Netizen: web

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Friday, May 30, 2025

The No Link Policy On Twitter Is Stupid

Absolutely—let's unpack why the “no link policy” on Twitter (now X) is not just short-sighted but potentially self-defeating, and yes, it does reflect an attempt to turn the open internet into something more like AOL in the 1990s—a walled garden.

The No-Link Policy Is Anti-Web

The web is built on links. Hyperlinks are literally the foundation of the internet’s architecture. They connect content, ideas, and communities across platforms. Twitter rose to prominence because it was a discovery engine—users could find great writing, breaking news, new creators, and interesting tools by following links. Curbing or down-ranking links breaks that value chain.

Elon Is Trying to Turn X Into the New AOL

AOL, in its heyday, wanted to be the entire internet for its users. You didn’t browse the web; you browsed AOL’s curated universe. That made sense in 1996. It does not make sense in a 2025 world where decentralized information, creator ecosystems, and cross-platform virality are essential.

Elon appears to want to trap attention entirely within Twitter/X. You post. You read. You pay. You consume videos. You never leave. But that’s not how the internet works anymore—nor should it. Trying to monopolize attention is hostile to the ecosystem that made Twitter relevant in the first place.

It Hurts Creators and Drives Them Elsewhere

The no-link culture cripples creators, indie journalists, startups, and educators. If you write a Substack post, sell a course, or publish a podcast—you need links. Denying visibility to links is like denying oxygen to a fire. It might make Elon’s internal metrics look better in the short term, but it drives creators and value producers to other platforms—like Threads, LinkedIn, or YouTube—where linking is encouraged.

Trust and Openness Die in a Walled Garden

When users realize they’re being kept in a closed loop, trust erodes. Twitter’s credibility was built on being an open forum—a place where people could reference and link to external evidence. By discouraging links, it becomes more echo chamber than agora. That’s bad for discourse, transparency, and public trust.

Conclusion: The Open Web Is Stronger Than Any One Platform

Twitter doesn’t need to be AOL. It could be the connective tissue of the internet—the real-time layer on top of the web. But to do that, it has to respect the hyperlink. Elon's anti-link moves are more than just annoying—they're fundamentally regressive. They miss what made the internet powerful in the first place: openness, discoverability, and connection.

Let the Links Flow: Why X Should Embrace, Not Fight, the Open Web

Elon Musk’s integration of xAI into X (formerly Twitter) has undeniably improved the experience. Search is smarter. The stream feels more intuitive. Content curation is tighter, and AI is beginning to make the platform feel more alive and aware of context. But amid these gains, one baffling misstep remains: the war on links.

Links are not the enemy—they’re the bloodstream of the open internet. And Twitter, for all its transformation into “X, the everything app,” risks suffocating itself if it keeps cutting off circulation.

The War on Links Is a Mistake

Twitter has always been a conversation engine—a place where links to articles, videos, podcasts, and tools are shared, debated, and amplified. Neutering that capability, whether through down-ranking external links or making them visually less appealing, chips away at the soul of the platform.

Elon’s rationale seems clear: keep people on the platform. Own the attention. Monetize every second of dwell time. It’s the same thinking that led Facebook to keep users in-app and Google to answer questions directly on the results page.

But here’s the irony: Google’s original superpower was sending people away. You searched, and it gave you the best link. Fast. Accurate. Free. That trust made Google the homepage of the internet. It built an empire by helping people leave—not trapping them.

What X Should Do Instead: Let the Links Work for You

Rather than fight links, X should make them a feature, not a flaw. Here’s a better vision:

Top Shared Links Dashboard: Imagine a real-time feed of the most shared, commented-on, and engaged-with links on X, sortable by topic, time, region, or even ideology. This would become a living index of what’s shaping global discourse.
Timeline-Rewind of Shared Links: A time-machine-like UI that lets users explore what the most-shared links were during major events—elections, disasters, tech launches. It’s not just content, it’s historical record.
AI-Powered Link Summaries: xAI could generate instant summaries, context, and related tweets for each popular link, making the platform a gateway to deeper understanding, not just dopamine hits.
Link Influencer Graphs: Let users see which accounts are driving the most traffic to what. This could uncover new thought leaders, niche communities, and trends before they go viral.

Links Are Data. Use Them.

Every link is metadata. Every share is a vote. Every reshare is a signal. If Twitter wants to compete with Google, Substack, YouTube, and even TikTok, it must recognize the value in what people point to, not just what they post directly.

