[epub] Re: Blogs and email

[Dawn Rivers Baker <editor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 02:29 PM 7/24/03 -0500, you wrote:
> Hey, listers, Mani is on to something here. The discussion about blogs 
> possibly replacing email is becoming a hotter topic now. What do you all 
> think? Will blogs replace email, or will they be the next version of push 
> technology: interesting in concept but something the general public will 
> be unwilling or unable to execute?

You know, I've been going back and forth on blogs for months now, toying 
with the idea of whether to take the MicroEnterprise Journal to a blog 
format.  I can see pluses and minuses of both formats.

On the one hand, using a blogging format would mean that I would be less 
tied to a publishing schedule.  Instead of putting out the newsletter every 
week, I could just go and publish each article as it is ready.  That added 
flexibility would make my life quite a bit easier, except that there's no 
guarantee that I'd be able to upload a new article every day.

On the other hand, using a blogging format would cost me some of my current 
distribution channels.  For example, right now, my headlines are carried on 
the Moreover.com newsfeed.  I'm not sure if they are set up to carry 
blogged headlines.  And I would probably have to completely abandon my own, 
in-house newsfeed.

Then again, some blogging software allows people to sign up to receive an 
email notification whenever you update your blog, so it would be very 
similar to the way some publishers who make their newsletters available 
online and send out an email notice to subscribers, which can make for less 
delivery hassle.

As for distribution, if you can get other bloggers to link to your site 
(via freebie services like Blogrolling), there's a replacement distribution 
system for you, to take the place of your newsfeeds.

Blogging software also, I think, encourages a lot more interaction between 
publisher and audience and makes something that is traditionally very one 
sided -- publishing -- into something that is (or can be) very 
interactive.  If you operate a newsletter and have been having trouble 
getting your readers to post to a message board, a blog might be the way to 
go.  A blog is also easier to administrate than some of the better 
discussion boards, making it more admin friendly in the delicate matter of 
ousting spammers from posting.

Of course, another issue is the current state of the blogosphere.  There 
are often flame wars and popularity contests with their dark side that will 
remind you of the uglier episodes we may all remember from junior high 
school.  That may change as the blogosphere becomes more mainstream; hard 
to say.  But if you habitually write about controversial subjects, you 
should probably develop a pretty thick skin before venturing into blog 
land.  The recent fracas between warbloggers and anti-war bloggers is a 
vivid example of just how nasty these folks can get about their cherished 
ideal.

Right this minute, email delivery isn't inconveniencing me enough to push 
me in the direction of blogging so, for me, the jury is still out.

Cheers!
Dawn



Dawn Rivers Baker
Editor-in-Chief

The MicroEnterprise Journal
http://www.microenterprisejournal.com
Work small. Live large. Read smart.


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