Blogging Is Dead. Long live curation ?

Posted on by — 10 Comments ↓

I found this article about the end of blogging by Scoot Monty very interesting. It also refers to the NY Times article here and goes back to the fundamental trends which affect blogging.

I think they’re 2-fold:

- the social aspect of blogging (interacting with people) is challenged by Facebook. it’s the “I don’t use my blog anymore. All the people I’m trying to reach are on Facebook.” argument.

- the content creation aspect of blogging face a new distribution system which relies on curation. Through Twitter, Facebook or new curation platforms like Scoop.it, readers click on what curators have shared rather than simply follow blogs via RSS or any other forms of direct subscription. While historically readers were loyal to a media brand, they now have much more options and are influenced by curators to decide what they read.

Ironically, this latter is a challenge that blogs share with traditional media.

  • myrstad

    Hi! Ive seen someone defining Scoop.it as a curated blogging platform. So how does that leave Scoop.it? Dead?:) Morten Myrstad, really digging curation, Scoop.it AND blogging.

    • http://scoop.it Guillaume Decugis

      Hi Morten! My (biased ;-) view is quite the opposite: blogging is challenged as a social connector and on content creation. But the appetite for expression has never been so strong. Everyone wants to express themselves on the Web and has learned how to do so. And found curation is easier than creation.

      That’s what Scoop.it is all about: unleashing the expression on the Web.

      So very much alive and kicking ;-)

  • Anonymous

    Hi! Ive seen someone defining Scoop.it as a curated blogging platform. So how does that leave Scoop.it? Dead?:) Morten Myrstad, really digging curation, Scoop.it AND blogging.

    • Anonymous

      Hi Morten! My (biased ;-) view is quite the opposite: blogging is challenged as a social connector and on content creation. But the appetite for expression has never been so strong. Everyone wants to express themselves on the Web and has learned how to do so. And found curation is easier than creation.

      That’s what Scoop.it is all about: unleashing the expression on the Web.

      So very much alive and kicking ;-)

  • myrstad

    I knew you were alive and kicking. And loving it!
    But still – I am really concerned about this “content is dead/curation is king”-ideology which is tweeting around. It could really backlash on the curation practice.
    In your first post, focusing on the distribution (and interaction) weaknesses of the blogs, per se, I could (right now) agree. But I think curation channels, like Scoop.it, is increasing the distribution of blog posts, not the opposite! And first, the content that people are curating, have to be created. Like your post, here at blog.scoop.it….
    Morten, arguing and conversating, but right now not curating….:)

    • http://scoop.it Guillaume Decugis

      Yes: titles are provocating and often exaggerated (to me it’s another proof we live in curation age, not blogging’s anymore: rightly or wrongly titles matter more than content because that’s what makes you click or not on Twitter…).

      I think we agree: curation doesn’t happen if no content is created. But actually I’m not worried about creation disappearing. And yes, curation favors good creation vs bad.

      My point was that historically media have been building their readership through some form of subscription : whether you actually paid to receive newspaper or were just loyal to the brand, it was a brand relationship.

      Blogs did the same initially, being disruptive not in the distribution but in the cost to publish content which was much lower than online media or print. So that anyone could do it (in theory).

      What’s changing now is the distribution which doesn’t rely on this brand loyalty anymore. I think readers are less and less loyal to media or blog “brands” but click on whatever has been curated for them.

      And this is a good trend in my opinion. It will enrich media and make it more relevant.

  • Anonymous

    I knew you were alive and kicking. And loving it!
    But still – I am really concerned about this “content is dead/curation is king”-ideology which is tweeting around. It could really backlash on the curation practice.
    In your first post, focusing on the distribution (and interaction) weaknesses of the blogs, per se, I could (right now) agree. But I think curation channels, like Scoop.it, is increasing the distribution of blog posts, not the opposite! And first, the content that people are curating, have to be created. Like your post, here at blog.scoop.it….
    Morten, arguing and conversating, but right now not curating….:)

    • Anonymous

      Yes: titles are provocating and often exaggerated (to me it’s another proof we live in curation age, not blogging’s anymore: rightly or wrongly titles matter more than content because that’s what makes you click or not on Twitter…).

      I think we agree: curation doesn’t happen if no content is created. But actually I’m not worried about creation disappearing. And yes, curation favors good creation vs bad.

      My point was that historically media have been building their readership through some form of subscription : whether you actually paid to receive newspaper or were just loyal to the brand, it was a brand relationship.

      Blogs did the same initially, being disruptive not in the distribution but in the cost to publish content which was much lower than online media or print. So that anyone could do it (in theory).

      What’s changing now is the distribution which doesn’t rely on this brand loyalty anymore. I think readers are less and less loyal to media or blog “brands” but click on whatever has been curated for them.

      And this is a good trend in my opinion. It will enrich media and make it more relevant.

  • http://ijustdid.org Jonha Revesencio

    I always tell my friends that I still blog, now with Scoop.It. Blogging doesn’t always have to be in traditional form. I agree about the easy and rather smooth syndication of posts through Scoopit. It helps increase the time spent on the site too as people get curious to browse on similar topics.

    Also, not trying to nitpick but it’s Scott Monty.

  • http://ijustdid.org Jonha Revesencio

    I always tell my friends that I still blog, now with Scoop.It. Blogging doesn’t always have to be in traditional form. I agree about the easy and rather smooth syndication of posts through Scoopit. It helps increase the time spent on the site too as people get curious to browse on similar topics.

    Also, not trying to nitpick but it’s Scott Monty.