Bogged down in blogs

I do A LOT of reading. There's books (remember those paper blocky things). Then there's online news websites. And blogs. If not reading, there's my iPod, filled with audiobooks from Audible or CDs. Then there's Podcasts. Point is, we are surrounded with media and information. We - myself included - should be BRILLIANT! Overwhelmed with fresh ideas and insightful - for lack of a better word - insights. And we should use all of these different mediums to share these ideas. And for the most part, that happens. However the land of blogging and such user-generated content, and the chase to get links to and from other sites has simply lead to tons of comments that comment on someone else's comments. And of course, there's the SEO angle to getting links always in the background of someone's mind.

When does the linking stop or when should we stop following the links? For example, in Seth Godin's blog today, he pointed out something he read at a site. It was interesting enough. Two other people (at the time of this writing) linked to the blog, commenting on what Godin said. (It wasn't that interesting.) I read all 3 posts and followed the links. There goes another 15 minutes of my life that I'll never get back. What did I learn? Nothing beyond Godin's original post. Yet, I found it all compelling enough to mention here. And you likely followed the links as well.

Point is, we feel almost compelled to read on and learn more. It seems as though various user-generated media and content has made information even more accessible than I thought it was when I first fired up my 1200 baud modem and hunted around on various bulletins boards. Then AOL's graphical interface took that a step further, making the quest for information exchange that much easier. Then the power of websites on the Internet went the next yard. And it keeps on going...

In an email exchange with a client the other day, we discussed the value of blogs. It certainly has brought upon a whole new stage for idea exchange. In reality, the ability to share ideas on the Internet is not new. It's just become - once again - easier. Easier to access and easier to publish. And now that it's easier, everyone's doing it.

So in the 5 minutes it may have taken you to read this, you're hoping for some takeaway. It's not a biggie. It's common sense. Just like in the early days of the Internet, there's a ton of junk to sift through to get to the good stuff. There are plenty of people out there, like Godin, that do that for us and share some true insights. Then there are others that just sail along for the ride. It's your time; spend it wisely.

OK, I have to go now and check out the Google Video of the Day. Enjoy!

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