Minding the Planet: Blogging is Dead! Long Live Blogging! Why Twine is Better than Blogging.

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I love how my friend, Jason Calacanis, announces the death of blogging and his retirement from blogging...on a blog. He's a genius. You can read more here and here.

But as anyone who reads this blog knows, I try to be ahead of the curve. In keeping with that, I announced something similar last week. Sorry Jason, I beat you to it.

I haven't left blogging though. My blogging has evolved and is moving into a better medium. Jason wants to go back to old fashioned email mailing lists. But I'm going forward and moving much of my social media acitivty into something even better than blogs.

Blogs will continue, but an increasing amount of activity is going to move off of today's blogs and into a new kind of social media environment. I call these next generation services, interest networks, and my company is building one of the first: Twine.

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http://novaspivack.typepad.com/nova_spivacks_weblog/2008/07/blogging-is-dea.html

http://novaspivack.typepad.com/nova_spivacks_weblog/2008/07/blogging-is-dea.html

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  • Adam Lindemann

    16 months ago

    
    
    

    Hi Nova. I completely agree with you.

    Hi Nova. I completely agree with you.

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  • Mayer Spivack

    16 months ago

    
    
    

    I am migrating everything on by blog over into Twine. Thanks Nova, this is a great medium for thinking, collecting, and sharing fields of interest or research.

    I am migrating everything on by blog over into Twine. Thanks Nova, this is a great medium for thinking, collecting, and sharing fields of interest or research.

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  • Howard Shippin

    16 months ago

    
    
    

    Twine as an interface for blogging
    
    If bloggers with a huge following are finding themselves discontented with the blogging medium, the need for change is even stronger among the enormous number of anonymous bloggers whose contributions remained unnoticed. I realized a while ago that if you want to be heard, you need to go to where the discussion is taking place, rather than wait for people to find their way to your blog.
    
    Social media offer this opportunity with varying degrees of success. I have many friends on Facebook, but few, if any, read the Notes I import via RSS from my blog. Somehow Facebook users, or at least my circle of friends, don't seem to find the service attractive for either reading or writing blogs, although there is no objective reason why they could not do so.
    
    On the other hand, I am familiar with Ning, a framework that permits the creation of individual social networks, or rather "interest networks". There, participation is much greater, and articles generally elicit response and serious discussions. As an "interest network", Ning gets lots of things right. Unlike Twine, however, it does not have a social bookmarking function.
    
    I think that the success of social media depends much on the image or conception that people have of them. When Ma.gnolia, a social bookmarking site appeared, I stopped using Del.icio.us, because the interface it gave, designed by Jeffrey Zeldman and friends, was much more satisfying. Ma.gnolia, like Twine, offers an opportunity to make comments on social bookmarks and create interest groups around specific topics. However, for some reason, perhaps a flaw of design, this aspect appears to be insufficiently developed in Ma.gnolia. A search for groups on many obvious topics, yields very little fruit. Somehow, people seem to use the site as a replacement for Del.icio.us and similar social bookmarking sites. Ma.gnolia does not realize its full potential as an interest network.
    
    This brings me to your comment that you are doing the majority of your blogging on Twine these days. Well, although it may be possible to author original posts on Twine, the feeling I get from the interface, is that this is not really the intention. As far as I have seen, Twine is not being used as a blogging interface. Most people are making brief comments on individual bookmarks rather than authoring.
    
    If Twine is to be more than a more clever and updated version of services like Ma.gnolia and StumbleUpon, I think that it would be sensible to place an equal emphasis on creating a satisfying interface for original authorship, since this is what would give the service vibrancy and genuine interest value.

