Where has all the blogging gone?

Stewart Sexton, he of the excellent Stewchat blog, has recently posted about the tardiness of some of his linked bloggers to posting. After reading it, I looked at my list of linked blogs and, guess what, ten of them haven't posted for over a month! To be honest, I reckon that only 30% of my links could be considered as regular posters. Not everybody has the time or the inclination to do so, but as Stewart points out, there does seem to be a reduction in the frequency of posting out there.

Other 'social media' strands have a lot to do with it. Facebook groups allow illustrated (not word-restricted) posts which are targeted at a defined audience. Twitter is deliberately brief and quick. Blogging does require some commitment to the cause. There may also be a case that many bloggers are coming to the point where they are running out of things to say, and if they are using the platform as a way of reporting along the 'been there, seen that' lines, then it is easier to send out that information in other ways.

I have been tempted to reduce my blogging frequency, even considered stopping altogether (I did kill off the original ND and B). However, a blog is a lot more than a collection of my thoughts and records. It is a creative outlet. Sometimes - on the rare occasion - it can be a service to others, making them aware of places and species. I have been corrected on my identification, mainly regarding invertebrates. I have met up with fellow bloggers purely through our Blogger contact. I have a number of 'virtual' friends who I have never met, but enjoy (ir)regular communication with, either through the comments box or the forging of private e-mail correspondence. It seems to me to be the most personal of the 'social media' platforms, as you need to make the effort to visit a site - a post won't pop up on your phone whether you like it or not.

So I would echo Stewart's call for bloggers out there to keep on blogging and for those that have fallen by the wayside to get moving again. I enjoy trawling through them. They educate me and they entertain me. Your audience awaits!

Comments

Simon Douglas Thompson said…
Well I get paranoid my numbers are going to drop if I don't keep at it, after having fought for so long to get them up to a reasonable level. It's also a calling card for job hunting, and also keeps my local friends informed of what is going on but a few hundred yards from the doorsteps. There's so much folk miss in my town.
9 September 2015 at 14:24
Derek Faulkner said…
Well if the Kent Ornithological Society website is anything to go by (I've been of the KOS since 1959), you're right, blogging is diminishing. They have a number of members blogs attached to the website but several are not up-dated now, some for three years!.
It is clear on their website, as I have been told, that any member not having a Twitter or Facebook account (me) will be left behind and to be honest, it would appear, ignored. The KOS Forum and linked blogs are fast being non-used and Facebook and Twitter taking over - neither are for me I'm afraid and so this long term member will fall by the wayside and simply continue with his old-fashioned blog.
9 September 2015 at 14:55
Factor said…
I agree with you Steve. I always go to your blog first to read, as apart from Jono Lethbridge, no-one else I follow writes as regularly – or as well! I admit I don't write as often I did, but like anything else in life that's free, it takes effort! Also running both a blog and the Holmethorpe site take time as I seem to be getting more busy as I get older (I thought it was supposed to get easier). I've noticed how many important sites don't get the coverage they deserve. Records in some areas are patchy at best, which is a shame. Others, on the other hand are very good. Locally, Reculver, Oare, Sandwich Bay on KOS, London Bird Club, Surrey Birders and Bird Club, Sussex OS all are reliable sources of up-to-date info. It's a shame one or two notable names both current and in the past have either stopped or virtually stopped blogging.
10 September 2015 at 00:29
hasty said…
Couldn't agree with you more Steve.

Reliable bloggers like Plodding Birder, Matt Eade, yourself and Birding the Selsey Peninsula provide regular updates for the rest of us, making it easier to plan a visit to specific sites.

Also, as an inexperienced, late arrival to birding, good blogs provide me with valuable insights into the activities of the seasoned birders and I learn a lot from them.

Long may you keep going!
10 September 2015 at 08:29
Steve Gale said…
I know what you mean Simon, after a few days away from blogging the old stats don't look so healthy!
10 September 2015 at 14:54
Steve Gale said…
Derek, it's a shame that members of societies that are unwilling to embrace, or don't understand 'new technology' are being marginalised. All should be catered for.
10 September 2015 at 14:56
Steve Gale said…
You're right Neil, blogging and website maintenance take up a lot of time, and if it is done as a labour of love, then who are we to assume that new material will magically appear. Here's hoping that you get enough time away from the mouse and keyboard for a bit of birding this autumn...
10 September 2015 at 14:58
Steve Gale said…
Thank you for the kind words Hasty. maybe your Seagulls will be playing my Spurs in the Premiership next season? I hope so for Chris Hughton's sake.
10 September 2015 at 15:00
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