Harry Chen Thinks Aloud

Andrew Sullivan wrote an interesting article on his blogging experience as a professional journalist. Any one who has written a blog knows that blogging is different from writing essays and traditional journalism. A key distinction is that blogging is an expression of thoughts in words but minus the formal journalism rules.

Personally I enjoy writing blogs more than writing technical papers. My blog topics are usually less restrictive than which of the technical papers. Thus, it allows blog writing to be more creative and fun.  Writing blogs is an effective form of communication. Especially, when I want to receive reader response fast. For example, it usually takes weeks for the readers of my technical papers to send me comments. But, it takes only days (sometimes just hours) for my blog readers to respond.

Some people are crazy about Twitter. I don’t. I joined Twitter when it first came out. After few weeks, my enthusiasm for micro-blogging has gone to nil.

Recently I saw Twitter discussions in few different blog posts. I wonder if I should start using Twitter again? After some thinking, my conclusion that is that it’s better for me to stay away from Twitter.

Why I gave up on Twitter:

1. Don’t want to tell the world what’s on my mind too often.
2. Posting too much Twitter messages can gave people (esp. my boss) a false impression about me being a slacker.
3. Posting Twitter messages can’t advance my writing skill.
4. Don’t feel comfortable with strangers following me on Twitter.
5. I’m already too occupied with other social media (Facebook, my blogs and gnizr etc.)

Do you share my experience? Or are you a Twitter lover and have a different perspective?

Let me know.

An article in the Wall Street Journal tracks the history of blogging. According to the article, the first blog on the Internet was called Robot Wisdom — a personal web page by Jorn Barger. Barger wrote,

“I decided to start my own webpage logging the best stuff.”

This is how I remember blogging. The term blog was derived from “weblog”. At first, there was personal blogs. Later it came professional and business blogs. As more people switching from slow dial-up to fast high-speed internet, it gave birth to photo blogs and video blogs. At the same time, advancements in mobile and cellphone technology bred a new kind of blogging — mobile blogs.

Spotted on: slashdot

Frank Ahrens at Washington Post asks the question, “Why do you blog?” He received many interesting responds. One blogger expresses that blogging is the only way for him/her to make friends. Some other believes that blogging is engaged democracy — creating an end-run around power publication, in that the people with the most power control what is heard.

Of course, not everyone thinks blogging is a such great invention. One person replied, “28.7 million blogs translates to almost 28.7 million illiterate fools with a digital soapbox who cannot manage to correctly spell the word ‘definitely,’ even with the help of a spellchecker.”

I asked myself, “Why do I blog?”

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