There's a great debate raging in the blogosphere right now. Actually, it originated up north in Canada (I guess they need the heat up there this time of year) between a couple of great bloggers.

This is a natural extension of a post that I wrote back in October trying to gauge your opinion of my del.icio.us links appearing in my RSS feed. Your opinion was split, as it appears to be between Mark Goren and Mitch Joel, in their respective posts.

You'll also notice a good deal of chatter in the comments sections of each of their posts - please be sure to read those, as that's where you get to see a variety of opinions, counterpoints and rationales.

For what it's worth, I left the following comment on Mark's blog (you'll have to click through to see what he responded with):

Mark: great points here. Mitch certainly raised some valid points & counterpoints on his own blog and here, but I have to side with you. I actually put this question to my readers a couple of months ago, and opinions were split (of those who chose to comment).

Bottom line: social media, if nothing else, is about choices. Never before has it been so easy to give your audience a variety of ways to consume content. Mitch or you are I are not so omniscient that we can presume how every reader prefers to consume content. So why not give them everything and let them choose?

Blog posts, del.icio.us links, Google Reader shared item, Twitter streams - it’s all fair game!

What do you think?

Labels: blogging, del.icio.us, Mark Goren, Mitch Joel, trends

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 Comments:

At 12/04/2007 11:26 PM,  Mark Goren said...

As I said in response to your comment at my blog: I think this is the perfect response, a debate-closer, really.

I'll also add this. Your readers are guests in your home. If you're making them feel uncomfortable, then maybe it's time to change the way you're treating them at your place. However, if they like your hospitality, enjoy your company and genuinely enjoy handing with you at your place, then there's no action to take.

In other words: ultimately, it's your visitors who will decide. And you'll know their decision by whether they keep visiting or not.

Thanks for your great insight into this debate, Scott and for pushing it further.

 

At 12/05/2007 7:44 AM,  Mitch Joel - Twist Image said...

I think there needs to be two opposing sides for their to be a "debate" ;) I'll say it again, Mark and I are in violent agreement ;)

I also think that in this age of conversation, there isn't a "closer" - let's keep it open for others to discuss as well.

My issue with the automated link Blog posting was that I'm noticing, more and more, that some of my favorite Bloggers are not using it to supplement their Blog postings (adding value)... they're using it instead of Blogging.

If Readers find that valuable, it's as I said: "your mileage may vary." Everyone does whatever it is they do to make their Blogs the most accessible.

I like reading what people are thinking and why. I think there is a hybrid here - like why not take two or three things you've read on the Web and dissect them as a Blog posting? Here's why: because then you would be Blogging... and that's what I miss.

 

At 12/05/2007 9:35 AM,  John Johansen said...

This is a very interesting discussion. In fact, as a recent addition to the conversation it's one that I've been thinking about quite a bit.

I'm still trying to sort my thoughts out around this. Hopefully I'll be putting them all into a coherent, thoughtful blog post soon.

 

At 12/05/2007 9:53 AM,  mark goren said...

Keeping the debate alive (even before seeing these new comments) by tweeting links to all three of our posts.

And I do agree (peacefully?) that a hybrid post would be nice. If delicious could do something to push that along, maybe we would see more detailed and thought out posts.

 

At 12/05/2007 12:23 PM,  Seni Thomas said...

The simple solution is to provide choices like you said Scott.

It quite easy to build 2-3 feeds:
1 for posts, 1 for links, and 1 for both.

 

At 12/05/2007 5:34 PM,  Doug Haslam said...

Scott, you know where I stand on this, we have talked about it before:

pfaghh, phooey, bleck.

I look at my feed, I see "de.licio.us links" and nothing else in the header, I don't click. I blogged about this back in March, and it still holds.

 

At 12/05/2007 8:50 PM,  Doug Haslam said...

Oh-- and demerits for naming your post after one of the worst songs in poop music history. :)

 

At 12/05/2007 9:12 PM,  Doug Haslam said...

oops, subliminal typo

 

I Didn't Start the Fire

There's a great debate raging in the blogosphere right now. Actually, it originated up north in Canada (I guess they need the heat up there this time of year) between a couple of great bloggers.

This is a natural extension of a post that I wrote back in October trying to gauge your opinion of my del.icio.us links appearing in my RSS feed. Your opinion was split, as it appears to be between Mark Goren and Mitch Joel, in their respective posts.

You'll also notice a good deal of chatter in the comments sections of each of their posts - please be sure to read those, as that's where you get to see a variety of opinions, counterpoints and rationales.

For what it's worth, I left the following comment on Mark's blog (you'll have to click through to see what he responded with):

Mark: great points here. Mitch certainly raised some valid points & counterpoints on his own blog and here, but I have to side with you. I actually put this question to my readers a couple of months ago, and opinions were split (of those who chose to comment).

Bottom line: social media, if nothing else, is about choices. Never before has it been so easy to give your audience a variety of ways to consume content. Mitch or you are I are not so omniscient that we can presume how every reader prefers to consume content. So why not give them everything and let them choose?

Blog posts, del.icio.us links, Google Reader shared item, Twitter streams - it’s all fair game!

What do you think?

Labels: blogging, del.icio.us, Mark Goren, Mitch Joel, trends

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