Image via Flickr user Spondle.
This is a guest contribution from author and freelance writer Steff Green.
Like that sparkly rhinestone jacket you purchased last year but suddenly realise is actually kind of hideous, blogging trends change with the seasons. What was once the mark of a high-quality blog now screams of incompetence. Readers are fickle and changing, apt to desert you at a moments notice when something new and shiny and rhinestone-encrusted comes along.
But could blogging actually be dying?
Many sources confirm that it is. The Guardian points to statistics showing the amount of blogs started by teens has halved since 2006, and massively declined among millennial. Jason Kottke, writer of one of the longest-running blogs on the web, states that the blog’s demise came about because the fundamental purpose of blogging was no being fulfilled with other media. In her Atlantic piece titled 2013: The Year “The Stream” Crested, Alexis C. Madrigal discusses the idea that content online is now organised by preference and importance, rather than chronology, rendering the format of the blog obsolete.
“Today, teens are about as likely to start a blog (over instagramming or snapchatting) as they are to buy a music CD. Blogs are for 40-somethings with kids.” – Jason Kottke.
With social media platforms becoming the online communication too du jour, and with smartphones and other devices becoming for many the preferred platform, blogs have fallen to the wayside in favour of shorter, punchier messages specifically tailored to hit a reader’s buttons.
So what does this mean for you, the blogger? Are you scared? I’m not. And here’s why. I know that whatever changes come about, there are always people out there who need to know things, or need to be entertained. I know things, and I’m mildly amusing, so as long as I’m creating content, it will find an audience, even if that audience – and the way they find and digest that information – may change.
Here are some changes I’ve noticed, and some ideas for how you can stave off your blog’s untimely death:
People are less interested in following blogs
I’ve found that subscriber numbers are way down on all the blogs I manage. The use of feeds has diminished since Google Reader was laid to rest, and I think when Gmail and other clients started filtering promotional material away from the “Primary Inbox”, blog updates via email became less important.
With dwindling subscriber lists, what do you do to keep your readership intact?
What you can do about it:
- Just because people aren’t subscribing, doesn’t mean they aren’t reading. People are more likely to follow your blog on social media – clicking through to your links when you post them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
- Take advantage of this swing towards social media use by ramping up for social presence. One thing I like to do is post an article link a couple of times over the week, to increase the chances of people seeing it. I also frequently post links to older articles from my archives.
- Look at new ways to boost subscriber rates by offering something different. Many bloggers are transitioning into “media hubs” – a place where many different stories and opinions and ideas and media are collected and disseminated. Offer content that can be shared on social media with ease and keep people coming back by giving them a whole lot more of what they want.
- Rebrand your blog so it’s not a “blog”. Instead of a blog tab in your navigation bar, call it “Steff’s Thoughts” or “Helpful Tips” or “Articles” – recreate yourself, move away from the title of “blogger” and start thinking of your website as a media business.
Guest Blogging Isn’t As Valuable As it once Was
I’ve been finding my recent guest blogging aren’t yielding the results I’ve come to expect. Whereas a post written for a A-grade blog in 2012 might generate 300 hits to my site, these days it might only generate 30.
People are paying less and less attention to the bio links in posts, and Google is, too. Host blogs, hounded constantly by advertisers looking for low-cost linkbacks, have tightened their submission guidelines to the point that getting in is almost as strenuous as a job application at Google.
Yet, despite the changes in the guest-blogging space, many bloggers are still citing this technique as one of the core methods of building a following. So, what do you do to improve your guest blogging results?
What you can do about it:
- Don’t write off guest-blogging altogether – it still has its place. You just have to be more strategic about it.
- Instead of randomly choosing 20 sites to target for guest blogs, focus on building ongoing relationships with 1-3 popular sites. Become a regular contributor. Allow that audience to get to know you through regular posts. This is how you get them to start following you.
- Choose topics that require specific examples from your own sites and businesses. This way you can talk about your personal experience and, as you describe yourself as a case studies, readers are more likely to be interested in your work and click through.
- Pull together resources with other bloggers to create awesome products like free webinars or documents. “Free” is still a great way to attract new readers to the top of your funnel. For example, the team at First Site Guide created this incredible Start a Blog guide with advice from some of the best bloggers in the business. It was a real team effort and has provided a free resource that I personally find incredibly useful.
