Is blogging social media? Waitt. Hold up. This made me think. As a blogger, this never really crossed my mind. I use social media. And I blog. But I never considered whether blogging is social media. Let’s dive in.
While blogging shares some similarities with social media, which could make you think they are the same, there are also significant differences between the two.
Picture this. On one side, social media allows for interaction between bloggers and their audience. Bloggers can respond to comments and engage with their readers. This helps create a sense of community and loyal following. But in my opinion, having a conversation and interaction is not enough to qualify something as a blog.
To confuse folks even more, you can share blog posts on social media.
However, regardless of whether you can create a community with your followers and share a blog on social media. For me, this doesn’t make blogging social media.
A major difference is that social media platforms are designed for short-form content (typically photo and video). Blogging, on the other hand, uses longer and more in-depth written content.
Ultimately, whether you consider blogging to be a form of social media is totally up to you. As a blogger, I personally see them as two separate things that can overlap. I write on my blog. And I use social media to promote my blog posts. Let’s dive in for a break-down.
Blogging vs Social Media
What is Blogging?
To help us answer is blogging social media, let’s first dive into the definition of blogging. Blogging is a form of content creation that focuses on long-form written content. Think longer essay types, DIY’s, listicles, amazon product reviews that are published on a website. Blogging is a legit way to share your thoughts and knowledge. Naturally, your content will be more in-depth than on social media.
Here’s the thing. Blogs can cover a wide range of topics, from personal experiences to more serious professional talk. You can literally have a blog about anything. And I mean anything. Literally.
For example, if I like potatoes. I can create a blog on well- potatoes.
Here are some weird blogs I can’t get enough of:
- Awkward Family Photos – This blog showcases cringe-worthy and hilariously awkward family photos from around the world. It’s freaking hilarious. I love scrolling through.
- Cake Wrecks – This one features some of the most bizarre and hilariously bad cake designs and decorating fails from professional bakers and amateurs. Worth a look too.
So basically, you can use blogs for personal expression, to showcase your writing skills, or to promote your business or brand. You can then monetize blogs through advertising, sponsored content, or affiliate marketing.
What is Social Media?
Social media refers to online platforms and tools that allow users to create and share content with others. Some examples you’ve heard of: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
Social media lets you create and share short-form content. Think photos, short videos, and status updates. You can also interact with others through likes, comments, and shares.
For creating relationships, social media is THE place to go. It’s undeniable. You can use it to promote your business or brand. Plus, share your personal experiences with others. If you’re a business, you can totally also use for advertising.
Blogging vs Social Media
Blogging and social media are both important forms of content creation, but they serve different purposes. Here are some key differences between blogging and social media:
| Blogging | Social Media |
| Focuses on long-form written content | Focuses on short-form content, such as photos and videos |
| Allows for more in-depth and detailed content | Limits content to 280 characters on Twitter and one minute on Instagram |
| Can be monetized through advertising, sponsored content, or affiliate marketing | Can be used for advertising and marketing purposes |
| Requires a website and hosting | Does not require a website or hosting |
| Can be self-hosted or hosted on a platform like WordPress | Hosted on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter |
| Provides more control over the content and design | Limited control over the content and design |
So what does this tell us overall? Both blogging and social media are legit forms of content creation, but they serve different purposes. While social media is made for short-form information and social engagement, blogging allows for more in-depth and thorough content. Bloggers also focus on long term content and most of the time will self-host their website. Both can be used for promotion, advertising, and self-expression, but they require different approaches and strategies.
Similarities Between Blogging and Social Media:
Here are the similarities between blogging and social media:
1. They’re both online platforms
Both blogging and social media are online platforms that enable you share content with others. With blogging you write and publish those blog posts on your website. With social media you can share your content ins posts like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
2. They Both Involve Sharing Content
The goal of blogging and social media is to share your content with folks. Blogging allows you to share your thoughts on a specific topic. Give advice. And produce helpful tips. With social media you can share photos and video content.
3. They Both Allow You to Build a Following
The ability to build a following is one of the main advantages of both blogging and social media. Basically, the more content you create and share, the more people you’ll attract. Overtime, this can grow into a super cool and helpful community.
4. They Both Can Be Used for Marketing
Social media and blogging can both be used for marketing (regardless of whether you’re a blogger or business- owner). You can pretty much build your brand and grow your audience. Also social media allows you to run ads to reach more people.
5. They Both Require Consistency
Consistency is huge deal for success in either blogging or social media. You gotta be consistent. You basically need to create and share content regularly. Engage with your audience. And stay active on the platform. By being consistent, you can build momentum and grow your following over time.
Having looked at the similarities between social media and blogging, let’s check out the major differences.
Differences Between Blogging and Social Media
Here are the differences between blogging and social media:
1. Content Length
The length of content is a major key different between blogging and social media. Social media posts tend to be shorter and more to the point whereas blogs frequently provide longer-form content.
Social media updates are often limited to a few phrases, but blog posts can be between 500 and 2000+ words. As a result, blogging offers a more in-depth topic exploration, whereas social media is better suited for short updates or messages (think story’s on Instagram and snapchat that last 24 hrs).
2. Platform and Ownership
Another major difference is ownership.
As a blogger with self-hosting, you have full control over the content you publish, and you basically own your website. Ka-ching. This means you can modify your blog’s appearance, functionality, to whatever you want.
On the other hand, social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are owned by well.. those platforms. Boo. This means you don’t have complete control over your content and you’re restricted to the platform’s features and functionalities. Also, your content can get removed or censored for absolutely no reason, without a given justification. Hello Instagram. I see you. 😊
3. Audience and Reach
Social media and blogging also have different audiences and reach. So here’s the thing. Blogging tends to draw a more targeted audience. This is because readers are looking for specific information or insights on a given topic. On the other hand, social media generally has a larger and more varied readership (even though you will have the rare one or two niche accounts)
While social media can help you connect with a wider audience and increase visibility for your company or message, blogging helps you attract a devoted loyal audience of readers who are interested in your content.
4. Purpose and Goals
Finally, both social media and blogging have different purposes and strategies.
The goal of blogging as a content marketing strategy is slower and easy going. Think slow and steady. The strategy is to draw in readers, keep them interested, and develop a connection with them over time. On the other hand, social media is often used for more immediate and short-term goals. Typically advertising a good or service or creating brand awareness.
Overall, while social media and blogging are great for producing and spreading content online, they differ in terms of the of content length, the platform and ownership, the audience and scope, and the goals and strategy.
Benefits of Blogging and Social Media
Benefits of Blogging
Here are some benefits of blogging:
1. Establishing Credibility:
Blogging helps establish credibility by having your contact info easily available online. If you’re trying to get your name out. Think marketing expert or life coach. Having a blog shows your knowledgeable and passionate about your topic.
2. Free Marketing Material:
Blogging provides free marketing material for social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. When you hit publish on that blog post, you’re creating content for people to share on social networks. This will help bring a new audience to your blog.
3. SEO Ranking:
Blogging may improve your website’s SEO ranking due to backlinks mentioned earlier. When other websites link to your blog, it shows Google that your blog is worth reading and that it provides value to readers.
Benefits of Social Media
Here are some benefits of social media:
1. Increased Traffic:
Social media can drive traffic to your blog. Sharing a new blog post on social media can drive traffic to your website.
2. Engagement:
Social media allows you to engage with your audience and build relationships with them. You can respond to comments, answer questions, and share your thoughts on different topics.
3. Brand Awareness:
Social media can help increase your brand awareness. Sharing your blog posts on social media exposes your business to a larger audience. This means more followers, fans and customers.
Is Blogging Social Media?
While blogging and social media share some similarities- for me they are not the same thing.
As a blogger they are two separate things that can overlap.
I create content and write on my blog.
And I use social media to promote my blog posts to bring traffic to my blog.
I don’t consider blogging social media because:
- Long-form content: Blogging typically involves creating longer pieces of content, such as articles or essays, that delve into a topic in depth. Social media, on the other hand, is super centred on short updates.
- Content type: Blogging is more about creating long written content whereas social media is typically more image and video focused.
- Less emphasis on interaction: While blogs often allow readers to leave comments and engage in discussions, the primary focus is on the content itself. For social media, on the other hand, the focus is a lot more on engagement and interaction between users.
- Different goals: Blogs are often used to share information, provide insights, and build a community around a specific topic. Social media, on the other hand, is more heavily focused on connecting with others.
So is blogging social media? For me the answer is not really. It is not a social media platform. It’s not Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. Unlike social media users, most bloggers own their websites. Which means they have more power to post what they want and control their site’s layout and functionality.
They work hand in hand though. As a blogger, I can use social media to promote my blog and bring a new audience which I never had before. I can also use social media to build a more personal connection with my audience and promote my brand. That’s right. You can really use blogging and social media hand in hand, to take your blogging to the next level. Whoosh!
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