Thursday 1 August 2013

future of blogs...

 here's a thing...
do blogs have a future?
or have the likes of IG taken over?



i am a huge fan of IG and use it daily...several times a day...and as a consequence i feel that maybe we get all we need from sites like that. 
a quick fix of visual information. 
and when we blog we are repeating what we have posted there. or is that just me getting lazy? or am i over using and over posting on places like IG leaving nothing fresh for my blog?
take this quilt for example. those that follow me on IG have seen all these pics. so do you want to see them again here?



i have to admit that i do like my blogs to have pictures...pretty pictures and i think this is why IG works for me. i can see what people are up to and interact with them in real time.
IG generally gives me all i need and i think there are plenty of others like me about as it seems visitor numbers on blogs have dropped off as have comment postings.


what do you think? i'd love to know. do you still read blogs as avidly as you once did? or do other sites do it for you?


28 comments:

Gill said...

I don't do IG, FB or Twitter so I hope you'll keep posting here!!

Isisjem said...

Having discovered I can't get IG on my phone. It just doesn't like it and without it on your phone first you can't view on pc etc I feel I miss out on so much because people can't be bothered to blog as well. I think more people are using instagram but hope it doesn't mean the end of blogs. I like being able to check in and read blogs. Unfortunately I think flickrs new layout has pushed people away from that so those wanting a visual fix find IG much more user friendly.

Reene@Nellie's Niceties said...

I still love reading blogs. I don't have instagram as I have a Windows phone. I can see some pics on instagram if they've been put on twitter but I really like to see the whole story on a blog. Your quilt is lovely!

Tennjenny said...

I don't do IG or Twitter OR Facebook! So yes, I like when you post, but I can't blame you for backing off. Most bloggers are.

I just can't deal with the distraction of the constant interaction of other platforms. It's bad enough to have email and regular texts without getting other updates. I could never get anything done -- I barely do now.

I love to come to my computer or sit down with iPad once or twice a day to check blogs. Plus, I'm 40 now and I can't see small things like I used to could.

Rachel said...

I still read loads of blogs, as I'm not on instagram, I don't even have a smartphone!
Rx

Susan said...

I think there is a place for both. I love seeing a blogpost of a finished item and all the relevant details and process thoughts in one spot. I also do not have time to be constantly checking IG. Besides I have to sleep sometime!

Unknown said...

I don't use IG (I'm assuming that means Instagram, or have I got that completely wrong).
I love to read blogs - mainly of the crafty variety.
Hope you're not considering giving up yours - it's great and I'd really miss it.
Jill

Lady Jane said...

Yes, I still read and enjoy blogs, many of them.
And I don't actually know what 'IG' is!

Sonia said...

I love this quilt Karen - it's gorgeous! I love IG and often find myself repeating pics too and wonder what people think. I love seeing all these pics again and when I write blog posts I try and include more info - so IG is almost a preview if you like (and if that makes sense)?! Christmas in July is very organised!!!!

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

I use Instagram if I want some instant loving!!

I like to go into the why, what, how etc on my blog.

I am probably reading more blogs now, and therefore commenting less as time is of the essence. I didn't use the Reader, but think that going has affected how people view blogs, but my numbers have stayed pretty constant this year.

You can only look back so far on Instagram, so I prefer to be able to check out a blog archive for info, links etc xxx

Wens said...

I don't have a cell phone or ipad, so I don't IG at all. I love blogs because it's more than just visual stimulation. Although I do love pretty pictures too :)

Paravent said...

I do love IG and Facebook and Pinterest for that quick burst of what everyone is up to, but I still think blogs have an important role to play. All those mediums are basically photo based and they have encouraged a laziness where people are less likely to really engage with each other anymore - click "like" or "heart" and move on.
For craft blogs, in particular, I think it's more than just pictures - I love reading the full story behind how something came to be, the process and the lessons learned. It's always been part of the sharing of our crafts.
I do admit to feeling embarrassed at posting exactly the same things on all these mediums, but even though there is a cross-over of readership, there are still peeps out there who want to read more.
Anyway, that's just my opinion... I intend to keep doing them all :) Kx

Adrianne @ On the Windy Side said...