People Interact on Social Media, Not Your Sites
So how many blog comments do you get, huh? Is it anything like the number you had four years ago? I doubt it very much. Practically every blogger I’ve talked to has said comments are on the decline. Why? Two words: social media.
Readers are not only using social media to find your content, they are also using their favourite platforms to interact with it, and you. A reader is more likely to share your post on Facebook and leave a comment there than write something on the blog itself.
If your readers are flocking to social media to discuss your posts, what can you do to steer them back to your site?
What You Can Do About It?
- First of all, I think you should let your readers take the lead with how and where they want to discuss your posts. If discussion is moving on to social media, than I say, “embrace it!”
- Delete the comment function of your blog altogether, or at least hide the number of comments on a post, so readers aren’t always seeing a big “0 comments” after the post title.
- Focus on building and engaging with your audience on one or two of your favourite social media platforms. Discuss topics, ask questions, post interesting links and get them to talk with you throughout the day, not just when you post an article. Don’t try to be everywhere at once, but use the platforms you enjoy to build your audience.
- At the end of your blog posts, invite readers to share and discuss your content on Facebook.
- Post content on your social media you don’t post on your blog. I like to share funny links and music videos throughout the day on my Facebook page.
Monetization of Sites
Readers have started to get smart to the methods of blog advertising – they might avoid affiliate links, scoff at “sponsored content” and glance over your sidebar ads without a single click. Google is punishing the selling of text links and other types of sponsored content. It seems that selling advertising is no longer a way to create a viable income stream.
And it’s not just advertising. With the advent of the kindle and readers coming to expect ebooks for $2.99, revenue from ebook sales on blogs have dwindled.
Or is it? Here’s what you can do to jump-start monetization on your blog:
What can you do about it?
- Bloggers are getting truly entrepreneurial and thinking about monetization from outside of the context of their blogs. For example, Elsie and Emma from A Beautiful Mess – a simple DIY blog – created an app allowing users to add doodles and words on top of their images. The app became one of the most popular.
- Other bloggers are stepping out from behind the keyboard and building branded content in a live setting. The three bloggers behind The Blogcademy, for example, are running live workshops all around the world.
- Chunky advertorial posts just won’t cut the mustard any more. Blog readers want something more authentic. Brands are still working with bloggers but many are looking for sophisticated content partnerships.
- Other writers are using their blog as a platform to launch creative projects that might not necessarily have much to do with the topic of their site. For example, I am writing and publishing dark fantasy fiction, and my site is a music website, but I’m using it as my platform as many music fans also enjoy dark fantasy.
I’ve been blogging since 2008, and I’ve seen many different trends rise and fall. It can be hard when something we’ve come to rely on no longer works, but I think it’s important to see every setback as an opportunity in disguise – allowing us as bloggers to shift focus, re-evaluate, change things up and take risks.
Steff Green is a writer, blogger and heavy metal maiden living off-grid in rural New Zealand with her cantankerous drummer husband, a menagerie of animals and their medieval sword collection. Check out her dark fantasy novel, The Sunken, or subscribe to her blog for updates and free books.
Thanks for noticing all of these trends!
It’s true that I’m more likely to find interesting content through my friends on social media. But I also like being a source of interesting content for my friends, and that’s where subscriptions come in handy. It takes me a good chunk of time every day to go through my Feedly, but good organization helps.
One thing that comes out of this, though, is the importance of a good headline. Boring headlines? I delete the post from my feed without even looking at it.
So, among all of these insanely useful tips, I want to add one more: have awesome headlines that attract attention. Otherwise you’re just going to get passed over like I pass over hundreds of posts every day.
Hi Anabelle
You are absolutely right – having killer headlines is key. You’ve got to get readers to click through – or all that content you’ve created is just sitting there, not being utilized. I’m noticing some interesting new trends in headlines from my Facebook feed recently. Mainly those “Someone did something, and the other person reacted, and it was beautiful/priceless/terrifying/hilarious.” ones.
There are some things with this post I agree with, but mostly don’t agree with the whole of it. Here’s why-
Sure, blogs are declining… This makes way for more valuable information. Just as Twitter was first populated by tech personalities and Facebook was populated by Harvard students, blogs were run by anyone. Now, with the multitude of information sharing channels that are easier and less time consuming to use, blogs are being wittled down to just those with good information to share.
