January 17, 2006

Blogs are (public) conversations, almost like a giant party.

By Roland Hachmann in Blogs, RSS & Co., Digital Culture | 1 comment

Simon Dumenco writes, that a Blogger is just a writer with a cooler name.

Now, I would like to discuss with Simon, whether “blogger” is such a cool name in the first place.

But since Simon “posted” his article in the so called “traditional way”, even though already in the digital space, I can’t comment on what he wrote. I can only email him, leaving everyone else out of this conversation.

Neither can I leave a trackback on his post in order to show him that I am writing within my own blog about his points. (Will someone point him to my blog?)

I can’t have a simple public conversation with him. I could only ask him to join me in a discussion board or forum. But I can’t argue with him on the “digital street”, as I walk by, figuratively speaking.

Taking this thought one step further:

Traditional Media Publishing is like one person giving a speach to a large auditorium. You read it, then you discuss with your friends. Maybe you write a letter to the editor (like asking a question in a large auditorium – how many people do that, really?)

The forums and discussion boards are on the other side of the scale. After a short time, people tend to know each other very well and often it’s hard for strangers to join into the mostly well advanced conversations.

Blogs allow for discussions “en passant”. Comparable to a smalltalk party. You klick past many blogs, do some commenting here and there, engage in some discussions – and sometimes you find topics that capture your interest for a little longer so you stay (or come back often).

(btw, thanks to Steve Rubel for pointing out a whole lot of other factors why blogging isn’t quite just plain writing.

For your bookmarks: