Macro VS Micro Blogging

Well here I am again....another long time between blog entries!!! A combination of great summer weather, visiting relatives in Nova Scotia, helping friends move and a multitude of other excuses I find myself grooming my bad habit of limited blog entries. SIGH!

On the upside however, I have been actively involved in micro blogging. These are fast ways to share and gather information and take little to no time. The big names of micro blogging twitter and Facebook give me the ability to blog while mobile. So I can quickly post updates or share great links while I am basking in the sun, eating seafood in Nova Scotia and trying to maneuver a large book case into an elevator! Ok perhaps the last one was a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point. To put an entry into my blog I would actually have to set aside 10-30 minutes to sit at my computer and write a full blog entry while I can get across most of what I want to say in just a matter of seconds. Best of all I can get all the updates and industry information I need while still addressing current issues to specific users.

While thinking about my lack of attention to Macro blogging, I started to think about teens and their lack of micro blogging via twitter. The last few weeks I have come across many articles and blog entries stating that teens are not using twitter (Mashable being a large leader in the social media chatter). At first I found this rather alarming since many of today’s 13-18 year olds are found walking around with their head down frantically texting one another trying to stay connected ironically all while they neglect the friend that is physically in their presence. I thought twitter would be HUGE in the youth category but I come to find out they would rather just rock out Facebook or SMS.

The more I thought about it however, the more it started to make sense. Teens are not looking to expand their current network. They are not looking for the latest industry news. They are not concerned about what their competitors are doing. And they could care less about the newest Nortel debacle. They are concerned about maintaining the current relationships and networks that they have. Could you honestly say that if your entire network was on one social media application and you were not looking to expand your network and were not threatened by competitors would you really be looking anywhere else?

So after much thought and debate I have come to the conclusion WAKE UP TEENS! I think that what may happen is a gap forms between the early adopters and the late adopters of twitter when it comes time for youth to hit the work force. In my opinion, youth looking to be successful post graduation should be using many social media tools now to start building their network, listening to industry news and trends, looking into what their competitors (other students) have to offer, and really building their own personal brand. The Summer Bon Fire pics on Facebook won’t get them a job, but I am sure a twitter profile boasting links and information on their chosen industry just might!
If I can find time to sit and blog, teens should certainly be able to find the time to tweet!