What is microblogging?

Like traditional blogging, microblogging is a form of communicating with people who share a common interest. However, a microblog’s posts are much shorter, and are generally more personal.

A microblog post might let people know what you’re currently doing, what projects you’re working on, or what you have planned for tomorrow.

Microblog benefits

Traditional blogs are great because there’s virtually no limit to what you can talk about, and unlike printed material, there’s no restriction on length of content. However, because of the length of most blog postings, many bloggers don’t have the ability to deliver high-quality content day in and day out. They may write three posts a week, but sometimes readers want more.

A microblog allows your readers to stay connected to you because the posts can be read in a few seconds. These abbreviated posts will keep people interested in what you have to say between your longer, regular postings.

Another big advantage to microblogging is in the delivery of content. While most people still read blogs on the computer, more and more people are getting content via their cell phones and PDAs. These devices, while handy, aren’t set up for reading lengthy articles and blog posts because of their small screens, which make the microblog post even more attractive for readers.

You’ve no doubt heard about social networking by now. Sites like Facebook and Myspace have exploded onto the web, and have enticed millions of people to sign up. These sites are great for fostering communities and helping people stay in contact with one another. Microblogging takes the basic idea of social networking and strips it down to its core component – communication.

In addition, from a marketing standpoint, developing a relationship with your potential customers is vital to building trust (and sales.) Microblog posts will help keep people in touch with what you’re up to, allow them to interact with you, and build a community.

How do you do it?

Use one of the popular microblogging sites available online. The most popular site right now is Twitter. Twitter accounts are free, and are gaining in popularity. With Twitter, you won’t have to worry about being too wordy because you’re given a character limit that you can’t exceed. While some may see this as a hindrance, it’s actually very beneficial because it forces you to boil your post down to the most important point. You can also post links to your articles, blogs etc.

Another aspect of Twitter (and sites like it) is that it allows plenty of customization. You can set up your Twitter page to resemble your main website, which is a great idea if you’re trying to build brand recognition. There are also plenty of widgets (tiny applications) that you can run on your website that will display your most recent Twitter posts so readers won’t have to log into Twitter’s main page every time they want to read what you’re up to.

And, just like a blog, people can subscribe to your microblog’s feed and follow it like they would your primary blog.

If you’re finding that blogging has lost a bit of its luster, try setting up a microblog; it’s easy, it’s fun and the community you build can lead to increased traffic to your main site.

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