Here are my responses to Darren Rowse’s 7 link challenge that he posted on ProBlogger on July 16. It was a little time consuming- there is so much great content out there! But I’m proud of what I’ve come up with. Have you done the 7 link challenge? Let me know in the comments!

Blogspot.com, Xanga.com, Facebook, MySpace…the list of blogging sites goes on and on, and it seems as if the list grows daily. What is this thing called “blogging” that seems to have taken over the world of social media? Blogging is a term used for web logging or creating journals that you post online for others to read and comment on. Within the past few years, video blogging has become ever popular because of its ease of use and widespread reach.

So how does blogging tie into social media? The answer to this question is simple…

Blogging brings the audience to the social media outlet like nothing else before it…and social media does the same for blogging…they scratch each other’s backs. Bloggers flock to social media sites because they know that is where the audience is, and social media grows by the minute because people are flocking there to read each other’s blogs.

Facebook and Blogging

Originally created as a way to keep college students in contact with each other, Facebook has evolved into a social media giant in a short amount of time. What is the draw? Who doesn’t like logging into their Facebook account and seeing what their friends all over the country or world are doing at that moment. It’s like being a fly on the wall that has been invited in! You can become a fan of your favorite author, join a group specifically for people who love tomato soup, or you can become a political activist.

Not only does Facebook allow you to create short blogs, also known as statuses, but you can also post links to websites you want to share or create notes (basically blogs) that you can “tag” and invite your friends to read. Mostly Facebook is a form of blogging that only allows people you like to read your entries, but there are other sites that are open to the prying and inquisitive eyes of everyone with a computer.

MySpace Blogging

MySpace has hundreds of millions of users, and each one of them has access to everything you write about on your MySpace profile (unless you make it private). MySpace is the internet hub for meeting, greeting and befriending people from all walks of life. Share music, links, videos, pictures and your inner most feelings through your personal profile. Rub elbows with your favorite band, movie star or athlete without ever having to introduce yourself.

Blogging on MySpace is easy because all you have to do is create a blog and post the link on social bookmarking sites (digg.com, reddit.com, delicious.com, mixx.com, diigo.com) so that anyone browsing the internet for something interesting to read will come upon the link to your blog, click on it, read the blog and get interested, entertained, awed, disgusted, intrigued or offended by what you’ve posted.

Blogging and Social Media: Can’t Have One Without the Other…

People use social media sites like Facebook and MySpace to promote their blogs, links and political ideals to a very large audience. Blogging not only allows people to express themselves online, it is also a crucial tool in the social media toolbox. Without people to blog and spread the word, social media sites wouldn’t really exist. Does anyone visit MySpace or Facebook for the advertisements? No. They go to see what their friends and families are doing, learning, and blogging about. The small, small world has gotten smaller thanks to social media and bloggers.

Blogging and social media are the Siamese twins of the internet…they cannot be separated without serious damage to one or the other, or both.

Courtesy of Gary Hayes.

A lot of Search Engine Marketing “Experts” will say that a blog is perfect for getting those much-needed keywords onto your website that will help you rank higher and better in search engine organic results. The problem with that is, search engines aren’t actually “reading” your content. They are simply scanning it. And eventually, when you have an actual real person that visits your website, they will read your “content” and realize what a hack you are. They will not pass your content on nor will they visit your website again. This means that all the effort and time you spent writing blog entires stuffed with keywords and anchor text that had nothing important to say may have gotten visitors to your website, but it didn’t keep them there. It didn’t help push people to spread what you have to say via Twitter, Facebook, or email.

When it comes down to it, writing thoughtful, well-written blog entries are the best way to attract steady, relevant users to your website. Sure, they may not have all the “desired” search terms or keywords that you’re hoping to rank for, but it WILL show visitors and potential customers your expertise and make them interested in what you have to say.

In many ways, it’s harder to write for the search engines than it is for real people. Trying to fit in the word “costume” when only “costumes” seems to make sense can be a real challenge and lead to awkward sentences that will repel readers. Writing out your natural thoughts about a subject and teaching others what you have to say seems to roll off the tongue (or off the fingers, in computer-speak) much easier than any well-structured search engine blog post ever could.

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Image courtesy of Caitlinator on Flickr.