Hi David – this is a very valid point, and was something I was trying to get through in this post. Blogging still definitely has a place, and bloggers are able to provide a ton of value that can’t be gained anywhere else. But I just think it’s a VERY different game from when I started blogging. But in one key way, it hasn’t changed at all; awesome content will always rule.
I agree with Dave. I now read blogs only that have good content and are well written. Let’s face it, we need to work and have little time for Social Media and read blogs. The ones that are deliver to me, I will find time for on the regular bases but I don’t always comment. Naturally, out of loyalty and helping them to monetize their blog, I purchase products or services from them rather then from somewhere else.
Yes, I’ve noticed too that some of these blogs may have less comments but I also noticed a few important factors: one, quality articles are always re-blogged by other bloggers; two,good articles attract constructive comments, which results in a stronger community that does not tolerate inappropriate comments or trolls. I’ve seen brilliant replies written by members, in a diplomatic fashion, ultimately getting rid of unwanted ‘customers’.
As I was reading the article, it reminded me my own business of so many years that was not virtual. Partly was about following ever changing customer’s needs and adjusting to market trends. Why would it be any different on line? I appreciate this article because it pointed out exactly just that. There is nothing to be afraid of rather as many times have been stated, “treat your blog as a business”. Thank you Steff for your research.
Nice post. But a bit scary, as I am just getting on to being serious in blogging these days. But I also agree to your point that one must start thinking differently and see every setback as an opportunity.
Absolutely Arun – this post isn’t really meant to be scary, but to say that things are changing in the world of blogging, and that just means we’ve got to look at new ways of getting our message out in a different way.
Hi Steff,
You’re great !!!, You’ve many experience on blogging trend ? and you’ve well explained the way how the blogging differs according to trends either it might be rise or fall. Described “what can you do about it” in a clearly manner
I liked Guest Blogging Isn’t valuable as and Monetization of sites : Yes, Guest blogging aren’t growing and most of people do this guest post, mainly to built more traffic to blog ? or Just to grab attention of new blog to all ?
And Now days people becoming more clever and they know about the blog advertising , I’m was very tired and became a night mare to see not even a single click :(
Thanks for sharing Blogging is Dead !!!
Siva
As a new blogger, this is awesome information. Thanks!
While this post may be designed to shock it isn’t accurate. The University of Massachusetts surveys the Fortune 500 every year and in its study of the use of social media and blogs in 2013, it found that the number of public facing blogs has more than doubled since the first study in in 2008, from 16% to 35%. The study posits that “adoption of this mature social media tool by these great companies signals the return of the online in depth conversation, thought leadership and original content development that was popular a decade ago with early corporate adopters of blogging like IBM and Ford Motors.”
Nora Gaines Barnes, co-author of the study, says, ““How exciting to see the steady march to adopt blogging by the wealthiest corporations in the world …what respect for our most mature social media tool. It really says that blogging can do something different. Maybe it is an acknowledgement that all things might not be possible in 140 characters or a quick post.”
Hi Jeannette,
I don’t think your reply contradicts anything in this post. The fact that large corporations are more active in blogs than before does not contradict any of the authors points. In fact, this commercialization of blogging by the big corporate brands might actually be part of the the reason for the declines the author mentions.
Your post provides some useful solutions to this issue Steff. I especially like the idea of monetizing outside of the context of your blog. It is great to see all the new monetizing projects that bloggers come up with.
Like you, I am not scared about these changes. Life is constantly changing. So no matter what kind of business your in. You need to be flexible and creative enough to come up with new ideas to evolve with your audience. I see this as a challenge rather then a problem. Things would get boring anyway, if that challenge would not be there.
I always try to have a strong connection with my audience. That way they will stay on my ship. Because I most certainly will not abandon it. :) In relation to that. There are plenty of fish in the sea, so yes there are always people who need to know things or need to be entertained.
Stay positive and keep informing us with posts like this. They show us the way. Reserve the darkness for your fantasy novels.:) The king is dead long live the king!
Amen, Jesse! We are bloggers – we got into this biz because it’s creative and enjoyable and somewhere out there, we have an audience of awesome people who want what we’re giving ’em. We can weather any storm m/
It is interested to read how blogging has evolved so much these few years. Thanks for the tips and will be working on them to improve my blog.