I hope there's still a place for blogs! I use instagram as well but for me it doesn't replace blogs, it just adds a bit more colour to the blogs I follow. I usually stick to little snippets and updates in my instgram feed and use my blog to post a lot more detail about my quilts.

Samantha said...

I like to blog to keep track of my projects! I have blogged more this year than any other year plus I have gotten new followers too so there is a blog land out there!

DeborahGun said...

I still love reading blogs - gives so much more detail than instagram.

Jo @ life in lists said...

It's really interesting, isn't it? I sometimes feel like I'm repeating pictures, so I'm trying to blog more about processes and with a little discussion. It's definitely changed the way I blog, but not necessarily in a bad way. I definitely spend far too much of my life on IG...

Erin @ Billy Button Design said...

I'm finding it harder and harder to get time to sit down and read the blogs..I'm like ou. IG is so quicker to show off what you have been up to and you can respond quicker. Saying that I am always looking fo r a tutorial to learn how to do something, zippers....so the blogs are great for that.
I'm happy to see the photos again though...such a beautiful quilt so you should show it off as much as you can!

Charlotte said...

I use both, because that maximises my procrastination time ;-)

SuBee618 said...

Instagram does nothing for me. I enjoy the blogs and have everything delivered via Bloglovin' to my email each day. Very easy to keep up with all that is going on. Gives a great overview quickly and if something catches my eye....I head out and check the blog posting. (PS....'took me a minute to figure out "IG"....thanks to others who posted for giving me the hint! A big mistake bloggers make is assuming we all understand the quick abbreviations!!)

Enjoy your blog....hope you continue to post your pics!

Karen said...

I love instagram, but I love reading about the process that people have gone through, the tips they have for certain patterns, and tutorials that people are generous enough to post online. :)

Pam said...

I would miss reading bloggs if they disappeared. I do have to be picky about leaving comments at the moment as I am very busy at work and in the garden. I will be back to normal within a week though and will be putting my "fourpennorth" in here there and everywhere.

Archie The Wonder Dog said...

I love blogs and hope they have a future! I can only see IG photos if someone tweets a link (I don't have a smartphone or tablet, etc. so can't have an IG account) or if I can find a link to their IG profile page but I still have to tweet a response, etc. I love to read about the process behind the project and I don't think you can get that from a series of photos unless they have really long descriptions! I love your quilt - the binding is a perfect choice!

Mary said...

It's an interesting question and one I've thought about quite a bit. I don't blog so much now but I was a regular blogger 6 or 7 years ago and things have changed so much since then. For me now, I use IG a lot as I just can't find the time to blog. I know I also don't comment on blogs as much as I used to, which is probably down to using Readers. That said, you can't beat a blog for really getting to know someone's voice, so I think there's definitely still a place for them.

lindsey said...

I like both. But blogs are great for ideas etc and I can save and pin from blogs which I can't on IG. So please keep blogging as I love to visit :)

Wendy said...

I don't do IG as I only recently got a smartphone, there are plenty of people out there without them. I also don't really feel that I can connect with people on sites like IG and Flickr. If you've been chatting on your blogs and by email, fine, but to not know someone at all, you don't get a sense of connection on these sites. I like the words, the story behind it. If I want pretty pictures, I go to Pinterest

Nicky said...

Please keep blogging! I can't do IG and am already feeling lonely in the blog world! Waaah!

Ps love the quilt! Of course!

myBearpaw said...

I can't do instagram as I have a blackberry and it doesn't work on that and you can only sign up by downloading the ap to a phone or a tablet (don't have one of those either) even if you just want to use it on the web, which seems really unfair and wrong and has put me off it. Maybe I'll get a new phone one day, but until then please keep blogging, lots of people out there are still reading them avidly!

Caroline Greco said...

My thoughts exactly. Most people from instagram don't bother with each others blogs because we can interact in real time and with pretty images.
But yeah, you basically wrote what I've been thinking recently.