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Blogging has it all over social networking

December 8, 2007

Social networking, whether it through be FaceBook, Twitter, MySpace, StumbleUpon, or whatever Web 2.Joe community you might have, has always seemed fleeting to me as compared to the networking I do through blogging.

Darren Rowse hits on the same thing in his post on ‘Blogging vs Social Networking.’

I chatted with an ex-blogger recently who lamented that he ended his blog 12 months ago to spend more time exploring social networking. His words still ring in my ears (paraphrased):

‘I was offered a job through my blog….

I have 9000 ‘friends’ at facebook and myspace….

I used to know most of my readers by name and knew that they all knew mine – even though there were only 200 a day….

I know a lot more people see my profile on facebook – but most of them just are hunting for friend bait….

I used to spend hours writing things that meant something on my blog….

I now spend hours updating people on the lattes I drink and people I meet on Twitter….

I had a brand of my own on and on my own property on my blog….

I now have a brand on someone else’s property….’

His ultimate reflection was to wonder what he could have achieved if he’d invested the amount of time and energy into this blog as the time and energy he invested into his social networking……Social networks (as well as other social media and web 2.0 sites) have the ability to reinforce your brand, drive traffic, introduce you to new audiences and open up new networks – but in my own business the primary vehicle that I use at present to drive forward what I do remains my blog.

My blog is my place, my voice, and where folks I meet on the net can track me down.

If I do a nice job looking around for good discussion on blogs & news sites, enter into the discussion by referencing what someone’s said (like what Darren’s said here), and comment on other blogs, I seem to meet the people I want to meet. And people seem to get to know me for my passion and expertise.

I can spend all day trying to figure out how to use social networking sites, let alone actually using them, and not accomplish as much as I can through blogging.

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