    Twine as an interface for blogging<br /><br />If bloggers with a huge following are finding themselves discontented with the blogging medium, the need for change is even stronger among the enormous number of anonymous bloggers whose contributions remained unnoticed. I realized a while ago that if you want to be heard, you need to go to where the discussion is taking place, rather than wait for people to find their way to your blog. <br /><br />Social media offer this opportunity with varying degrees of success. I have many friends on Facebook, but few, if any, read the Notes I import via RSS from my blog. Somehow Facebook users, or at least my circle of friends, don't seem to find the service attractive for either reading or writing blogs, although there is no objective reason why they could not do so.<br /><br />On the other hand, I am familiar with Ning, a framework that permits the creation of individual social networks, or rather "interest networks". There, participation is much greater, and articles generally elicit response and serious discussions. As an "interest network", Ning gets lots of things right. Unlike Twine, however, it does not have a social bookmarking function. <br /><br />I think that the success of social media depends much on the image or conception that people have of them. When Ma.gnolia, a social bookmarking site appeared, I stopped using <a href="http://Del.icio.us" rel="nofollow">Del.icio.us</a>, because the interface it gave, designed by Jeffrey Zeldman and friends, was much more satisfying. Ma.gnolia, like Twine, offers an opportunity to make comments on social bookmarks and create interest groups around specific topics. However, for some reason, perhaps a flaw of design, this aspect appears to be insufficiently developed in Ma.gnolia. A search for groups on many obvious topics, yields very little fruit. Somehow, people seem to use the site as a replacement for <a href="http://Del.icio.us" rel="nofollow">Del.icio.us</a> and similar social bookmarking sites. Ma.gnolia does not realize its full potential as an interest network.<br /><br />This brings me to your comment that you are doing the majority of your blogging on Twine these days. Well, although it may be possible to author original posts on Twine, the feeling I get from the interface, is that this is not really the intention. As far as I have seen, Twine is not being used as a blogging interface. Most people are making brief comments on individual bookmarks rather than authoring.<br /><br />If Twine is to be more than a more clever and updated version of services like Ma.gnolia and StumbleUpon, I think that it would be sensible to place an equal emphasis on creating a satisfying interface for original authorship, since this is what would give the service vibrancy and genuine interest value.

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    • Javed Alam

      16 months ago

      
      
      

      Hi Howard
      
      I have used all the social bookmarking/networking software you have mentioned in your comments and my experience is very similar to yours. I even taught a course "Information Tools for Engineers" using Ning network
      
      http://infotechtools.ning.com
      
      to experiment with using Ning as a replacement of traditional learning management systems (LMS) such as webct/moodle/sakai. These LMS provide rudimentary learning management with a very rigid pedagogy and widely used in Educational Institution. They lack social aspects of learning that are very easy to implement in Ning. They also lack extensibility while Ning can easily be extended through Open Social api or other code modification. Considering all this I think Ning and similar social networking platforms that can easily be extended through open API's such as open social and widgets will be the next generation application development platforms for application in different domains including education.
      
      Facebook gets criticized a lot but they are the fastest growing social networking platform and overall they have taken over social networking space. Interestingly, they came from behind throwing off the assumption that in information economy the first mover has the advantage. Their user interface as well as application development interface is one of the easiest one to work with. There is no comparison. Even Ning can not come close. I will skip Twine in this comparison because they are still beta and evolving. They can learn few things from Facebook when it comes to designing virtual social spaces and user interfaces.
      
      After all every virtual space that requires people's participation to grow is a "Virtual social space" and it has to have user interfaces that facilitate social interaction even if it is for ideas only. For example in Facebook a member's picture or the member is the center of all the activities. It also makes it very easy.to collect members on Facebook, what we call as "facebook friends". However, it is not free of problems here is one my posts when I was blocked at Facebook, probably by a facebook script that looks for spammers :
      
      http://randomthougts101.blogspot.com/2008/03/facebook-blocks-from-adding-members.html
      
      I think Social bookmarking/networking/media is an evolutionary phase of the "new Media" development. It will be very interesting to see who wins. The social networks like facebook, myspace where the members are the focus or the social bookmarking networks where interest brings people together. It seems intuitive that it should be the later one but if you look at the growth curve between social book marking networks or social networks it is the second one in the form of myspace, facebook, hi5 etc.
      
