Blogging on a time budget
By Lindsey Rivait
Editor at Large
October 3, 2007
 Some days I just don’t have the time or attention span to read down my blog roll. In a world of 30-second video clips, 30-second mini-game video games, and magazines that are mostly advertisements, how could I still have enough patience for a real post? Micro-blogging is picking up popularity with posts that are 200 characters long or less. That’s right, 200 characters not words. But what importance can be conveyed in 200 words? Are we sacrificing our attention spans even more by accepting micro-blogging into our lives?
Who micro-blogs?
You may already be a micro-blogger yourself. Ever change your Facebook status multiple times a day? Status updates are viewable to your friends, or subscribers, and appear on their news feeds. Important updates such as “Lindsey is home,” “Lindsey is enjoying some pizza for dinner,” and “Lindsey is GUNS N’ ROSES ARE AWESOME!” are all examples of micro-blogging. Changing your status on MSN to tell your contacts that you are sad, depressed, unhappy, don’t want to talk to anyone but yet are still logged into MSN, and that you’re looking for attention are also examples of micro-blogging that many people on my contact list have posted throughout the years.
Micro-blogging accounts are free, attracting all sorts of different people. Many use their micro-blogs to post mundane updates about their lives; others use it as a form of social networking. Micro-blogs are also a great way for co-workers to keep in touch with each other over a project, to see who is working on what and how their progress is developing.
 Twitter, one of the more popular micro-blogging sites, has attracted some big names such as Democratic Presidential nominees John Edwards and Barack Obama, British comic and novel author Warren Ellis, Stargate Atlantis actor David Hewlett, and Microsoft Corporation blogger Robert Scoble, among others.
In one sense, micro-blogging cuts out the fluff. Thanks to one sentence, I can learn what someone did at work, how someone is feeling, or what delicious concoction they ate for lunch without actually having to read a long-winded post about it, or worse—actually talk to them!
But really, how can anyone get through a worthwhile message in 200 characters? Why bother? “I find that the small entry size helps trace an actual thought flow through whatever you’re working on right now. It’s more immediate and a lot like a single thought that doesn’t have to be carefully worded or worked out,” says Matthew Terry, English Literature and Visual Arts major and Twitter advocate at the University of Windsor. “Regular blogs need to be more thought out and planned, otherwise it just seems like a diary and ends up looking like a series of essays and news articles rather than an actual way to think out loud to the world,” he continues.
Setting your heart a-Twitter
Twitter is a micro-blogging service that users can update via their cell phones, e-mail, or instant messengers like AIM or GTalk. Twitter went live in March 2006 as a research and development project by podcasting site Odeo Inc.’s Noah Glass and Jack Dorsey and advertises itself as “A global community of friends and strangers answering one simple question: What are you doing?” Posts are a maximum of 140 characters. The updates are sent to the users’ Twitter site and can also be imported to LiveJournal, Blogspot, Vox, and numerous other blogging sites thanks to LoudTwitter. LoudTwitter, which is not associated with Twitter.com, posts a list of a user’s Twitter updates at the end of the day for a comprehensive listing of what that person did.
Users can post quick updates for their friends as soon as something they believe to be note-worthy occurs. This is useful especially when reporting on an event. Live, up-to-date coverage can be posted and read by thousands of people immediately. “They’re also more immediate and deal with what’s affecting the writer now, rather than before,” says Terry.
While the limit on Twitter is 140 characters per post, users can post as much and as often as they like. If you can’t get your message across in one 140 character post, you can always post another right after. Be cautious of posting too often, however, as you could end up bombarding your friends with too much information.
The competition
 Internet entrepreneurs Kevin Rose, Leah Culver, Daniel Burka and Shawn Allen launched Pownce, one of Twitter’s competitors, in July of this year. While Pownce offers micro-blogging capabilities like Twitter does, it also offers the ability for users and their listed friends to share information, links and files. Unlike Twitter, Pownce is not available on cell phones. Users view and post updates via the Pownce web site or through a program downloadable from Pownce. Currently, Pownce is invite-only to limit the number of users so the system doesn’t overload.
Facebook is also easily updated via cell phones, giving Twitter a run for their money. Twitter feeds can also be imported into a user’s notes section on Facebook, once again giving a more comprehensive look at a person’s day. Often, status updates are lost quickly and easily on a frequent Facebook user’s mini-feed.
Stay connected
Micro-blogging and sites like Twitter in particular are useful for organizing meet-ups. “I wanted a way to tell people what I was up to without actually having to tell them. The micro-blog seemed like the best way to do it concisely and with more immediate results than a regular blog,” explains Terry since users are instantly sent updates via their cell phones in the case of Twitter. Private Twittering is available as well, so only the Twitterers you send the message to can read it.
Twitter works best if used via cell phones so subscribers can send and receive updates on the go. Update feeds are viewable on the Twitter web site and through RSS feeds as well, so for anyone not attached to a cell phone at all times, there are still options for keeping up with the 140 character tidbit posts.
Twittering with close friends can help you become closer with them. You’ll know where your friends are, what they’re doing and how they’re feeling from a series of micro posts. It may seem creepy, but you could also have a better understanding of your friends and know them better because of it. Updates can also serve as conversation starters for the next time friends get together.
Since Twitter updates from your friends can be sent directly to your cell phone as a text message it can result in higher text messaging bills. Be sure to check what the limits on your phone plan are. Getting charged for all outgoing and incoming messages can get really expensive really fast, especially at the rate that Twitter is growing.
The micro updates can be helpful, but they can also be tiresome. Reading about what a person eats for lunch, for example, can get pretty dull. Since it’s so easy and quick to update, many Twitter messages become trivial.
The short limit on the length of the posted messages forces one to be concise and get to their point quickly. Because the limit is so small, users are not expected to write something profound like in a regular sized blog post. “There’s less pressure to write something particularly spectacular in a micro-blog than in a regular blog,” says Terry.
Making the transition
 Maintaining a traditional blog can be tiresome. Coming up with enough material for 250-500 or more words a day can be a challenge. What may have started out as a fun diversion and a way to entertain and keep in touch with your friends is now more of a burden. Maybe you feel burnt out and like you have nothing interesting to say anymore about the topic your blog is centred on. Micro-blogging may be a good idea for you to try.
“After having run several blogs before and now a micro-blog, I find that the material that comes out of a micro-blog is more raw and uncensored,” says Terry.
Online comic artist Fred Gallagher from MegaTokyo had a similar problem. He wrote in his regular blog, “When I first came across Twitter, I thought it was like the last thing I would ever use. I have trouble getting normal blogs done, never mind micro-blogging.”
Gallagher made the switch over to Twitter, stating in his blog, “It’s pretty easy, and can be done so quickly it doesn’t interrupt what I’m doing.”
Gallagher has also opened a Twitter account for MegaTokyo as well so fans can keep on top of the latest news and updates concerning the comic itself without having to read through his personal updates.
Thinking about trying Twitter or another micro-blogging service? Don’t post too often or else you’ll overwhelm your friends and many will unsubscribe.
Consider your audience and gear your messages toward them accordingly.
Don’t add too many people to your list or else you’ll be harassed with endless text message updates.
Only add people you care about to your list and make sure you get your friends to join.
Otherwise, it’ll be a mundane activity for all involved.
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