I assume this means that marketers are testing the waters to see if they can capitalize on Twitter’s success, but they’re breaking one of the rules of social marketing. Social marketing only works when you have something people actually want, you have to add value (I hate that term but it fits). The best example I can think of is Dell. The only way this medium will last is if people are enjoying it.

A new trend is emerging. Unfollow everyone and start over. I just learned about it last night. At first I bristled against this but after giving it some thought I think its brilliant. The whole point of social media is to connect with people online. If you aren’t saying anything that I want to listen to, then why would I maintain the connection? Loïc Le Meur unfollowed everyone in his Twitter account yesterday, and is slowly adding people back. Its beautiful. Its the equivalent of hitting the refresh button. It preserves the value of Twitter for him. The alternative is to ditch social media altogether, and where’s the fun in that?

I don’t have 23,000 followers, so I probably won’t need to do this anytime soon, but I’m also not following everyone that finds me. If your Twitter account has become unruly then this could be just the trick to set things right. I promise I won’t be offended if you drop me, there’s a chance that I’ll unfollow you.

I have been blogging for six years now, and have also created accounts on just about every social site that I could find. I have loved Flickr since day one, it is THE place to share and peruse photography. And, it meshes with my blog perfectly. Facebook took me a while to warm up to, but now I love it. I enjoy keeping up with the daily lives of my friends, and I’ve even regained contact with some that I had lost touch with years ago. Twitter is even more fun. I’ll admit that it took me months to understand the point, much less embrace it. Now I’m addicted, I love it more than ice cream.

What I’m saying is that I ‘get’ blogging, and I also ‘get’ social media, and there (currently) is no site that makes me want to give up my blog (whether I have 2 readers or 50,000 isn’t the point). What’s more, I’m not going to stop reading blogs. My Bloglines account is loaded with dozens of RSS feeds that I check almost daily. Some are friends, some are blogs with tips for saving money or that provide social commentary, but I love all of them. If one of them drops I’ll go looking for other blogs to enjoy.

If I feel this way about blogging, then there are others. And if a community of people aren’t going to ditch their blog and want to read others, then blogging is certainly not dead. The fact is that Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, etc do not replace blogging, they enhance it. Conversations that happen in more social spaces generate ideas that get explored on blogs which prompts further discussion… and on the cycle goes. Besides, if marketing sites are still publishing a guide for blogging, then what about it is dead?

Blogging is not dead. Blogging is doing just fine.

Within the past 3 or 4 months I have become increasingly addicted to Twitter. I didn’t get it at first, because if you aren’t following anyone, and don’t have any followers, then it isn’t very interesting. But the more people you connect with, the more fun it becomes. Now Twitter is one of my favorite spots on the web.

About a month ago I came across the profile of Henry Rollins, then John Cleese. This morning I decided to see what other celebrities have embraced Microblogging. I believe that these are the real profiles of these individuals. I’ll update this list if I come across any more. If you know of others, or find out that any of these are fake, please post comments.
Edited March 24, 2009.

• John Cleese – British actor and comedian, was a prominent member of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
• Chris Cornell – rock singer. Cornell was the lead singer of Soundgarden and Audioslave.
• Snoop Dogg – rap artist and actor.
• Fran Drescher – television actress best known for her role in The Nanny.
• Jimmy Fallon – actor and comedian. He got his start on Saturday Night Live and is now the host of NBC’s Late Night.
• MC Hammer – pop artist who is most famous for a dramatic rise to and fall from fame in the 1990’s.
• John Hodgman – actor famous for his role as ‘PC’ in the Mac commercials.
• Dave Matthews – lead singer and namesake of the Dave Matthews Band.
• Dave Navarro – rock guitar player that has played with Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails and more.
• Shaquille O’Neal – pro basketball player, currently with the Phoenix Suns, but he’s also played with Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.
• Trent Reznor – the main guy behind Nine Inch Nails.
• Adam Savage – one of the main guys from the show MythBusters.
• William Shatner – actor best known for his roles in the original Star Trek series, and more recently in Boston Legal and the Priceline Negotiator commercials.
• Britney Spears – Pop singer, drama queen.
• Brent Spiner – actor best known for his role as Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• George Takei – television actor known for his roles in the original Star Trek and Heroes.
• Wil Wheaton – movie actor. Has had roles in Stand by Me, Toy Soldiers, Flubber and many others.
• Patric Wilson – drummer in the alternative rock band Weezer.
• Steve Wozniak – cofounder of Apple.

Enjoy.