Return of the Blogger

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a blog post on a blog that has been silent for some months.

As some of you may have noticed, it has been quite a while since I last wrote something here. One would be excused for thinking this blog was dead. Because that’s what some of my colleagues also thought.

So, let me explain why I’ve been silent so long, and why I’ve decided to start using this platform again. Because it may be a recognizable story for some of you: the story of trying to keep pace with all forms of social media, experiencing the pros and cons of Twitter and Facebook, mobile or not, figuring out what media serves what purpose best and fits one’s personality best.

Let’s start by saying I’ve always enjoyed writing here. And I’m using the word “writing” consciously, because that’s what it always felt like: writing, in the sense of thinking what I would write about, thinking about an angle to tackle the issue, tying arguments together, put in a couple of expressions, jokes or winks, and top off with a nice pic I picked up somewhere online.

Now, in describing “writing” this way, it becomes immediately clear why I started to tire of it - because it’s really a lot of work if you want to do it well. Which explains why  I started to use this blog as if it were a Facebook status or a Twitter account (like here and here), which means: post a link or a pic I’d seen somewhere, come up with a snappy comment, and that’s it. A lot less trouble, a lot more posts, and in touch with the Zeitgeist. Because, as one of my colleagues put it eloquently: “blogging is sooooo first quarter of 2009″. Or worse.

Well, still, I’m back. For two reasons.

The first one is length. I’ve used Facebook, and still use it, and with great enthusiasm. It’s a great tool to let the world what’s up. I can now meet old friends I haven’t seen in years, and still know what they’re up to, and vice versa. But Facebook cuts off my texts after around 500 signs, and sometimes that just isn’t enough to develop a thought or some arguments.

Obviously, Twitter is worse. I’d write a Twitter post, end up 50 signs or so over the limit, and then meticulously remove all the signs I could without making the text incomprehensible, and feel terribly silly and outdated. Real Twitterers probably scoff at me now, and with reason, because the platform sometimes really allows for great applications (like this splendid case), but not for me. I can’t adapt to the format. So to the few people who follow me on Twitter: sorry to disappoint you, and hopefully you’ll follow me here. I (or some social media wizard) will try to connect link this one to my Twitter account, so I can alert you when I write something here, but no more Twittering for me, sorry.

This is, mind you, not a plea for longevity. If you can say it shorter, please do. But I for one enjoy reading an elaborated opinion in, for instance, a newspaper. If I like it, I don’t mind if it’s long. If I don’t like it, it doesn’t matter how short it is. Length doesn’t automatically equal quality, but neither does brevity.

The second, and more important, reason for taking up blogging again is distance. Distance, as in not reacting immediately, constantly and automatically. Distance, as in taking the time to craft an argument. Distance as in taking the time to develop and opinion of myself, instead of just linking and commenting. Another word I might use is effort: investing time and energy to write something I think genuinely adds value.

Isn’t that pretentious? Thinking you add value? Thinking other people are interested in your opinions? Well, possibly. But I’d rather think people are interested in my opinions about, say, advertising, brands, marketing and communication, than in the things I see, read, and am confronted with on a daily, no hourly, basis.

This is not a dismissal of platforms like Twitter. But I’ve tried it, and I can’t help acknowledging; it’s not my medium. This one is. For as long as it lasts.

So please enjoy everything my colleagues (very interesting people!!!) post on Twitter. Me, I’ll just be staying here. Please join the discussions.