The best AI training data is not just isolated tweets—it’s which external knowledge the hive mind keeps returning to. Embrace that. Learn from it. Build on it.

The Open Web Is Still the Best Web

Forcing users to stay inside a walled garden works until it doesn’t. It breeds resentment, limits creativity, and strangles the natural flow of attention. Users don’t want to be trapped—they want to be empowered. And they’ll gravitate toward platforms that give them that freedom.

Twitter—X—is evolving into something new. It has the opportunity to be the command center of the internet, not its cul-de-sac. But to do that, it must stop fearing the link—and start building around it.

Let the links flow. That’s how you build trust, power discovery, and create a platform that is both sticky and expansive.

Just like the internet was meant to be.

Let the Links Flow—and Bring Back the Name ‘Twitter’

Elon Musk’s transformation of Twitter into X has delivered some clear wins. Search is sharper, timelines feel more personalized, and the xAI integration has breathed intelligence into what was once a firehose of chaos. But in the midst of all this progress, one unnecessary self-inflicted wound continues to fester: the decision to rename Twitter to X.

It’s time to reverse course. Bring back the name Twitter. Here's why.

1. “Twitter” Was One of the Strongest Brands on Earth

Twitter was more than a name—it was a verb, a cultural anchor. People didn’t just “post,” they tweeted. Major events were “live-tweeted.” Politicians got in trouble over “tweets.” Protest movements around the world used “Twitter” as their broadcast system.

That kind of brand equity is priceless. Renaming it to X is like renaming Coca-Cola to “Liquid Unit 7.” You don’t nuke a global household name on a whim. You build on it.

2. The Brand Is a Bridge, Not a Barrier

Some argue that “X” symbolizes a fresh start—a move toward an all-in-one everything app. But the strength of platforms like WeChat in China wasn’t in a cool letter—it was in ecosystem design and daily utility. You don’t need to erase a beloved brand to expand functionality.

Twitter could have become “Twitter Pay,” “Twitter AI,” or “Twitter Video.” The name already meant something. It stood for public conversation, real-time reaction, global discourse. “X” means… nothing. It’s abstract, generic, and worst of all, forgettable.

3. Twitter Still Lives in People's Minds

No one says, “Did you see that post on X?” People still say, “Did you see that tweet?” The language hasn’t changed. The habits haven’t changed. The users haven’t changed. Only the logo and name have changed—needlessly confusing both old users and new ones.

It’s branding whiplash. In a world drowning in noise, consistency builds trust. Twitter had it. X doesn’t.

4. The ‘X’ Name Closes Doors, Not Opens Them

The ambition to turn X into an “everything app” sounds big—but it also sounds vague. And the name “X” doesn’t communicate anything specific. It’s not social. It’s not personal. It’s not even searchable. Try Googling “X” and see what you get. Not helpful.

Reclaiming the Twitter name would immediately anchor the platform again in the public consciousness. It would say: this is still the beating heart of the internet. Then you can build anything you want on top of it.

5. A Comeback Is a Power Move

Rebranding back to Twitter wouldn’t be a defeat—it would be an alpha move. Elon Musk has made a career out of defying expectations. Admitting that the Twitter brand has enduring power isn’t weakness. It’s intelligence. It’s strategy. It’s listening to the users.

Come back to the blue bird. Let it soar again. Keep building the future, but don’t throw away one of the internet’s most iconic foundations in the process.

Let the links flow. And bring back the name Twitter.

The internet—and your users—will thank you.

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🙏🙏🙏
— Abhay (@AbhayVenkatesh1) May 30, 2025

The No Link Policy On Twitter Is Stupid https://t.co/1jEGAXGVgB
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) May 30, 2025

The No Link Policy On Twitter Is Stupid https://t.co/1jEGAXGVgB @elonmusk @SteveCase @albertwenger @X @TwitterLatAm @Tesla @Teslarati @reidhoffman @PalantirTech @paulg @AbhayVenkatesh1 #Twitter
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) May 30, 2025

The No Link Policy On Twitter Is Stupid https://t.co/1jEGAXGVgB
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) May 30, 2025

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Mobile Web Is Still Web, Not Desktop Gone Small

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I am with Google on this one, not Apple. Apple's mobile experience has been a throwback to the era of Windows. You could argue we still have one leg in the Windows era, but for how long? A link in Microsoft Word might open up a browser when you click on it, but Word is a desktop application, and that is a throwback, a handicap.

