Twitter vs Blogging

ok..FYI, I am not absessed with Twitter.

Twitter is quick: And that’s why its called micro-blogging. Contrast this with writing a long post. I'm not saying posting is better than tweeting. But tweeting is quicker than posting. There's just a "send" button and no "publish" button. You get what I mean.Twitter is always on: Thanks mainly to my mobile phone, which is always on and with me wherever I go. I've not tried writing a blog post on my cell phone and I won't. Its too tedious.

Twitter is an ego trip: See the words "follow", "follower" and "following". And then the words "post", "comment". 50 comments on your blog-post or 50 new followers in a few days? Go figure. Its less about WHO is following you but more about HOW MANY.

Twitter is everywhere: Turn your TV on, go to CNN or BBC or even NDTV off-late. Every news-personality from Anderson Cooper to Larry King to Sanjay Gupta to Richard Quest to Nik Gowing to Vir Sanghvi to Barkha Dutt to Sardesai..all are there. And these people don’t just tweet about What they had for breakfast but also their opinion on various issues, feedback or just informative chatting with the junta following them. Its just going to get big. Blogging in that sense is not that interactive, its not real-time, Twitter is.

Twitter is voyeuristic: I just have to know what you're doing OR just have to tell you what I am doing. Digging your nose, sitting on a bus, having a miserable day, angry, happy, joy, sad. What is about our mundane lives that makes others more excited than us? Who knows. But go write a blog post that talks about what you did from morning to night. And then write 10 tweets over 10 hours. Do it & then tell me.

Twitter is a conversation: A blog post is a monologue, I am talking to myself and then followed by some more monologues in the form of comments.Twitter is a pure conversation. It happens by the minute and there is no waiting for a response. I've had long tweet debates over F1, music, films, terrorism, Conan Brian, nail-clippers, etcetera. It's the closest one can get to a real life conversation.

Twitter is about useless and sometimes useful things to share: From digging your nose on a toilet seat TO asking questions to Vikram Chandra, real-time while he hosts The Big Fight, Twitter does it all. From a one line movie review to sharing an informative link to just give an opinion to complete strangers or Shashi Tharoor, etc..alls possible on Twitter. Not on a blog post.

I don't know whether I like sharing or I just get a kick out of people staring at my life. Its addictive & fun.It's not that I'm obsessed with Twitter or that I'm bored with blogging. It's just that off-late whatever I've been thinking/doing has been expressed better in a few seconds and in a few words. Here you have to shrink everything in just few words. All your emotions, your feelings, that boring life of yours, everything. Am not saying Twitter is better than a blog-post cos’ there is a joy in writing a blog that no 140 character Tweet can replace. If Twitter shrinks your words, it shrinks your span of attention too. I will always love to blog. Personally, I don’t have most of my facebook friends on Twitter but its just the addictive fun..satisfaction I get by tweeting.