MIKESBLOCK.COM

The differences between a self hosted blog and a social network profile are very distinct. I have both, but for personal expression and usefulness, I prefer a blog. Social networks are great ways to keep in touch with your friends, family, colleagues, and for meeting new people. They are also useful as a networking and promotional medium. Social networks however, just don’t offer the same freedom and control that a self hosted blog can, and they never will. So for those people that need ultimate control for their artistic expression, (or for whatever purpose their blog/profile is) they need to have their own domain.

There are many popular social networks out there, they are all geared towards specific demographics, some are more personal, some professional, some an amalgamation of both. Names I’m sure you’ve heard are; Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Orkut, and others. There are also the sharing sites which are social networks as well, like Youtube and Metacafe. At this time there are literally hundreds of options out there for people. What I’ve seen that is popular lately is what is referred to as the mini social network. These are sites like Twitter, Pownce, and Plurk.

All of these options and sites can really become confusing for the average internet user. I myself, am computer literate, and up to date with most technologies that are considered “hip” or “cool” or whatever adjective you’d like to use to describe your favorite tool or site. However, even for me it just gets to be a bit too much sometimes. I’ve noticed that I’m active on them for only a few days or weeks and then just kind of let it die. With my blog though, even if I go through a dry spell, I can always come back to it and continue doing what I’m doing. I may not have much readership, and I’m probably generating no revenue, but hey, that’s ok, right? Not everything is about the recognition and the money. Sometimes, you just want, no you need, to express yourself.

That is why, in the end, if I could only have one or the other, I’d pick my blog instead of my profile. Even though it’s considered “stone age” now, I can still keep in touch with friends through email, or on my blog if they have the decency to register.