IS BLOGGING DEAD OR IS IT JUST DYING?

Is it time to swing into the saddle and ride off into the sunset?

My friend, Terry Stonecrop, said goodbye to her blog in such a fashion :

http://gardnerwest.blogspot.com/

She did more writing on her novel in the month she was away from her blog than ever before.

It hurt to think I was going to see much less of her cyber-wise. Yet, I could see her reasoning.


Last week Nathan Bransford asked, "Is Blog Fatigue On The Rise?"

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2011/10/is-blog-fatigue-on-rise.html?

He admitted to having Blog Fatigue himself.

The Rainy Day Wanderer has left blogging for two months now :

http://therainydaywanderer.blogspot.com/

V R Barkowski has recently written some posts which indicate she is mulling the same topic over :

http://vrbarkowski.blogspot.com/2011/10/ru-kidding-me-another-rule-post.html

It got me to thinking and researching :

http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/02/23/a-blogs-life/

http://www.caslon.com.au/weblogprofile1.htm

http://thinklab.typepad.com/think_lab/2007/02/stop_blogging_b.html

http://jiscpowr.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2009/08/12/whats-the-average-lifespan-of-a-web-page/

1.) The average lifespan of a blog seems to be about 2-3 years, with posting frequency going down after about 18 months on most. And the growth rate has dropped 16% in one year.

Several studies indicate that most blogs are abandoned soon after creation (with 60% to 80% abandoned within one month, depending on whose figures you choose to believe) and that few are regularly updated.

The Perseus report noted above indicates that 66.0% of surveyed blogs had not been updated in two months, "representing 2.72 million blogs that have been either permanently or temporarily abandoned".

2.) Twitter is the new rage to fritter your time away from your novel.


Twitter can consume your time. Work, real social interactions and rest can all suffer if you are constantly tweeting and following other tweets. You can check Twitter updates from your phone and send messages from anywhere.

In theory, many people use this as an escape from their own surroundings, paying more attention to Twitter updates, rather than reading that pertinent work email or writing that unfinished novel sitting on their desk.

It is a dangerous pastime.

If you pose the wrong image or comment online, you may be passed up for a promotion, considered undesirable for hire or, even, denied disability benefits for having too much fun.

3.) What do you think?

Is blogging dying? Is it worth the time away from your novel and research?

Is blogging any help to your chances of being published in today's unstable publishing environment?

Is Twitter the new forum to gain an agent's eye?

Or are we just singing to the choir, even on Twitter?
***