Is Blogging dead?

So, is blogging dead?

Despite what Betteridges Law of Headlines might tell us, the amount of blog posts I’ve read since my last post here in 2014 compared to, say, the number of Facebook posts I have consumed would imply yes; blogging is dead. And if not dead, it’s at least not culturally relevant. However, here we are. From my brief forays into the DIY music scene (dare I call it industry? Depends who I’m talking to really, and how one defines where the scene ends and the wider industry begins) I learned more than a few things about self promotion. One of them, arguably the most important for DIY musicians, is this: your contact list is the most valuable thing you can own (thank you Jesse Cannon and Todd Thomas).

Facebook* owns your contacts and connections. They can change their algorithm at any time for any reason. They can boot you from the platform, delete your photos, your contacts, your entire online identity**. On the contrary, a self-maintained list of friends or fans emails is exponentially more difficult for a company to exploit (although not impossible). A blog you host and maintain yourself is a much more secure plot of digital real estate than a “free” service hosted on for-profit companies servers.

I used to write in my personal journal every day. And while over the more recent years I have not kept this up for a number of personal reasons, I’ve often told myself (and others as unsolicited advice) that a blog would be a great way to both keep a journal and stay connected with friends old and new. It’s also a great way to hone writing skills.

This blog may take shape over time into something more thematic, cohesive, and/or interesting to a sub-section of internet lurkers — or not. It may simply act as my digital calling card, the best way to get ahold of me as I slowly purge myself of Facebook and other social medias. It will most definitely act as an outlet for my thoughts, ideas and experiences. Or perhaps nothing will come of this at all; maybe, just maybe, blogging is dead.

*I use “Facebook” here as a blanket term for all social media companies including but not limited to Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

**Do you remember the whole “likes” campaign launched by Facebook circa 2012? While trying to figure out how to become profitable Facebook promoted “likes” on their platform as the ideal way to reach an audience. You could pay Facebook to promote your page for more likes, with the expectation of increased visibility for your brand. After pivoting away from this model those likes you paid so much for are now essentially worthless, as ultimately the Facebook algorithm decides who sees your content anyway.