Tonight my worst suspicions were confirmed: Facebook really killed the blog. Look for yourself what Google has to say on the subject when asking politely (top 5 search results):
“all my friends that used to blog no longer are. They’re all posting one line statements of what they’re doing on FB. So, there you have it. Video killed the radio star, and Facebook killed the blog. RIP.”
Jonathan Hays, 14. april 2009 at his blog http://offlineinaustin.blogspot.com/2009/04/facebook-has-killed-blog.html
“I entirely blame facebook for my lack of blogging. I used to have random thoughts that would quickly evolve into short narratives, and since the advent of the facebook status update approximately 90% of these thoughts have manifested as 160-character updates instead of a full-blown story. I am going to try to do a better job of letting these ideas mature into well-thought-out blogs instead of little blurbs for my facebook friends.”
Sara B, Portland , Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at http://www.saraknowsbest.com/2009/01/facebook-killed-blog-star.html
“I don’t see Facebook replacing blogs. The purpose for each is disparate. What I do see though is my blog readership dropping.”
Anonymous blogger, 21. januar 2009 at http://blog.jamesfries.com/archive/2009/01/21/3727.aspx
“I’m sure you’re aware of the new kid on the block – Facebook. Oh sure, its newer and its somewhat more interactive, and all my friends are there… it’s all true. I’ve been having a great ol’ time… But make no mistake, You – my blog – are my first love.”
Kerry, Tuesday, May 22, 2007 at http://whatshappenindaddyo.blogspot.com/2007/05/facebook-killed-blog-star.html
“Facebook Killed the Blog … but I’m sure I’m not the first one to say it. Obviously, I haven’t blogged in awhile. A while. Quite a while…”
Lacey Crawford, 8. februar 2009 at http://www.laceycrawford.com/log.html
Also:
Technorati seems to have stopped producing graphs on the growth of the blogosphere, which they so proudly presented in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and up until 2007. No mention of “growth” in their 2008 report. No figures. No graphs.
And:
Is it, as Jason Calacanis said when he officially retired from blogging almost a year ago: “I love blogs and always will. However, I’ve done my part and I’m looking to strip it down. I’m looking for something more acoustic, something more authentic and something more private. Blogging is simply too big, too impersonal, and lacks the intimacy that drew me to it”
Or is it, that blogging is a far more lonely experience than the one offered by the social networks. That the social element of blogs (the blog-roll and the ability to post comments) is simply over-matched by Facebooks friends-list.
Or is it, that blogging is to fragmented, you have to sign up to a thousand different rss-feeds to be kept up to date with your networks activities, whereas Facebook offers you one-stop-updating?
I think it’s more simple than that: If you blog to be heard, the notion of being seen and heard is much more appealing in a social networking site like Facebook, where you already have a lot of friends than on a blog, where 99,9 % of what you do go into obscurity, once you hit ‘Send’.
So Facebook is for the ‘see me, see me’ types (of which I honestly feel Calacanis is one), while blogging is an option for people who might actually have something more on their mind.
So no, I don’t think Facebook has killed blogging. I only think Facebook has become a more attractive option for the people who only added noise and very little signal to the blog conversations.
Like you say, Mads, Facebook hasn’t killed anything, but it has given a broader portion of online users a convenient place for personal expression. It’s a social alternative to blogging that works and doesn’t demand as much time or contemplation from the user.
Blogging is indeed a lonely experience as you both point out and I fully understand why people abandon the platform, but let’s try a different angle: That’s great! The blogosphere needed some weeding out.
Now is the time for blogs to rediscover their strenghts and authority as part of a free, online press with evolving arguments. Perhaps even thanks to Facebook.
(If you’re not too anxious getting back to FB, I also responded to this with another blog post: Surviving in a World of FaceCraft.)
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