The mobile experience is an on the go experience. The screen is smaller. But it should be a web experience not a desktop-like experience. The iPhone apps have to be downloaded. They should instead be staying in the cloud. They should be used on your smartphone, but you should not have to have a copy of the application.

Image via CrunchBase

The two models might co-exist for a while, but the future clearly belongs to the web version.

Google Says Mobile Web Apps Will Win In The Long Haul TechCrunch Native Apps, or Web Apps? ....... The iPhone began its life with Web Apps, only to later open up native support and become the apotheosis of how app development and distribution can be done. ....... Even Google, who will try to jam just about anything into the cloud, is putting a lot of weight behind running things locally on their Android platform. ..... Twitter client? Sure. Complex 3D games? Yeah, probably not. ........ With the advancement of HTML5 and Web App-centric SDK’s like Palm’s Mojo, the limitations are dwindling. ....... As mobile broadband speeds increase and APIs are opened up ...... Once the consumer can’t tell the difference between something running on their handset and something coming off the web, they stop caring.

In The News

Sunday, July 12, 2009

PayCheckr: Bringing Money Into Blogging?

Allan showed up in the comments section of my blog post New York Times, Don't Die, Live. I replied. Then we switched to email. Now we are scheduled for a three way chat session tomorrow morning, him, me and someone from his team.

http://www.PayCheckr.com

Right now I don't have a solid grasp as to the vision of this particular team, or how well they are going to execute, but the idea itself is a trailblazer. It is about time something like this got done.

Some questions that have popped up in my mind:

Who turns a blog into a password protected blog? Would that be a separate service?
Who will go seek the advertisers? If readers opt to pay for 99 cents or less through viewing ads, who makes sure to get those advertisers?
Can you get all the credit card options and still get paid only through PayPal as a blogger?
What would be PayCheckr's cut? A percentage? What percentage?

Just like Disqus takes care of everything to do with your blog's comments sections and Zemanta takes care of all your links, tags and images, PayCheckr should attempt to take care of all details to do with monetizing your no-longer-free blog. It could grow fast.

Netizen: The First Blog To Place The PayCheckr Button
The PayCheckr Promise
PayCheckr Potential
PayCheckr: Bringing Money Into Blogging?

Friday, May 22, 2009

Best Way To Increase Traffic To Your Blog

Mark Penn says in his famous Wall Street Journal article that at 100,000 unique visits per month, a blogger hits 75K in income. There is a suggestion that there is a direct correlation between how much traffic you get and how much you make as a blogger. So how do you go about increasing traffic for your blog?

There are three kinds of traffic:

Search Traffic
Referring Sites
Direct Traffic

If you focus solely on content creation and engage in no other marketing effort, all your traffic is going to come from search engines. If you become inactive for any length of time, you are still going to get residual traffic. Most of that likely might be search engine traffic, except if you get residual traffic of the other two kinds from your previous marketing efforts.

It is fundamental that you use Google Analytics or a similar tool to see how much and what kind of traffic you are getting. The tool also tells you of the keywords people use to feed the search engines to end up at your site, and what pages they visit. This helps you discover your niche, and to create ever more content for that particular niche. For me right now that seems to be Android.

More specifically "donut android" and "cupcake android." For those two phrases my blog for now shows up on the first page of Google search results. That is prime real estate. The reason I have to hone in that niche makes sense at many levels to me.

When I write new blog posts on Android, content creation and marketing are not two different activities. They are one and the same.
Android is no cottage industry. It is not some sub sub sub topic. It just might end up being the top technology news for this year.
Android so totally fits into my IC vision and my startup. The more I learn about Android, the better for me. I don't mind getting paid to learn. (Google's Newest Venture: Google Ventures) I plot every day to go back to working on my startup full time. Android is fundamental to the IC vision. The ground - operating system - itself has to move for the vision to become reality.

I feel lucky that the topic in technology that I find most fascinating right now is also my blog's prime niche according to Google Analytics. And I got told of that niche right after my first Android blog post. I find that amazing. My respect for Google's algorithms grew. And when Google gave me the number two spot after my first Donut Android blog post, my respect for the search engine really grew. (Taking The Number 2 Spot On Google Search For Donut Android)

Search engine traffic I think is the best kind, but working on the other two does not take away from your search engine traffic, quite the opposite, so don't ignore the other two either.

If I am a tech blogger, it makes sense that I visit TechCrunch, for example, or Mashable. And if I am going to visit anyways, why not participate in the comments sections? It takes but a few seconds. And because your name gets hyperlinked to your blog, those comments sections start sending a little traffic your way. What is there to complain?