There has been the talk of individuals who run blogs being a “small-time” part of the media landscape, serving more as an alternative to the “big-time” media presence often reserved for the newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and the online presence offered by the “big-time” operators. One ABC “Media Watch” episode that was previously aired was dedicated to the issue of the so-called “mommy blogs” in contrast to the big-time women’s magazines.
What needs to be looked at is how small-time publishers can “grow and be exposed” more and these articles can work towards that. This can also include running a group of blogs rather than just one blog.
Hi Steff,
I think the entire phrase “is blogging dead” is a bit scary and not exactly going to be. The importance of blogs and blogging will always be on the rise as far as online publication and business are concern.
Social media may only pose a treat, but as an online marketer, you need a place where your ideal customers can easily get to you at any giving time of the day, a place you have absolute control over what goes in and out of it….this you can’t get on other people’s platform – you have to play by their rules.
The only thing I see in near feature that could possibly happen to blogs and how we blog is a shift or better blogging platform and tools…that could change the face of blogging.
True, blog discussion has moved on to social media, but it all started from the blog and will in the end be your meeting point.
Thanks for writing Steff.
You are so right about the drop in engagement in email. Email used to be a very effective medium – but people are so much shifting towards social media. That’s totally true. And Gmail filters have made it worse. People now don’t even have to see our emails, let alone open them! No matter how hard we hit them with our skilled headlines, they are still going to ignore us.
As you say, focusing on multiple streams surely will help. Instead of just relying on email or RSS for site traffic, publishing updates about blog posts on social media, and providing repurposed form of content like videos or Slideshare presentations will help us reach out to people in different platforms and media!
I just start blogging and now everything seem dark for me. :(
Steff,
This is good. There’s so much contradictory advice out there but this feels very sensible to me. Thanks!
I get most of my comments through Facebook. Sometimes its ironic. All this talk and activity is happening about my latest blog post… no where near my blog! Its all offsite at Facebook. I don’t mind. As long as I write a post people are talking about, I take great pride in that.
Is blogging dead? I’m gonna say no. I am a blogger and I can say that the art of blogging is well and alive. Can you still making money?…Yes. Am I making money yet?….That would be a no, but I just love it and I hope one day that I can get paid for what I love.
I haven’t taking the time to focus on email and I’m doing ok. I know its very important, but for me I am taking baby steps to blogging success, so for now I’m just blogging. Great post.
Blogging is always evolving – it is NOT dead.
First you need a target audience, and then you consistently provide what they are looking for within the targeted niche. You are so right about subscriber numbers going down, however social media gives you the best opportunity to drive traffic to your posts. Twitter is my biggest social media, along with li,paper which provides a daily newspaper via Twitter. I also use Google+, Pinterest and Scoop.it to promote blog posts. Social media is really a blessing for bloggers to reach a bigger audience, especially since e-mail marketing has become rather outdated. You just have to find the ones that work best for you.
In creating many posts, I ask businesses and travelers on social media within my niche to provide info and photo’s for blog postings. These are not guest blogging posts as I choose the wording, along with what and how the content is presented. The obvious advantage is they heavily promote my post, along with their followers – sharing is always a win-win for my travel niche. Currently I am looking for more creative ways to monetize my site. You have presented great suggestions here for monetization – thanks!
Hi Linda – thanks for your comment. Your idea about approaching businesses, etc, to supply photographs is a fantastic one. Thank you!
Hi Stacey,
Blogging isn’t what it was, though I started to take it seriously from past few months, despite I’m blogging since more than 3 and is about to get to 4.
It’s really frustrating to know that once the writer who could have generated hundreds of links through a single guest post is hardly been earning few of links to their efforts.
Concerning to subscribing, it’s true that it isn’t that if people doesn’t subscribe doesn’t mean that they don’t read our blog – they do. That’s the pillar point you’ve noted down, Stacey.
But as you’ve told, rather specifying 20’s of site, it is better to build healthy relationship with 3-4 blogs and post there.
But I was wondering that in this post-penguin era of link building, do achieving more than 1 link from a site be worthy since it carries the same value. Despite of traffic and engagement, is it profitable in term of SEO too?
Is waiting for your response, thanks a lot for the great contribution!
Blogging is just like any other business. It’s constantly changing and evolving, so if a blogger thinks that doing things like in the 90s would cut it, well, it’s wrong to think that way. Adapt to survive, right? Great post!
Blogging will, in fact, die if people like you continue writing material featuring headlines with sensational titles. All you ultimately accomplish is wasting someone’s time. Oh, and fear-mongering; you do that, too.
