Working At The Edge

Make School Different: Digital leadership & Transformation

“Everybody blogs, nobody reads.”

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sharingThe quote in the title of this post from this blog post got me thinking… How do we approach our consumption of information from blogs and Twitter? Is it more like “everyone shares, nobody reads”? How many people actually read – in a thoughtful way – the blogs they subscribe to and the tweets they retweet? Why are there so many more hits on a blog post than there are comments? Why don’t readers take the time to comment? Too much work? Too much time? Or they didn’t really read the post or follow the tweeted link?

Do we need to be more thoughtful consumers of information and use consumption as the entry way into deeper conversations? Or is “deeper” not even possible? Are we doomed to superficiality? 

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Randy Ziegenfuss
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Comments

  2. I’m guilty as well! I think that is one of the ways we manage massive amounts of information to determine what is relevant to our practice. I also get a sense that there is a lot of mindless tweeting and retweeting going on with not much thought to extending the conversation. How do we before better at contributing to and deepening the conversation around blogs and tweets instead of just (mindlessly) repeating them.

  4. This post poses a very thoughtful question that inspires reflection! As a blogger myself, I know I definitely read more blogs than I write, but I get your point that it’s easier to RT and Like than actually comment. It’s good collegial practice to comment!

  6. Randy, I’m guilty as charged. Skimming works, but you could be advancing an opinion in a total written piece that you may not completely agree with when you “retweet”. Thanks for calling me out! 😀

  7. Personally, I do read before I share, but don’t think it is necessarily appropriate to comment on each one. People are busy. If they have to read every comment about everything that’s shared with them, they will stop reading any of them. Also, I feel “sharing” implies you agree, so why comment if you have nothing further to add?

    • Thanks for visiting the blog and commenting, Ellen! I agree…we obviously cannot read and comment on everything. We have only so much energy. But can there be a balance? I fear the vast majority of people share without actually reading because it comes from their “friends.” If we never comment on anything, are we missing the opportunity for deeper learning, another thing that I think social media has pushed us away from. Just some thoughts…

  8. This is so true! As someone who recently started blogging I get so excited when I see people that go to my page and like or comment on something because it rarely happens. I get a good amount of traffic but that is about all. My blog is meant to share resources that I read and think are valuable while also writing my own blogs at least once or twice a month. I read others work all the time (Including yours Randy!) but do not take the time to comment/like their work to let them know I appreciate it and it is something I will do going forward. Treat others as you wish to be treated! Nice job with this Randy!

  9. Great thoughts Randy. I am guilty of much of this. I think everyone has various reasons and approaches to RTs and likes and sometimes it is the quick & easy. Skimming is sometimes helpful to find that great resource but deepening or expanding the conversation is important. I appreciate the time and effort put into the blogs I read. This post has helped me look at things differently! Thanks for writing.

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