Microblogging is a liberating experience. You narrow down your focus to the essentials and leave out all the extra explanations.
When you post for a microblog you jot down, announce and make note. You don’t have to add a lot of context. You can skip an illustration – unless your post is the illustration, in that case you can skip the worlds.
Microblogging should be short, quick, but frequent posts.
My favourite places to microblog are Twitter, Tumblr and the sidebar of my own blog where I keep a Sideblog using a WordPress plugin.
Why I Like MicroBlogging
- It’s a great way to jot down a thought without going into detail or overthinkng it.
- I dash down a half baked idea and leave it to finish later.
- I can leave a note for readers of my site.
- I can post a great quotation and just let it stand on it’s own.
- I post backlinks to a sites I find but haven’t really reviewed yet.
- I announce a change to my site, or other sites I write.
- I stick in a new word that sounded worth looking up.
- I make note of an inspirational book I found.
- I can leave a quick tip and turn it into a full post later.
MicroWriting for MicroBlogging
Writing a short post can take some getting used to. Don’t give up on it or quit. Just get creative, resourceful and take a risk on saying and explaining less leaving your readers to make their own assumptions. If you want clear and concise communication you need few words, no flowery prose.
For example, Twitter limits everyone to 140 characters, including punctuation, spaces and hashtags.
You may get creative with spelling, or run two words together or eliminate some words all together.
Some people will post their thoughts over two or more posts in a row. (I see this now and then withTwitter posts). But multiple posts is not a great option, it’s better to stick with the microblogging concept and keep it short and to the point.
If you can’t find a shorter way to say what you mean, microblogging can be a challenge to your communication skills.
Think of your posts as announcements. That helps to keep them shorter.
More About MicroBlogging
- Six Reasons I Like Having a Microblog in my Sidebar | Word Grrls
- The Advantages of Being a Twitter Blogger | Word Grrls
- Tumblr – 5 Reasons Why You Should Make One
- 10 Micro-Blogging Tools Compared
- Micro Blogging | Squidoo
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