there are thousands of people on Facebook who would never consider having a blog. Facebook really is about instant gratification – you can read in a one-liner what your friends are up to, and you can send out a mass message to your friends/family as to what you are up to, without having to actually make that call or write that letter. But basically it is about imparting information about ME ME ME. Blogs (excluding the purely personal online journals) provide a different sort of information – it’s not all about the blogger, but rather about their chosen topic. This imparting of subject knowledge is not the point of Facebook at all.

I do think that Facebook will mean a decline in the purely personal online journals. But I think that ultimately it will leave you with a core of fewer but higher quality blogs.

That’s my 10 cents worth, anyway!
Tania says:

2007/09/19 at 11:10

Although my blog is a personal blog rather than an issue-centred or advertising blog, I use blogging and Facebooking in different ways. I sometimes blog quite vaguely, something like talking aloud to myself within earshot of others. I don’t explain what I am talking about in great detail, and I don’t necessarily require a response. This is similar to an old fashioned hand-written diary. At other times I use my blog to deliberately broadcast something to the whole online world.

I use Facebook primarily for communication with specific people, and to organise or book for events. (It was the events feature that got me to join Facebook in the first place.)

I use my limited profile with many of my contacts.
Aquila says:

2007/09/28 at 12:51

An interesting couple of observations from the Read/Write web – Facebook: What if more is less