Has del.icio.us changed the way I blog?

Yes.

Oh sorry, were you expecting more? Well, if you insist.

I’ve noticed a similar trend on a few other blogs – the old style of posting a very short entry with a link and short comment (sometimes no comment at all) gives way to a (more-or-less) daily digest of links, most usually with some sort of explanatory note or comment. On the plus side, it means that I am tending to post more links here, which is probably a good thing, but I’m not sure that the links that I’m posting are necessarily that interesting to readers as I tend to use del.icio.us to bookmark things that are of interest to me as well as those that might interest or amuse you. As it is, it possibly renders the “amusing links” category virtually obsolete as I now tend to put those links in via del.icio.us (bl.ood.y d.ot.s!).

Whether it means that I will actually write more longer posts to provide something relatively interesting to read between the link lists is another matter. I do seem to be writing a little more here at the moment, which I think is a good thing (though you may not agree). I may even write something interesting one day, although those of you who have been foolish to hang around for the better part of seven years waiting for that to happen don’t seem to have learned your lesson yet.

I’ve also wondered what del.icio.us and other similar sites might mean for the traditional linklog site. At the moment, sites like Darren’s continue to use the familiar linklog format, with Darren having a link to his del.icio.us feed in the sidebar. But will the social bookmark sites change or even eventually kill off the linklog? Couldn’t Darren simply feed his del.icio.us output into LMG? Or have I missed something?

UPDATE: I should add that I like and admire LMG and would hate for it to die a horrible death. The same goes for Darren.

7 Replies to “Has del.icio.us changed the way I blog?”

  1. del.icio.us output into LMG: absolutely another language and I poped over to Darren’s and popped right out…to much for the head. I want it right between the eyes words and pictures like the comic book with a entertain and educate at the same time with me having to work for it I spend the whole day working and that’s long enough with out me deciphering someone’s blog. http://paddunn.blogspot.com/

  2. Graybo, I think there’s a world of difference between the linklog and the automated del.icio.us posting; Darren’s choosing each and every one of those links specifically for the purpose of LMG.

    As you say yourself, you use del.icio.us (bloody dots indeed) for personal reference as well as links for your weblog, as do most of us.

    As much as I love delicious (i give up) I have to say that the automated posting may be killing off the linklog. In not a way I appreciate either. LMG would not be LMG with automation, in my humble opinion.

    But, in the end, the delicious links give insight into the poster, and that too is interesting. Certainly for ridiculous nosey types like me.

    Gosh; this wasn’t meant to sound at all confontational, I blame the flu. I probably shouldn’t wade in with half baked ideas late at night when I have run out of nurofen.

  3. ARGH!!

    The only reason I’m using del.icio.us instead of my usual miniblog posts is because the upgrade of WordPress BROKE that plugin I was using!!

  4. Franglaise: I’ve always wondered about being nosey about bloggers. We all try to hide something from our blogs (our private life, our family, our employer, even our true identity) – but if we have something to hide, then why blog at all?

    Is it in the nature of a blog reader (be they a blogger themselves or not) to always want to know more, O.Twist style?

  5. Hi Graybo – I see LMG and del.icio.us as very separate things. My del.icio.us is a linkdump and I’d drop anything in there – a lot of it is personal stuff readers will find boring. None of that kind of thing is going to get onto LMG – unless I’m really stuck for a link. 🙂

    I can’t imagine delicious would work for me – the quotes I post with the links are the most important part LMG for me and the size of text you can post with a link and lack of formatting within that are show-stoppers.

    That’s not to say it isn’t a good tool – look at Kevan’s As Above for an example of an a great linkblog mostly produced with delicious and flickr – it’s just not for me.

    One last thing – LMG is pretty automated these days. I tend to set up a post for the morning the night before and WordPress takes care of posting it for me. Sorry Franglaise… 🙂

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