Blogs & Social Networks: One and the Same?
Blogs and social networks are merging into one category these days. For example, what’s the difference between a Facebook Group microsite and a blog?
Both contain content, both have discussion trails, both have communities of interest. Blogs have become more like social networks as social bookmarking has become more important, and the social bookmarking sites themselves are beginning to look more like social networking sites. Then throw feeds from one platform, into another, and everything is mixed up. Enter the social networking ecosystem.
From a marketer’s point of view the new social networking challenge is to fixate less on one platform or another – but rather jump right in to the interconnected mix. The challenge is to stir things up in a way that helps build knowledge about interconnected customers and prospects.
What do you think?
June 18, 2009 at 5:41 am
I see what you mean by blogs and social networking being one in the same as far as content and user functions go. However, I feel that they are very much different in their purpose and intention. Blogs have an agenda or a strong opinion behind the post while any posts on a social networking page is simply to be yourself and let others know about you as an individual. Yes you can show and state strong opinions and aggenda’s on social networking sites but that is not why or how most people use them. They are more for personal connections rather than public knowledge of a stated opinon for others to comment on.
June 18, 2009 at 8:13 am
That’s not the case with Twitter and other micro-blogging sites – they are much less personal and much more public. Plus Twitter is often joined at the hip with a blog. Moreover, blogs can be as partisan, or not, as one chooses. Is a Ning blog a blog or a social network? The lines are blurred.
June 22, 2009 at 1:24 am
I think they can be the same or different depending on each individual’s uses of them. I also tend to think of blogs more for an agenda or strong opinion although anything can truly be posted on them. I think that social networking is still more focused on sharing information about yourself with friends and family and meeting new people. As these sites and blogs continue to gain popularity, I think there uses will become more intermixed.
June 21, 2009 at 4:25 am
I belive the tough part in penetrating both social networking and blogs, is to get your product service attention without being pushy. Recall the success of Mastercard’s priceliss ads. They then received free advertising in similar types of circles as people created their own versions, passing them on to friends and family. Some sites/blogs can have what I would call fake entries that are so obviously written with an agenda that it is off putting.
June 22, 2009 at 12:35 am
I agree with Brian that no matter what arena you are trying to break into, what’s important is how you do it. Society is becoming more and more defensive about marketing ploys and it is extremely difficult for marketers to break through this tough exterior. MySpace became inundated with advertisements and I have started to see the same trend on Facebook.
June 22, 2009 at 12:45 am
While the lines are, indeed, being blurred between blogs and social networks, I would posit that the difference is due to the erosion of blogging as a tool for communication of valuable information and opinion, rather than the uptick in value-add content in social networks. While more people may be using social networking sites to discuss their professional interests, bloggers must be vigilant about keeping personal information separate. While the personality and views of the blogger certainly plays into why people subscribe to certain blogs, the blog is expected to have a consistent theme, personality, and content stream – none of which are necessarily expected from social networking.
June 22, 2009 at 9:59 am
My take on this issue is that social networks have very difference purposes from blogs. Indeed, certain social networks such as Myspace, have functions that allow the user to blog, but the overall purpose is different. From my perspective, networks such as Facebook serves a trackign purpose, allow people to connect with “real life friends”, ex classmates and people with similiar interests. It is a good way to keep in touch without having to email or phone someone. I use facebook and check it several times a day, as it makes communication easier for myself and I can update people about significant happenings in my life. Blogs on the other hand seek to grasp viewers based and prompt their views on the bloggers issues. This form of connectivity, in my opinion, seeks to obtain validaty on certain topics, while the blogger could care less about the person reading their blog. It is almost like a public diary, with little focus on social interaction. Though I do not have a blog, I’ve seen several and the whole concept does not interest me in the slightest. I am all about connecting with people and seeing what all is going on in the world.
June 22, 2009 at 10:36 am
You’re right on track. From a marketer’s point of view it should be looked at as multi-channel marketing. We understand that this works best in our “traditional” marketing efforts, we now need to look at this subset of our channels and further define how we address social websites and blogs in an effective manner.
July 27, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Indeed it is the interconnected mix that matters. Platforms and tools are going to change and morph.