A couple years ago, I started microblogging on Bicultural Mom and it’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but I’ve wondered…”Is this the right place for it?” The problem is, I think that we get so used to thinking about what blogging is, that we forget to consider what it can be.
What is Microblogging?
Essentially, microblogging is what you do on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. You share pictures, video, a quick little commentary, quote or insight. It’s quick, it’s easy and it keeps your social crew up to date on what you’re into online.
So, my question is, why do we hesitate to put these same golden snippets on our blogs and keep some of that traffic for our own site? I think the discomfort stems from the belief that short snippets of information are not as valuable as longer, more structured posts. As we’ve seen on Twitter and Facebook though, some of these micro-posts can be just as valuable to readers and sometimes more valuable than our regular posts. While you may not want to micro-blog every post on your traditional platform, adding a few short posts here and there can really spice up your blog and help you connect with readers.
Why You Should be Microblogging
1. Readers like it! Your readers want to hear what you’re thinking, what you’re up to and get updates on the latest news in your niche. Don’t be afraid to share a short post to tell them about a great article you read or conversation you had on Twitter. If it’s relevant to your blog, why not share?
2. It’s a time saver! Just think, if you take a day off from brainstorming and do a couple of short stream-of-consciousness posts, you’re saving time for both you and your readers. They can visit you for a quick update and you can take extra time to veg or focus in on your more thoughtful writing. Besides, isn’t that what we’re doing on Wordless Wednesdays anyway? ;)
3. You’re building community! By sharing these little tidbits of information, instead of writing a full-on post, you’re leaving room for readers and collaborators to comment, bring in their own expertise and contribute to your thoughts. This builds community, encourages discussion and keeps readers coming back for more interesting conversation.
4. It’s great for SEO! You can never go wrong putting extra content on your site. The more you add, the better…especially if it’s within your niche. Consider sharing content on your blog first, before sharing to Facebook, Twitter or another platform outside of your domain. Some thoughts to consider…Is this message right for my blog? Would it attract traffic? Is it relevant to my niche? If you answered yes to these, than micro-blog it…and share that link on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr. While you should still share on your social platforms without strings attached, remember that promoting your own domain is important too.
5. You’re establishing yourself as an expert! When you’re building your credibility as a blogger and especially when you’re establishing your niche, it’s important to demonstrate your expertise in your field. Microblogging can bring you one step closer to that goal. When you blog, you’re sharing your thoughts, analysis, etc. on a certain topic. Well, microblogging works the same way, but with one small difference…you’re making many more updates, more often that are more relevant because they are current. You’re not talking about what happened last week or two days ago, you’re sharing what happens now with your audience. And while you may have been at work or too busy to write a full post, microblogging can provide a solution when time is limited.
How can this make you an expert? Basically, because you’re on top of the latest information in your niche. Your readers will be more likely to stop in for updates regarding your niche and this can make you an expert of sorts, because your blog becomes a hub for community information.
Can you think of another great reason why microblogging is useful or any cons to microblogging on your blog? Leave your comments below.
Chantilly, this is an excellent article. I love how clearly you define the concept of microblogging (best definition out there) and how convincing your arguments for microblogging are. I'n sold ;)
For a while I have been wanting to microblog on my site, for all the reasons you provide and also because I know that my readers have busy lives and would appreciate shorter posts but relevant posts.
I do have a question, though. Do you think short posts compromise page ranking or Alexa scores? Every time I read about how to increase these two, it says that you should write long posts. But, in either case, all the reasons for microblogging are so powerful, that it makes sense to do so, right?
Well, this article just lifted a weight off my shoulders. No worrying about lengthy posts. The truth is that if you have something important, relevant and powerful to share with your audience, word count should matter very little. Seth Godin's blog is a great example.
Thank you, Chantilly!
