Comments on: Books vs. Blogs

By: Inspired by Blogging « Marketing Integrity

Inspired by Blogging « Marketing Integrity — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:37:47 +0000

[...] Posted on August 10, 2008 by David As I have shared previously, I have spent more time reading blogs in the past year than reading books. I have also taken on the challenging of blogging myself. Why [...]

By: How To Be An A-List Blogger - Study, Study, Study (Part 4) « OnlineMarketerBlog

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:04:43 +0000

[...] while the world around is may be shifting from books to blogs, an A-list blogger or marketer perhaps should think in terms of content or research or media, [...]

By: David

David — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:55:22 +0000

@ Phyllis: Hello fellow Canuck! If I wasn’t on the east coast, I would be on the west…love the ocean! SciFi lovers will indeed naturally gravitate to books more than blogs.

@ Will Entrekin: Thanks for the serial/movies illustration. I think that gives a nice visual to our discussion.

By: Will Entrekin

Will Entrekin — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:52:26 +0000

I think the major issue is that books and blogs accomplish two separate things and function in very different ways. Blogging tends to lend itself more to short narrative over a long period of time–one blog might, say, concentrate on a certain topic, and, over the course of a year, concentrate on various subtopics individually.

A book, on the other hand, tends to be a longer narrative consumed over a shorter period of time (say, a week, and I think that’s more time than it takes the average reader to consume a given book). It often allows greater focus/concentration on a particular topic, rather than a number of topics in a meta-topic.

It’s a bit like the difference between the old serials and an actual movie. The serials were shorter, perhaps more concise, and often more widely consumed/known; movies, on the other hand, told their stories all in one go and have usually been self-contained (sequels notwithstanding).

I read a lot of blogs, but I also read a lot of books. One will never supplant the other, because I read both for different reasons.

I also think this is why e-books haven’t blossomed yet; Kindle is a good first step, because I think e-books require a dedicated, wifi-capable device, because people will read on a screen, so long as it will fit in their pockets.

By: Phyllis K Twombly

Phyllis K Twombly — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:26:04 +0000

As a scifi author, I try to stay slightly ahead of what technology can actually do. Science fictions fans expect some speculation of where science or even pseudo-science might go.
My books are available both in print and as ebooks, while I use things like blogs to try to promote them. (Two titles so far, ‘Been Blued’ and ‘Martian Blues.’)
Newspapers are handy for staying current when I can’t get online–I’m a Canadian in northeastern BC, ‘the Peace River Country,’ so while Internet access tends to be limited, it helps me find titles I wouldn’t otherwise know about.

By: David

David — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:02:47 +0000

@ Sam Stevens: I sold and marketed textbooks for 18 years…you couldn’t get me to read one now for anything! Your observation is correct, there will be a havy say towards the blog side in this discussion since most of those reading it are web-savvy, Twitter talkin’, and blog readin’ folks.

@Paul Groves: Your newspaper example is exactly in line with the trend Rick at EyeCube brought to light. We all still enjoy the opportunity to read a physical newspaper but we are not limited to waiting for it to get the information we are interested in…online sources rule in that collection of information these days.

@vimoh: I think we all get a little more from blogs in their “snap-shot” or “sound-bite” approach to focusing in on one particular issue or concept and giving us a nugget of knowledge or something to walk away with to think about or apply to our lives.

By: vimoh

vimoh — Tue, 20 May 2008 08:00:25 +0000

I am a serious booky. And even then I get more from blogs than from books. But bear in mind that while very few blogs actually hold my attention, even a mediocre book has all my attention when I am reading it.

By: Paul Groves

Paul Groves — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:38:55 +0000

I still love reading a newspaper (I did last night). I hope that never ends, although I rarely buy them these days and choose to read online.
I love the world of writing that blogs has opened up for me and can get lost for hours reading the ramblings – inspiring or otherwise – of so many people.
But give me a good book any day. One of the very few downsides of working from home most of the time these days is that I no longer have my 45-minute train commute to an office which was prime book reading time.

By: Sam Stevens

Sam Stevens — Tue, 20 May 2008 02:44:49 +0000

I still love reading books. I read 2-4 textbooks a month, plus some sci-fi on the side. But yes, I certainly read more blog content than books. After 12+ hours on the computer though, I like resorting to a good old fashioned paper book.

It’s also worth noting that the people reading this post are generally going to be coming from a web industry perspective, where blogs certainly dominate. Other industries don’t have the same level of blog medium penetration.

By: David

David — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:53:52 +0000

@martin english: Yes, marking up and annotating a book can’t be beat!

@ Pam Hoffman: there is indeed something special about curling up with a book that a laptop just can’t touch…especially in front of the fire on a cold Canadian winter’s night (glad spring is here now)!