Is Blogging Another Form of Social Media?

Note: somehow the wrong video wound up on Viddler compared to YouTube when I first posted this. This is now the correct video.

I think blogging is a form of social media. When The Cluetrain Manifesto first came out, one of its most important and enduring tenets was: markets are conversations. We use that phrase all the time, now, and many of us don’t know where it came from. It came from Cluetrain.

And everything that’s succeeded online since has been an embodiment of Cluetrain ideas. Anything that facilitates The Conversation succeeds, and anything that slows it down or tries to stop it fails. When you look at what’s happening in business now, everything becomes very clear with regard to what businesses and marketing methods will make it and which ones will not. It explains why blogging is taking off in the mainstream, especially for business. It also explains why social media is also starting to catch fire.

Blogging is becoming more social. Even for “regular” blogs, we now have threaded comments and third party commenting systems like Disqus and Intense Debate. Beyond that, there is “BuddyPress.” There are now what we call microblogging services, like Twitter and Pownce. Twitter is the closest thing we have to a blend of chat and blogging.

For now.

Some people may even feel that blogging is being drowned out by all the noise regarding social media. Those of you who entered into blogging reluctantly are still way ahead of curve, but you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. If you are feeling frustrated at the pace of change, you are not alone. However, if you don’t keep up, you will be left behind.

You also have to consider where your customers are coming from and make sure you meet their needs. But using social media along with blogging can help you “upgrade” your customers to a more tech-savvy group. High-tech customers tend to earn more than the general population and have more disposable income.