Over the last year, many users have turned to social sharing platforms like Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram to share small bite-sized pieces of their content, while relying on blogs for longer forms of communication and self-expression.

1. Why Social Networks Never Will Kill the Blog
Over the last year, many users have turned to social sharing platforms like Pinterest, Tumblr, and
Instagram to share small bite-sized pieces of their content, while relying on blogs for longer forms
of communication and self-expression.
Some have asked if these newer tools are going to kill Twitter or become the "next Facebook?” The
answer is probably no, at least for the foreseeable future. When looking at data about these new
sharing platforms, it’s probably more accurate to think of them as a blogger's best friend. The reason
is that for bloggers, these tools serve as channels, or simply new ways that they can get their word
out to new audiences. Sometimes it’s to the same audience, but at a different time and place. These
emerging sharing sites have joined Facebook and Twitter to become new ways that bloggers can
entice readers to come to their blog.
The move has also worked wonders for blogs. In fact, even with great tools like Facebook, Twitter
and even Pinterest, blogs have steadily grown their audience 15% year over year for the last several
years. That’s because, from baby showers to the greatest quotations, these social sharing platforms
represent great forms of self-expression. And, as these new tools grow, the blog’s role will develop
accordingly. Blogs have now become the place for more substantive conversation and a lot more
detailed information.
Looking back at the history of media, TV didn’t kill radio or the movies, and the Internet hasn’t
killed TV. Traditional media companies have wound up migrating online, and now native online
companies need to migrate over to mobile.
Business models are being constantly rewritten to accommodate this brave, new world, but the fact
is that users are still showing up. And it’s actually a mutually beneficial relationship. For example,
online sites like Twitter and several others are even bolstering their engagement with traditional
broadcast television.
While active social media users across several generations become more and more multi-tasking,
multi-screening and vociferous media consumers, we are all adopting each new tool as if it was
second nature, and not worrying that other social tools are being replaced. That’s because we all
have the need to connect; the need to hear and share stories that can move us, make us think,
ultimately making us feel less alone in the world. These human needs are consistent. Although we
may change where we go to meet those needs; or change the tools we use; or even occasionally
succumb to that special shiny object syndrome, ultimately we will prioritize and bring order to all
the chaos that seems to confront us.

2. As the social media universe continues to shift and expand, online influencers are winning in
numerous ways. The blog audience will continue to rise; and long-form expression is even seeing
renewed investment, both from traditional as well as online outlets. Blog recommendations have
now achieved a prominent position in the purchasing process for online users. For bloggers, having
the tools to publish, promote, and distribute their work is the KEY to enhancing the value of their
special, personal corners of the Internet.