I’m sorry, but no, you’re terribly wrong.
It’s a psychological principle that people will read something that speaks to their unique, relevant fears.
It’s a principle that has been used long before blogging, with book titles and even more-so with magazine headlines.
Fear is a powerful emotion and will continue to be so as long as humans feel emotions. This post already has 27 comments, that seems pretty far from dead to me, but by all means continue crafting headlines that don’t elicit emotions or use “sensational” tactics and see if your blog survives a long time.
Thanks for the great tips! I will have to look into hiding the “zero comments” feature. Most of my comments end up on my Facebook page instead of on the actual blog.
I just think it’s a VERY different game from when I started blogging. But in one key way, it hasn’t changed at all; awesome content will always rule.
// This exactly. Blogging is SO different from when I started, too – but great content still wins the day, and always will.
Thanks for the idea of hiding number of comments in a post. It can be useful if we are getting few or no comments in a certain post.
People will continue following up if the conent on our blogs is useful and helpful.
Great post! But I just can’t totally agree with you! Blogging is Dead? Well not for me! I am still gaining income and generate lead through blogging. Although email is very important, still blogging plays a significant role in online marketing. People search for more and more information in Google and that’s what we should provide. You can add more strategies so you can stay on top but never stop blogging cos that would make your site more reliable and effective.
Oh, I completely agree with you – blogging is not dead, but is definitely evolving, and I think certain niches and audiences are harder to reach now with blogging than they were 5 or even 3 years ago. As always, great content – and great content on a regular basis – will trump in the end.
Hey,
I don’t think Blogging is dead, or will die.
True, blogging is on the decline, social networks are starting to take over more.
Social networks have their purpose, but so do blogs. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Linkedin are good places to make connections and engage people quickly, but without a home page to send them to then it’s practically useless.
Social media is like a party, as Pat Flynn says, and you gotta show up and ask people questions, be charming and look cute. However, having a blog is like having a house to invite people back to after that party.
Having a blog is like having those really deep conversations with people where they get to know you, and what matters to you.
If you just meet people at parties, and never hang out with them one-on-one then they’ll never get to know you well and you’ll never get to know them well.
So blogging is changing, yes, but I think apps like Disqus will make blogs into more of a social network integrating Facebook and Twitter accounts easily and allowing comment histories to be explored.
Thanks for the article,
Jon
You make some excellent points, Jon. I really like the party analogy between social media and blogs.
Personally, I’ve never been a BIG social media user – and most of my blog traffic has always come from organic search and from other blogs linking to me. Now, I’m trying to focus more on “going to the party” as you say, and I’m finding I’m gaining a lot more traction from my chosen platform (Facebook). It’s interesting to me how this is changing the way I approach creating content – a lot of the time, content ideas come from the discussions on Facebook, or from articles that I’ve linked there or other people have posted to me.
Thanks for your comment, Brad. Sensational headline aside, you’ll notice I never said I thought blogging was dead. If you have a look at the comments here, many people find posts like this useful because as things change, they get worried that everything they’ve built will be for nothing. I’m trying to suggest a few ideas for adapting to the way things are NOW from the way they have been. In six months time I might have to revise and adapt blogging strategies to appeal to readers in a different way – it’s all about adapting to the market and the readers, not about telling people to give up.
Great post. Lots of great tips. I’m relatively new to blogging, but as you mention, I have always stayed away from that term. I use the columnist, article, oped, etc. I don’t use the term blogger, and I don’t refer to my site as a blog. I refer to it as my “site.” LOL. Never a blog, I’ve always felt the term “blog” was amaturish, in the sense that “anyone” can create a blog. But can anyone “write an oped.” Haha.
In terms of guest posts, I have established two or so regular “columns” on some very popular conservative sites. Hence giving my name more credibility, and I started a talk show, which is on theme and on my site as well.
I haven’t figured out the formula for success, but reading your post, especially the parts on social media, it seems I’m headed the right way.
I’ve also done some television spots, and radio, so I try to leverage all that to lend “legitimacy” to all that I do. “He’s been a food judge with celebrity chefs, so his food reviews must have merit.”
“He’s beeing on Natgeo, so he must know what he’s talking about.” Techniques like that, though to be honest, I expected my tv appearances to skyrocket my presence, it really hasn’t. Like I said, I haven’t mastered the formula yet, but I’m working on it!