Contrary to the stereotype, blogging is a social activity. You have to belong to blogging and online communities around your interests. You have to forge friendships in the blogosphere. And forging friendships with bloggers who are not so big name increases your chances of them putting you on their blogrolls. After traffic, those backlinks are what jack up your google rank. Those backlinks are key. And content creation alone will not do the work for you, especially during the early stages when you are still wondering how you hit 1,000 page hits a day.

Twitter is micro-blogging. And there is another: that would be the comments sections of other blogs. Got to participate.

Twitter is another great place to socialize. Don't just have a list of people you follow and followers. Got to make some time and visit their profile pages and respond to some of their tweets. These are real living, breathing people. Get to know some of them, or many of them if possible.

And there is direct traffic. Feedburner lets you put a box at your blog that gives visitors the option to subscribe to your blog with their email addresses. Seth Godin claims that mailing list is how he gets most of his traffic. But he probably became a star blogger first. But before you become famous and other people know you, when you are a small fish blogger, there are people you know. Once in a while it is okay to send out emails to people you know sharing a blog post or two with them. Look Ma, no hands!

Focus on great content creation.
Find your niche, and create great content for that particular niche, but also constantly be diversifying. You don't want to go out of business when one rainy day Google revised its algorithms and your blog ended up in Siberia.
Blogging is a social activity. Be in a habit of visiting other blogs and participating in their comments sections in meaningful ways.
Strive to generate a band of loyal visitors, people who want to lap up every blog post you put out because, oh, you are just so wonderful.

Google: Tweet Me Baby One More Time
Taking The Number 2 Spot On Google Search For Donut Android
Hitting Number 4 For Google Search Results on Cupcake Android
The Big Money Is Not In Blogging
Google Analytics Says I Am Paul Krugman Friend, Cupcake Android Expert
What Does Your Resume Look Like Today?
Content Is Queen, Marketing Is Princess
Content Is Queen
Blogging: Monkey Business?
Blogging = Learning + Teaching + Churning + Entertaining
Spamming Om Malik

Digg Button, Twitter Button For Your Blog Posts
Blogging Several Times A Day
Blogging Tips
A Blogger Is Also An Editor
Blog Daily
Where Have You Placed Your Ads?
Sites That Pay You To Blog

On The Web

SEOmoz | 21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic
The Best way to increase traffic to your site
Whats the best way to increase traffic? - Authority Blogger Forum
What's the BEST way to increase traffic to your blog? // Blogging ...
Blog Traffic - 15 Tips to Increase Blog Traffic
WikiAnswers - What is the best way to drive traffic to your website
Web Site Marketing - Lead Generation and How to Increase Traffic ...
How to Use Blog Sites To Increase Traffic To Your Blog | eHow.com

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Google: Tweet Me Baby One More Time

http://twitter.com/paramendra/statuses/1876809838

And I thought publishing many times a day was a good thing.

I Talked To Google Through Twitter And It Worked Like Magic
Blog Daily
Blogging Several Times A Day

Wolfram Apha Is Cool

I just used it for the first time myself right now, although I have been following it in the news for a while now. I am impressed. I am going to crown it niche king. Wolfram Apha does something that Google does not, just like Twitter does something that Google does not.

http://www73.wolframalpha.com

It is fun. It feels like you can play with it like it were a cool toy. It takes you straight to the answer. It does not give you links to sites you might want to explore to get to your answer. It is not preparing to preparing to prepare to give you the answer.

My first search term? New York. I love New York.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

