I’ve noticed over the past year or so that the number of friends of mine who blog is decreasing. I’m seeing less posts. To me this is because Twitter and Facebook have taken all their thoughts. The “I love Tron!” thoughts are now going into status messages and not into blog posts. Which, to me, is fine.
But there’s actually been an increase in long-form posts i’m seeing. The blogs i’m reading are full of actual articles of great stuff. It’s great to get the “I love Tron” type comments on to Facebook and Twitter so the blog can hold longer form of actual thoughts and analysis.
I recently read a great article by Clive Thompson about just this topic. His theory is that something more complex and interesting is actually happening. He says, “The torrent of short-form thinking is actually a catalyst for more long-form meditation.” He states, “We talk a lot, then we dive deep.”
I totally agree. I put lots of links and crap into Twitter and then when I actually have something to say, like now, I go to the blog to put it down on paper. I’m not the only one. Popular blogger Anil Dash writes, “I save the little stuff for Twitter and blog only when I have something big to say.” Clive’s article supports this by saying that one survey found that the most popular blog posts today are the longest ones, 1,600 words on average.
So, keep on Tweeting, Tumblring and Facebooking, but don’t forget to share your deeper more interesting thoughts. Those are the ones I love.