Thanks for all of the tips!
I agree that awesome content will always rule… This has always been the case and will always be the case. As we move into 2015, I’m also interested in possibly launching a podcast on my website vs. just sharing content via my blog… Podcasting has been huge for many people and brands and is an engaging way to connect with your audience and interview people that fit into your niche.
may be this is funny but one line has knocked my mind after reading this post. That is WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?
Anyway, just came to know some useful info about this changing blogging world from this post.Thanks for that.
This blog post made me think twice about some of the things I’m doing now and I’d been planning to start. So, I must thank you for that. BUT, I don’t get some things:
1) In case of “Elsie and Emma” under “Monetization of the Sites”, if you should forget about bringing people to your site for reading your blog through various methods in place so far, how could you sell an app from the same site?
2) It seems that you mentioned people aren’t leaving comments on blog posts as much as previous years. I agree with that, BUT do you say posting on social media can get them more seriously involved? What about business branding? Shall I use facebook to publish my content and get my readers forget about my website and its products/services? I cannot have all those products/services on social media, can I? If they don’t come to my site/blog, how can I build a reputation for my site/blog?
I will be happy to read anyone’s answer here. I really would like to know how an online business blog should go on its very active existence.
This is great content and insight. I have a lot of clients who worry because they don’t get the comments they used to on their blogs and I tell them it’s no indication of interest because people much more often comment, share, and like predominantly though social media now–especially with the dominance of mobile. Will be sharing this post for sure. ~N
Very interesting artical, I have been blogging for 5 yeras now and I have noticed a definate shift, espically with blog comments! interesting to hear your ideas! xx
Hi
I never thought of these points and you gave me a clear idea of what can be done to be successful in blogging. Also connecting to people through social media is also helpful as discussed the topic in a very simple manner. Again thanks for a wonderful post to your readers.
Thanks
Steff, Coming into my social media class, I was under the impression that blogging was a lost art. Now I know that is not the case. Also, how we interact with our readers is changing. I think it’s great to promote blogs on social media and interact with readers that way.
Blogging is not dead at all. People really grerat content about the subjects they are interested in. Keep up the good work.
With social media platforms becoming the online communication too du jour, and with smartphones and other devices becoming for many the preferred platform, blogs have fallen to the wayside in favour of shorter, punchier messages specifically tailored to hit a reader’s buttons.
I don’t think blogging is dead ar it will be.
Great article Steff.
I think “Blogging is Dead” is a good example of the attention grabbing headline that Anabelle speaks of in the very first comment. But to my mind the fundamental problem is whether blogging is growing, declining or stagnating in terms of reader engagement. I would suggest that it is declining. Rapidly.
But it’s more complex that that. It depends on what type of blogging we are talking about. There are many who jumped on the blogging bandwagon in the hopes of monetization, read: easy money. They have had the nastiest of wake-up calls and are the big casualties. People who love writing and produce content worth reading are exploring platforms like Medium, Svbtle, Issuu and the like – not only is content beautifully presented, but is promoted to the more receptive member audience. Professional bloggers with quality content and sustainable reputations are adapting accordingly and are probably welcoming less “noise”. Businesses are using blogs as a mainstay of their content marketing strategies.
In conclusion, we could interpret the meaning behind “blogging is dead” as “blogging is consolidating”. It is consolidating to the best content. The age-old reason most things succeed: by providing value.
I dont things blogs are dead rather they have taken on a different form. Mainly vloging. Having a YouTube channel is essential for any blogger these days as video becomes the dominate form of media consumption. You can build your audience there and have them follow you to your website. Offering people value is key, blogging about random thoughts and ideas won’t cut it these days unless it has a clear purpose since everyone can do it through Facebook, twitter etc. Keeping in mind people can pick and choose who they want to get content from by simply weeding out the noise.
There is no need to beat a dead horse. Blogging was the emergence of social media, but people want less so they go for microblogging websites such Tweeter or Facebook. The younger crowd doesn’t have patience for the written word (IF they can even read which a lot of them can’t), so they opt for video. Chat rooms and message boards are dead. Blogs are dead. One day social media and vlogging will die out as something newer takes it’s place.
The media industry is dying. I really don’t recommend getting into it right now because trends come and go. Unless you’re willing to adapt to the changes and most of us aren’t, there really is no need to get into internet media.