The Big Money Is Not In Blogging

Image via Wikipedia

Top 10 Blog Monetization Strategies, Ranked In Order

America's Newest Profession: Bloggers for Hire Mark Penn, Hillary 2008's top guy ... more Americans are making their primary income from posting their opinions than Americans working as computer programmers ... blogging is an important social and cultural movement that people care passionately about, and the number of people doing it for at least some income is approaching 1% of American adults. ... a nation of over 20 million bloggers, with 1.7 million profiting from the work, and 452,000 of those using blogging as their primary source of income ... one percent of the nation, or three million people, can create new markets for a business, spark a social movement, or produce political change ... The Information Age has spawned many new professions, but blogging could well be the one with the most profound effect on our culture. ... Demographically, bloggers are extremely well educated ... It takes about 100,000 unique visitors a month to generate an income of $75,000 a year. ... Bloggers can get $75 to $200 for a good post, and some even serve as "spokesbloggers" -- paid by advertisers to blog about products. As a job with zero commuting, blogging could be one of the most environmentally friendly jobs around -- but it can also be quite profitable. ... Pros who work for companies are typically paid $45,000 to $90,000 a year for their blogging. One percent make over $200,000. ... Bloggers make money if their consumers click the ads on their sites. ... bloggers say they are overwhelmingly happy in their work, reporting high job satisfaction ... There are more questions than answers about America's Newest Profession. ... hard to think of another job category that has grown so quickly and become such a force in society without having any tests, degrees, or regulation of virtually any kind. ... a lot of interest now in Twittering and Facebooking -- but those venues don't offer the career opportunities of blogging. Not since eBay opened its doors have so many been able to sit at their computer screens and make some money, or even make a whole living. ...
U.S. Now Has Almost As Many Paid Bloggers As Lawyers

There is plenty of money in blogging, but the real big money is not in blogging.

How I made over $2 million with this blog (Scripting News)

This guy Dave Winer has an ugly looking blog, and he runs no ads, but he makes millions blogging. How?

To get excited about blogging is to "get" 2.0. And if you have been missing out on 2.0, it is not possible you are on the cutting edge.

(1) Value

The market rewards value. Are you meeting some kind of market need? Your blog adds to your value. It helps your marketing efforts. It is real intimate talk with your most important clients. Like A VC says, if you read his blog, and that of his five partners, it is like you sit with them in their office every day: that intimate.

(2) StartUp/Corporate

If you are a tech startup person, you breathe blogging. That rectangle on the screen is your office. And the blogosphere is a big chunk of it. Blogging becomes that fundamental, indispensable skill. It is like, can you type? Can you do that keyboard thing? If you can't, I think you are still beautiful, but how are you going to get any work done? Blogging is what typing was. Are you blogging literate? That is a fair question these days.

(3) Lifelong Education

Blogging is to the brain what jogging is to your thighs. If you are an active blogger, chances are you keep up with the news in your chosen field. You think about the hot issues of the day. You are alert. You can still type as of today.

(4) Living Life To The Full

Zappos says somewhere that because he tweets, he lives life more fully. Blogging makes you more alive as a person. You are more likely to squeeze that last drop out of each moment.

(5) Plenty Of Money

Write great content, regularly, jack up your traffic, and let the ads do their work.

Google Analytics Says I Am Paul Krugman Friend, Cupcake Android Expert
What Does Your Resume Look Like Today?
Content Is Queen, Marketing Is Princess
Content Is Queen
Blogging: Monkey Business?
Blogging = Learning + Teaching + Churning + Entertaining
Spamming Om Malik

Digg Button, Twitter Button For Your Blog Posts
Blogging Several Times A Day
Blogging Tips
A Blogger Is Also An Editor
Blog Daily
Where Have You Placed Your Ads?
Sites That Pay You To Blog

Google Analytics Says I Am Paul Krugman Friend, Cupcake Android Expert

Content Is Queen, Marketing Is Princess

Google Analytics tells me I am a Paul Krugman friend and a Cupcake Android expert. So I might as well deliver. I am going to visit Krugman's blog as often as I can. And I am going to write a whole bunch of blog posts about Cupcake Android. I have a reputation to keep up with. Looks like.

What Does Your Resume Look Like Today?
Content Is Queen, Marketing Is Princess
Content Is Queen
Blogging: Monkey Business?
Blogging = Learning + Teaching + Churning + Entertaining
Spamming Om Malik
Digg Button, Twitter Button For Your Blog Posts
Blogging Several Times A Day
Blogging Tips
A Blogger Is Also An Editor
Blog Daily
Where Have You Placed Your Ads?
Sites That Pay You To Blog

Friday, May 15, 2009

What Does Your Resume Look Like Today?

Blog Daily

If you are a big believer in social media, and have an active blog, that blog perhaps is your resume gone alive. If resumes could have stories! People stay in touch with you through your blog. Like Larry Page said about a piece of code he wrote early on, it is not like you can answer a million phone calls, but you can respond to a million queries. You blog once, and it gets read about by many.

And here are some revenue streams, while you are at it.

Yours truly is now available for $1.99 per month, a la carte.

If you absolutely have to write, if you have that urge, that fix, blogging is for you. But blogging is so much more than that. Hillary 2008's campaign manager Mark Penn wrote an elaborate article in the Wall Street Journal calling blogging "America's newest profession."

