Oh, great. Another buzzword: ‘Microblogging’
They’re now calling it “microblogging.”
Just what we need. Another buzzword.
We’re talking about the status updates in Facebook. And, well, everything about Twitter.
Wailin Wong of the Chicago Tribune writes:
There has always been an undercurrent of irritation with the ultra-confessional nature of the Web. Yet the backlash hasn’t occurred. Instead, social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have edged into the mainstream, encouraging more people to put their personal lives online. Both Facebook and MySpace have features where members can post a brief line about what they’re doing or thinking at the moment.
For the current generation, there is no such thing as too much information; its members are adept at managing the vast flow.
“I’m not sure it’ll ever end,†said Michael Brito, who is Intel’s “social media evangelist†and recently rejected his 6-year-old daughter’s request to join Twitter. “I can have the TV on, be on e-mail, instant messenger and Twitter, and I still feel like I have a good grasp of what’s going on around me. I don’t think it’s over. I’m looking at my daughter and kids her age, and I think it’s just going to continue to evolve.â€
So, is it all too much? Depends on your point of view, of course. I’ve come to enjoy — and to rely on — the status updates at Facebook. Such a large percentage of my friends have linked with me there that I can log in, pull down the “Friends/Status updates” menu and scan through a quick update of what everyone is up to.
It’s not complete or exhaustive. But who has time for that? It’s an overview. And a disarmingly easy-to-use one, at that.
But Twitter? That’s one I still don’t get. Who has time to read that many entries from that many people?
Find Wong’s story in today’s Trib.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Just wait til they devise something that implants into your cerebral cortex that allows instant microblogging of whatever thought you’re having at that second as well as receiving those same thoughts from others. Who needs the internet then?
Yeah, and we were all supposed to have flying cars by now as well.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Yeah, microblogging is really not a new idea. The social internet is built upon a lot of small talk. Really small data streams that you can produce in many ways.
Charles, I have illustrated microblogging concepts for you in a new blog post.
Microblogging: how to tell stories in small, but meaningful ways
Best,
Robb