Comments on: The social media time crisis.

By: An Ultimate Guide to Social Media Simplification | Andy DeSoto

An Ultimate Guide to Social Media Simplification | Andy DeSoto — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:31:28 +0000

[...] The social media time crisis | Colin Walker [...]

By: oldskoolmark

oldskoolmark — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:29:05 +0000

Interesting post. This crisis really breaks down the foundations which social media is built upon. The foundation that we are able to exchange thoughts, focus on a wider spectrum of the topic through sharing and generate more ideas.

I find myself trying to reduce my posts to less than 500 words just to suit my audience. I guess our Google readers are too filled up that we just skim through the post… Tragic really…

I think Tommyl's point of a good heading and introduction is a good point as that's what we see in our aggragators.

By: charlieanzman

charlieanzman — Tue, 27 May 2008 08:29:10 +0000

I find myself hesitating sharing long posts even if they are good. Doubt people will read down to the next one in many cases.

By: notes, thoughts, ideas and responses » Our Social Thought Process, One Drop At A Time

Mon, 26 May 2008 15:30:46 +0000

[...] find our weaknesses in midst of a social media time crisis is pertinent and necessary. Signal is reason that should be found and acted upon more easily. We [...]

By: colinwalker

colinwalker — Sun, 25 May 2008 04:48:50 +0000

@Hutch, not glib at all – they are all great ways to break up a post and used by many a blogger to add value to the post.

@James, a perfect example of perpetuating the problem. How long did it take to make the comment? Was the comment necessary? Could you have used that time to instead read the whole post? Who's to say that you may still have felt compelled to comment after reading it all and whether the comment would have been different had you done so.

By: James Herbert

James Herbert — Sun, 25 May 2008 04:00:18 +0000

I would love to have read all of this article instead of just jumping in and making a quick quip. I just don't have the time… I agree with Alexander. I admit I have written a post on my blog about a paragraph or two long. I also have a 1000+ word article about clichés on my blog. The blog topic is about researching the tools of the digital or net learner.

John Seely Brown wrote an article here:http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/FEB02_Issue/article01.html and mentioned that the short attention span of the digital learner may be a good thing.

I am of two minds about it. I can see both sides. On the other (third?) hand, I write entirely too long a post to commit to short attention spans.

By: Hutch Carpenter

Hutch Carpenter — Sun, 25 May 2008 02:39:53 +0000

Great post Colin. At the risk of being glib, here are a few things I try to do in my blog posts. (1) Break it up into smaller sections. Each section covers a different point, but I try to avoid going too long on any section. Not an absolute requirement, but I strive to do it. (2) Graphics. Yup, it's true. A picture is worth a thousand words. My graphics are kind of hacked together, but they seem serviceable. (3) Call-out quotes. I LOVE when someone else's observations can be used as part of a blog post. It makes the blog post part of a running conversation, a wider dialogue.

God, I sound like Chris Brogan or something.

By: tommyl

tommyl — Sun, 25 May 2008 02:17:59 +0000

Most posts on my blog are longer than three paragraphs. But what I try to do is write a concise introduction so that readers can look at a few sentences and decide if they want to read on. A succinct introduction that spells out what you're addressing and how you plan to get there saves everybody a lot of time, IMO.

I do like the point you made about taking enough time to read and understand something. But here, too, a well-written introduction can help smooth the way.

By: colinwalker

colinwalker — Sun, 25 May 2008 00:22:28 +0000

I do have a history of having 'articles' in UK magazines so probably just keep going in the style to which I have become accustomed.

By: Mark Dykeman

Mark Dykeman — Sun, 25 May 2008 00:19:16 +0000

It just occurred to me that you write in a traditional article style, as opposed to the “mark it up” blog posting style that a number of experts espouse. I think it's a differentiator, especially when you back it up with your analysis.

It can be hard to switch from text scanning mode to true reading mode, but if more people did it, there'd be fewer misunderstandings.

By: calebelston

calebelston — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:53:58 +0000

Colin, thanks for the Toluu mention!

As you point out, we are working to make Toluu a unique service, rather than a me-too service. There are so many opportunities for original thinking and new ideas. Google Reader and others are fantastic feed readers that continue to focus on what they do best, and we think we have the most to offer by focusing on helping people discover interesting feeds and sharing the feeds they read with friends.

By: Louis Gray

Louis Gray — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:38:59 +0000

Strong summary. One thing about long articles vs. short is the issue I mentioned a few months ago, where headlines can be a make or break for your site. For those of us who do peruse hundreds of feeds, your article may represent well less than 1 percent of our options to read. I write the way I do because I think it makes sense to be conversational and explanatory. The post should stand on its own instead of needing you to already be familiar with previous conversation and it shouldn't be fragmented. Despite writing more than a few paragraphs, I do believe visitors read all the way to the end. I know I did for you here and do so as often as I can.

By: Alexander van Elsas

Alexander van Elsas — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:25:11 +0000

I hardly ever write post with less than a 1000 words. I get carried away I guess Haven't noticed a difference in traffic. There is one exception to this. The posts that really drive traffic are those that discuss the habits of the tech elite. And that always makes me a bit sad. It seems we are more interested in our own little world than about the average web user who gets all these services thrown at him without the slightest clue what to do with that.
But in the end it always works out best if you blog about the things you are passionate about. If it gets you a lot of readers that's great. If it doesn't, well, does it really matter? Traffic is never a good driver for good posts, it's got the be the other way around. So I definitely agree with you on this Colin. Good post.

By: WARNING 121 …Attention Crisis…Content Overload « LoookTV

WARNING 121 …Attention Crisis…Content Overload « LoookTV — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:45:10 +0000

[...] The social media time crisis Posted by loook Filed in attention, media, tagME Tags: ACCO [...]