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About that 2009 wish list Louis

by Steven Hodson on December 23, 2008 · Comments

High20Five The other day Louis Gray; the social media phenom of 2008, wrote a post about how he’d like to do some things differently come 2009. As I read through his list a couple of them stood out to me and I wanted to make a couple of comments about them – both to Louis and also to the wider tech blogosphere.

1. Make more comments on original blog posts

Like or not Louis your name has gained considerable weight over the last year. Some like to mention you in the same breath as Robert Scoble as far as being an influence within the social media world – so you’re stuck with it. However during the last year – also like Robert you have been spending a lot of your social media cachet on things like FriendFeed and Twitter. While there is really nothing wrong with that one has to wonder how many bloggers would have benefited by your involvement in their comments instead of the temporary value of a FriendFeed mention.

I realize that everyone is enamoured with the microblogging world at the moment as it ties in nicely with the idea of getting the best exposure with the least amount of work but is anyone really benefitting from this approach?

When thought leaders like Louis, Robert, Chris Brogan and others at the forefront of social media take the time to become involved in conversations on the blog posts the effect can be wide ranging. Not only do you help boost a fellow blogger’s morale and – yes – their egos (there’s nothing like high fiving yourself when you are starting out and people like these leave comments) but you also point out interesting new ideas and people that are worth investing your time in to a wider audience.

I would only hope that other thought leaders would take the time to spread their thought value and comment on posts rather than the fly by commenting that happening on places like FriendFeed or Twitter. Like the ripples of a pebble cast into a lake the positive effects would be far ranging.

2. Respond to more comments on his own blog

As much as people might like to believe that microblogging or lifestreaming services are the best places to build their communities I would beg to differ. For bloggers their home base is their blog(s) and there is no better place to build a strong and interactive community that on that blog.

If people take the time to leave comments it is because you have written something that strikes a chord with them but that isn’t enough to build a community. Writing the post that people leave comments is only the beginning of the conversation. For it to develop into a conversation where people believe their input is valued you need to be equally involved.

A strong and vibrant community is not built around one way communication but right now blogging seems to resemble just that. By becoming involved in your home conversation you give people a reason to keep coming back and willing to invest their time and energy to help you build your community.

3. Follow up on sites and services after their launch

This is a really big failing of just about all tech bloggers who write about Web 2.0 and social media services. We are quick enough to bust an embargo to get our version of what some new services is all about but unless we’re deadpooling them very seldom do we see any additional follow ups being written.

A lot of people might read about some service when it first launches but aren’t willing to jump in during that launch period. For these people it is a matter of longevity and improvements that are what gets them to finally give a service a try. Not everyone is an early adopter but we only seem to be writing stuff that benefits those few rather than becoming a valuable resource for the larger social media userbase.

And about 2009

FriendFeed and Twitter might be all the buzz right now and chances are that this won’t change for much of 2009 but I think that blogs are a much better ay for us to build strong communities. With our blogs we have a vested interest to see that our brands are constantly strengthened by both our own involvement beyond just writing posts and using them as hubs for our social communities. FriendFeed and Twitter don’t offer the same opportunities because of their built in limitations.

FriendFeed and Twitter, as much fun as they might be don’t have the same impact or the opportunity to grow. Like Louis if I was to have a blogging wish list for 2009 increasing my involvement would have to be at the top.

As a blogger what would be your wish list?

For our readers what would be your wish list for your favourite blogs?

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Tagged as: blogging, Louis Gray, wish lists

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  • Louis who? I think we are both in agreement here, so there is no argument. It comes down to prioritization and time.

    Re: following up on services, although I wrote I should get better, I thought I did fairly well here. Take a look at how often I covered Backtype, Toluu, Socialmedian, RSSmeme, ReadBurner, Strands, and other non-new sites like Disqus, Techmeme, Friendfeed and Twitter.

    Regarding the social media cachet, you and I personally have been buds and peers since before FriendFeed arrived. But it was through those services that many people first became aware of what I was doing on the blog. There is a trade-off, some good, some bad. I'm pleased with the time I traded in 2008, but did say there's room to grow. Keep me honest and see if you think I'm falling short.

    To 2009, my cranky friend!
  • was written to spark any arguments :) as for the follow up I would say you do better than most but like I said in the post this was also directed at the wider tech blogosphere.

    I think as far as the cachet is concerned yours grew considerably when you found your niche (RSS and microblogging) whereas the cranky old fart just kept on being cranky :) :)

    I'll do my best to keep people honest because that is what cranky old farts do best LOL :)
  • I prefer having conversation on my own blog, but Pandora opened the box, so I know it will happen where and when it does, so I don't worry about it too much.

    As for commenting, the habit of Likes/Dislikes and FriendFeed commenting didn't become a long term part of my social media habits. I focus on commenting on the blogger's blog, sending links via Twitter, or occasionally linking out or analyzing someone else's work on my own blog.

    Happy Holidays!
  • you're right about Pandora's box being opened but that doesn't mean that we can't individually make the choice of where to take the conversation. I say that as much for myself as well as I need to "step" out more often to leave comments.
  • James
    Thanks for the link to Chris Brogan's blog. I haven't seen that one yet... That is an excellent one.
  • one of the top blogs out there - glad to have helped :)
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