Looking back through the Geek-Speak archives is a funny experience. The site isn’t that old (Feb 2008) but it’s amazing how much you forget until you read it again. I came across this post about how bloggers often get the jump on more established news outlets. It came about after my wife had heard something on the radio about radioactive packages in Edinburgh, but there was nothing on any of the news sites. There were plenty of blog results, though.
The thing is, we’ve moved on even since then. When a US Airways Airbus A320 landed in the Hudson river I didn’t hear about it on a blog… I heard about it on Twitter. Same deal with Michael Jackson’s death… Twitter was where the story broke for me. We thought BBC News 24 would bring us events from round the world as they happened, but now you can get immediate information from any point in the globe delivered straight to your desktop (or mobile) and, best of all, it’s usually from the point of view of someone who’s actually there or at least close to the action.
In the original article I asked if you have a blog, and what you use it for? Given that it was the very first article on Geek-Speak it, understandably, got no feedback whatsoever :) So I’m asking again… do you have a blog? If so, what do you use it for? News? General chatter? Research? Answer in the comments, and post a link too! That way we get to know why you’re blogging and you get to publicise your site. But let’s widen the question too: do you use social media? Facebook? Twitter? Something else? If so, why? We’d love to know…
Let me kick off: Yes, I have a blog (http://www.geek-speak.co.uk). I use it to share information that I find interesting in the hope that others will also find it of interest. I enjoy the comments and discussion that arise from that.
I’m also on Twitter (http://twitter.com/cdhinton) where I share news, and keep up with the latest happenings in tech and around the globe. As I mentioned in the article, I think Twitter’s great for hearing breaking news stories, but it’s also great for keeping in touch with interesting people from around the globe.
Now your turn… :)
I have a few blogs, all of which earn me my living. The main one is http://www.mikeslife.org which is a blog to help other people learn how to earn a sustainable income from blogging.
I do have all the usual suspects as social media accounts, but like you I focus on Twitter, where I enjoy a terrific community and the fastest news service on the planet. You can find me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/mikecj