Of course that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.

This is very important post.

I’d have to say (without any disrespect) that comparing blogging on your own blog versus blogger on a Myspace type of platform (so not your own brand) is like having your own business versus being part of a network marketing arm.

When you are in network marketing…you maybe building your unit, but in the end you REALLY are building the business of the company behind the networkd marketing.

Gisele

It’s basically a group authentication system, which I’ve termed as a “conversation” between bloggers. You can become a part of a group, then interact with the posts of others in that group directly from your own blog. Based off the whole idea behind trackbacks, but with a lot more practical uses (collaborations, debates etc).

Social networking can be a powerful tool for driving traffic back and forth, which is why I see my own development work as a way to drive readers between blogs, back and forth.

Been testing it out with a few bloggers recently in fact, and receiving some good feedback. I left a link to the early concept page I drew up (with screenshots) if you click on my name above.

I’ve noticed that boggers tend to be the people who have more of a personal agenda, they have a message and they want that message to be heard. The really good bloggers are usually writers at heart. If they weren’t blogging, they’d be writing for a newspaper or magazine, they’d be writing books or screenplays, they’d be writing poems or songs. Fundamentally, they are writers.

Networkers tend to be more social butterflies. They’re more interested in other people and in relationships. They like to build things, to code, to develop. If they weren’t in social networking, they’d be in gaming or something similar.

Ultimately, it’s not about what’s blogging versus social networking; it’s about doing what you’re passionate about.

For conversational media marketing purposes, I see a blog as strategic headquarters, the fountainhead from which all other initiatives flow.

Like the friend you cited, I, too, gave up blogging in favor of playing in the social media sandbox, but only for a short time.

I’ve learned three valuable lessons:

1. That my blog is where I really get down to business dealing with the topic about which I’m passionate

2. That anecdotal, daily life type of journaling can easily be accommodated via Facebook and Twitter

3. That social networks like the aforementioned can be used as announcement and syndication systems for the posts on my blog, resulting in a greater level of awareness and heightened participation

This is the key. These people have gone from developing a digital asset of their own that could have real value, to becoming someone else’s user-generated content.

Sad.

We think about Google a lot but does Google think about us? Their main aim is to give their customer a terrific experience so they remain loyal and when they think of bloggers their main focus is getting them to toe the line and provide that experience.

It can be a struggle get going and maintain a blog and maybe other people have a different vision and can cut it without one. Even if you do not have a blog for your particular business I think in the future it may be important to have one for your portfolio of skills, contacts and profile management. You can control the design and content of it more than a facebook or myspace page. Managing your profile across the lot may become key.

Next time you’re looking at a social networking tool to grow your blog, consider editing Wikipedia (positively; don’t give bloggers a bad name), and making some friends there. They might provide a steady traffic source for your growing blog.

Obviously this really won’t help large bloggers so much, but then again, maybe it will.