@Angelica Perez Thanks Angelica! :) I'm so glad you enjoyed it, because I'm planning to focus on more blog tips over here on Bicultural Mom! ;)
About your question, it's always better to have more keywords in your post…10 is great! But, if we can't make that happen in these shorter posts, they still only ADD value to our site and take nothing away from our traffic. I just think of it this way…if I know that I don't have time to write a full post on a topic and decide it's better to write nothing than a snippet about it, I'm basically getting zero traffic off that idea. Any traffic is better than none and addressing a topic, rather than putting it off because my time is limited is a win, win in my book…lol! ;)
Thanks for introducing me to Seth Godin's blog! That's a great example!! =)
@biculturalmom
That makes sense — the keywords issue. So, given that, I agree with you, it makes sense to share short posts if you have something important to share.
Oh, and Seth Godin — he is big. Thousands of people follow him daily. He sends you a post to your inbox daily, at 5AM. Every single day of the year, including weekends ;)
@Angelica Perez Wow! That's dedication! The name sounds familiar, but this is my first time reading…I'll definitely check out the subscription option! ;)
I agree with Angelica! This is a great post you sure have convinced me to microblog and it makes so much sense! Thanks for the great insight!
Thanks Jai! Thank you for stopping by! =)
Great information! I've recently started sharing photos on my blog's FB page and it's really helping readers connect with me and the blog! And, short blurbs like, "I'm working on a post about…" is also a good way for me to engage readers with my super-niche blog.
@ChristinaSimon Great Christina! Thanks for stopping by and for your comment! :)
you always make me wanna work harder. Happy New Year Amiga!
@adrisilver Happy New Year amiga!! Can't wait to see what you're up to! ;)
Interesting. Before Twitter, Facebook and Myspace I "micro-blogged" but changed my habits as the different social networks cropped up. It does make sense to bring people to your blog more often.
@Above Ground Pools That's a good point. I'm still planning to share on those platforms, but I'll be reminding myself more often now, to also share some of the best, most relevant mini-posts on my blog first…especially if the insights are valuable for my readers. A good example might be a helpful video on mixed identity or multicultural parenting! It's great to save these in my archives, so readers can refer back to them too! ;)
Thanks for the great food for thought. I've never considered micro-blogging on my actual blog, but it seems like a great idea to extend the concept beyond Twitter and Facebook.
Thanks! Glad you stopped by! :)
I think I've been micro-blogging all along. I like to post almost every day and I prefer shorter posts. I think many of my readers prefer the shorter posts. I also lean toward humor and you don't have to be wordy to be funny.
@UnknownMami Definitely! I think you set a good example! ;) That's what I'm talking about and I definitely want to do more of that here too! It's great, because wordy posts aren't for everyone…plus, I'm not always in a wordy mood. ;) Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic post, Chantilly. You know I'm slow about some of this blogging stuff. Never really understood the concept of micro-blogging before this post. Your reasoning makes complete sense. I find myself shying away from blogs that have dense and lengthy posts. We should challenge ourselves to delivering our message in 250 words or less. Great lessons here for the New Year. Thank you for the explanation! … now if I could only figure out key words. o_O
@ezzylanguzzi Thanks for reading amiga! I'm so happy to contribute to this great community of bloggers! :) I'll take that challenge! I'm thinking about trying to do at least one of those posts every week!
About the keywords…I'll write a post about it! ;)
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post, Chantilly! I feel like you've lifted a huge burden off of me. I've been worried about keeping up because of work, family, and returning to school this semester. But I can do this micro-blogging-especially now that I know exactly what it is!! ;-P
@jenmardunc Exactly! I definitely need more time saving ideas and this is a good one, because it still benefits readers and can support the mission of our blog. :) I'm glad it gave you some relief. <3
My spouse and I stumbled over here by a different web page and thought I might as well check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to exploring your web page for a second time.
I'm so glad for this post…Sometimes I have a tendency to microblog on fb! Now, I will do the same and post on my page…thank you.
love your page…love your design…I'm in need of a design for my blog…I'm re-starting over…and blogging….I need to get set up…I'd love to talk with you about if you have a resource or if you have consultations…..thank you. -Positive Diana