Blogging has been around for a while now (in Internet terms at least). Personally I’ve been blogging since 2001 when I recorded a hike along the Appalachian Trail with Trailjournals.com. When I used that service nobody had coined the term “Blogging,” but basically that’s what the site was for. Hiker blogs.
My first WordPress installation took place in 2005. Upload the files to a server, walk through the simple installation process….Done! Very simple. Now it’s even simpler. Most hosting services offer automatic WordPress installation.
Since first starting with WordPress in 05′ I have blogged a lot. Initially Gadget’s Airstream Chronicles, and then onto the current Chronicles continued. I’ve recorded travel logs, meeting new people, adventures, and the boring stuff about building a small business from the ground up. I get blogging.
Not long ago I got onto Facebook, the next step in social media you could say. Over the past year I’ve used it to help promote my business locally with some success. While I understand Facebook, the interface, and how to use it I don’t know how I feel about it lately.
See, each day I get so many Facebook notifications it’s almost overwhelming. Every 10 minutes something is beeping me to tell me that I’ve been invited to an event, or I’ve been sent a Facebook message, or somebody wants me to work on their virtual farm. I have no desire to plant virtual corn. Seriously, sometimes the amount of updates I receive leave me feeling ADD…….
Which brings me to Twitter. Each time I post a new blog entry it shows up on Twitter. Several friends and business associates insist that tweeting can be good for business. But honestly I just can’t keep up with Twitter or follow all of the extremely short posts. Half the time I go on to twitter several thousand tweets are backlogged and I don’t even know where to begin following a thread.
So I sit here wondering…..40 years old. Am I starting to be a tech curmudgeon? The first half of my business life was spent rolling out new technologies. Am I now too set in my ways? Or do you agree with me that all these beeps and notifications, fractured messages and the like are too distracting and take away from what you’re doing?
I can tell you, I’ll continue to blog as long as I have the time. Facebook will remain a marketing option and a way to connect with distant friends and family. And my posts will automatically Tweet, just don’t ask me to try and understand Twitter.
Oh, and I’ve signed up for Google +, but I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it…….
Somehow I don’t think I’m alone. Take a read on this article regarding younger people choosing not to use Facebook, or read the longer article here from the NY Times. Is there a new trend in the offing? Don’t know, but it’s an interesting read.
Oh, and P.S. I won’t be answering anything on Facebook, Twitter, Texts, or the phone for the next 3 days. We’ve got a sizable commercial shoot and I’ll be paying 100% attention to the client, not to communications technology. 🙂