      I think that Facebook will become a giant "Virtual mall" by looking at the number of marketers/advertisers who are flocking to the facebook and their future introduction of payment system. They are trying to monetize the member activities on facebook to justify their 3-15B market valuation.
      I do think that blooging is on its way out. That means it will not be there but not the center of attention.
      
      Ning and facebook are not competing. The Ning's founder Mark Andreesand recently joined the Facebook board.

      Hi Howard<br /><br />I have used all the social bookmarking/networking software you have mentioned in your comments and my experience is very similar to yours. I even taught a course "Information Tools for Engineers" using Ning network <br /><br /><a href="http://infotechtools.ning.com" rel="nofollow">http://infotechtools.ning.com</a><br /><br />to experiment with using Ning as a replacement of traditional learning management systems (LMS) such as webct/moodle/sakai. These LMS provide rudimentary learning management with a very rigid pedagogy and widely used in Educational Institution. They lack social aspects of learning that are very easy to implement in Ning. They also lack extensibility while Ning can easily be extended through Open Social api or other code modification. Considering all this I think Ning and similar social networking platforms that can easily be extended through open API's such as open social and widgets will be the next generation application development platforms for application in different domains including education.<br /><br />Facebook gets criticized a lot but they are the fastest growing social networking platform and overall they have taken over social networking space. Interestingly, they came from behind throwing off the assumption that in information economy the first mover has the advantage. Their user interface as well as application development interface is one of the easiest one to work with. There is no comparison. Even Ning can not come close. I will skip Twine in this comparison because they are still beta and evolving. They can learn few things from Facebook when it comes to designing virtual social spaces and user interfaces. <br /><br />After all every virtual space that requires people's participation to grow is a "Virtual social space" and it has to have user interfaces that facilitate social interaction even if it is for ideas only. For example in Facebook a member's picture or the member is the center of all the activities. It also makes it very easy.to collect members on Facebook, what we call as "facebook friends". However, it is not free of problems here is one my posts when I was blocked at Facebook, probably by a facebook script that looks for spammers :<br /><br /><a href="http://randomthougts101.blogspot.com/2008/03/facebook-blocks-from-adding-members.html" rel="nofollow">http://randomthougts101.blogspot.com/2008/03/facebook-blocks-from-adding-members.html</a><br /><br />I think Social bookmarking/networking/media is an evolutionary phase of the "new Media" development. It will be very interesting to see who wins. The social networks like facebook, myspace where the members are the focus or the social bookmarking networks where interest brings people together. It seems intuitive that it should be the later one but if you look at the growth curve between social book marking networks or social networks it is the second one in the form of myspace, facebook, hi5 etc.<br /><br />I think that Facebook will become a giant "Virtual mall" by looking at the number of marketers/advertisers who are flocking to the facebook and their future introduction of payment system. They are trying to monetize the member activities on facebook to justify their 3-15B market valuation.<br />I do think that blooging is on its way out. That means it will not be there but not the center of attention.<br /><br />Ning and facebook are not competing. The Ning's founder Mark Andreesand recently joined the Facebook board.

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  • shal

    16 months ago

    
    
    

    ha ha ... I wonder why I didn't think of it earlier ^^ ... very interesting source of inspiration! Thank you Nova!

    ha ha ... I wonder why I didn't think of it earlier ^^ ... very interesting source of inspiration! Thank you Nova!

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  • gregory lent

    16 months ago

    
    
    

    yeow, a hit of intelligence, unexpected, thanks so much for the above comments, mature, smart, interesting

    yeow, a hit of intelligence, unexpected, thanks so much for the above comments, mature, smart, interesting

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  • Ines Pinto

    16 months ago

    
    
    

    As Howard Shippin, I'm looking forward to Twine including blogging features and as Javed Alam, I believe that interest centered networks will bring more people together - or at least will tie them more intimately - than member centered social networks.

    As Howard Shippin, I'm looking forward to Twine including blogging features and as Javed Alam, I believe that interest centered networks will bring more people together - or at least will tie them more intimately - than member centered social networks.

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