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For a while, I’ve been looking at ways to integrate all the little bits of writing I do around the web. Usually with RSS, sending Twitter updates to Jaiku and Tumblr to my regular blog and WordPress etc etc.
However, I’ve recently thought that maybe it is best to keep things separated, as far as content goes, and just create the connections with links and have each place maintain itself on it’s own.
I think this works better because instead of creating a mash of content that allows people to get the same information from me via different channels, I can use each channel and cater to it’s strengths whilst building even more content.
The example is that if someone follows me on Twitter and also uses Tumblr, I don’t want them to decide between the two because they don’t care to hear the same stuff from me twice. Instead I can do something completely different, and make the second connection worthwhile for them.
I set up a completely different Twitter account for pulling in feeds from things I write and mark, via Google Reader amd YouTube etc. This is separate from my regular Twitter account that I update for anyone wanted to follow my day-to-day without all the links.
It seems to make more sense to me to keep things in their place. If I wanted to follow your Twitter updates, I would follow you on Twitter; I’m not too interested in seeing those updates on your Tumblr page.
A visual analogy would be instead of creating interconnected vines that grow amongst one another, I’ll create a group of trees, freestanding, that link together with the branches. Is that too sappy? [pun intended]
With the increase of blogs, microblogs like Tumblr and ‘presence’ blogs like Twitter, mediums either meld together – as I’ve attempted to do at crrrg.com by importing Twitter updates as posts – or they are each used differently.
The latter method requires a little definition which, I think, can simply be made by word-count and intent. Leaving things like intended audience out of it, we can draw the line with length. Something like:
This is a basic interpretation, but you can see how different ideas would manifest themselves on each platform.
The benefit I see of doing something like this could be to maintain audience expectation. Coupled with this is the kind of writing you do in each. Personal posts are usually brief, linkblogs and ideas longer while anything technical or in depth requires more attention, more space and more time.
If you use any of these services, this distinction has probably already been made, but I thought it could use a mention since I’ve been thinking of why I’d use wordpress.com and tumblr.com etc if I already have my own blog.
Here are the two reasons:
Tumblr and WordPress have difference audiences and reach. They are aggregated throughout a network = more reach. Plus crrrg.com posts are left to stay in depth and focused because I have other places to express ideas that may not fit in there.
Related: Dumping.
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