America's Newest Profession: Bloggers for Hire Mark Penn, Hillary 2008's top guy ... more Americans are making their primary income from posting their opinions than Americans working as computer programmers ... blogging is an important social and cultural movement that people care passionately about, and the number of people doing it for at least some income is approaching 1% of American adults. ... a nation of over 20 million bloggers, with 1.7 million profiting from the work, and 452,000 of those using blogging as their primary source of income ... one percent of the nation, or three million people, can create new markets for a business, spark a social movement, or produce political change ... The Information Age has spawned many new professions, but blogging could well be the one with the most profound effect on our culture. ... Demographically, bloggers are extremely well educated ... It takes about 100,000 unique visitors a month to generate an income of $75,000 a year. ... Bloggers can get $75 to $200 for a good post, and some even serve as "spokesbloggers" -- paid by advertisers to blog about products. As a job with zero commuting, blogging could be one of the most environmentally friendly jobs around -- but it can also be quite profitable. ... Pros who work for companies are typically paid $45,000 to $90,000 a year for their blogging. One percent make over $200,000. ... Bloggers make money if their consumers click the ads on their sites. ... bloggers say they are overwhelmingly happy in their work, reporting high job satisfaction ... There are more questions than answers about America's Newest Profession. ... hard to think of another job category that has grown so quickly and become such a force in society without having any tests, degrees, or regulation of virtually any kind. ... a lot of interest now in Twittering and Facebooking -- but those venues don't offer the career opportunities of blogging. Not since eBay opened its doors have so many been able to sit at their computer screens and make some money, or even make a whole living. ...
U.S. Now Has Almost As Many Paid Bloggers As Lawyers

So if blogging is more than hobby to you, revenue talk is important. Write good content, jack up your traffic, and let the ad streams take care of the rest is a decent strategy. But in one of my near future posts I am going to argue the big money is not in blogging but in how blogging helps enhance your workspace which better be 2.0 rich in this day and age.

So if your blog is integral to your work, your career, your latest blog post is what your resume looks like today.

Content Is Queen, Marketing Is Princess
Content Is Queen
Blogging: Monkey Business?
Blogging = Learning + Teaching + Churning + Entertaining
Spamming Om Malik
Digg Button, Twitter Button For Your Blog Posts
Blogging Several Times A Day
Blogging Tips
A Blogger Is Also An Editor
Blog Daily
Where Have You Placed Your Ads?
Sites That Pay You To Blog

Mission Impossible Facebook - watch more funny videos

Blog Advertising - Advertise on blogs with SponsoredReviews.com

Monday, April 27, 2009

Blogging: Monkey Business?

"We feel so smart when we are talking to ourselves!"
- Hillary Clinton at the Kos Convention 2007

Is blogging a solitary act? Can it be a solitary act? Does it have to be a solitary act? As in, is it monk-ey business? Monks go solo. Well, not entirely true. Sangham Sharanam Gachhami is, to the community I go. But I am talking about the stereotypically stereotypical monk.

It can look like it. A guy/gal sitting in front of a computer in pajamas typing it away. It can look like it at first sight.

But think about it. The best bloggers are those who have something to say. And you can not have something to say if all you do is sit in front of a computer screen and type it away.

You must already know from before you started typing it away, through training, a prior job, career, life experiences, education. You must be willing to learn. You must be alive. You must be living. The online consumption of content, or electronic but not really online in the case of Kindle, is the bedrock of ongoing education for many of us. That counts. Consuming content counts.

Learning and teaching happens. They help.

But my question was more to the social aspects. Is blogging a solitary activity? Is it meant to be solitary? Does it end up solitary despite all our intentions to the contrary? Don't confuse me with the facts! Don't disturb me with people!

Photoblogging is social. Videoblogging better be social. I tried to do the camera thing myself a few years back, and I look dead in the water in those video clips, not my proudest moments. My best video clip of me to date is one where someone else is doing the camera work.

Text blogging itself is meant to be social. And for someone with an active blog, that blog gives you a better feel for that person than anything else they might have online, more so than their Twitter and Facebook accounts, more so than their website.

And many friendships get forged in the comments sections of blogs.

Content Is Queen
Blogging = Learning + Teaching + Churning + Entertaining
Spamming Om Malik
Digg Button, Twitter Button For Your Blog Posts
Blogging Several Times A Day
Blogging Tips
A Blogger Is Also An Editor
Blog Daily
Where Have You Placed Your Ads?
Sites That Pay You To Blog

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