(This has been cross-posted on Tomorrow’s News, Tomorrow’s Journalists, where the August topic was a discussion on why the blog ring has been quiet over the summer months.)

So, I’ve been quiet on Twitter, quiet on Facebook, and quiet on blogging. So, it seems, has everyone else I follow in the student media. This isn’t a “I’m sorry, I’ve been trying to think of things to post” message: you’ll get no such response from me. I haven’t posted because recently I’ve had no value to add to those who subscribe to my various messages, and if there’s one thing every post should contain, it’s value for the listener.

As young aspiring journalists, we’re a busy bunch: I’ve spent my summer variously juggling setting up a newspaper with some attempts at freelance work in a competitive market and a part-time job to alleviate debts. What with one thing and another, my Google Reader inbox stands at 84 unread items (and it’s been “marked as read” many times). That’s fine. I’ve been too busy using the extended stretch of summer to improve some core skills. But I haven’t been reading. I haven’t been staying informed. So, who on earth would want to read my ill-informed opinions?

Social media is a two-way process: a relationship of sorts between content creator and audience. Creating content merely because one feels one should is pointless, if there’s nothing to be said. The recent explosion in popularity of the Twitter platform has led to a sad self-indulgence on the part of many media types I’ve been following: journalists and students, egos inflated by their growing number of followers, now seem to be taking this as an invitation to comment on their lunch each and every day, what movie they’re currently watching, or how drunk they happen to be. I’m sorry, but I don’t care. I’ve found myself slipping into this trap occasionally, and for that reason I’ve refrained from posting for the sake of it.

Essentially, I’ve made a conscious decision to refrain from publishing, reading, and commenting on blogs and posting on Twitter. I know I haven’t been doing it, and it’s ok to intentionally ignore it. It’s a far, far better thing to have a slow stream of quality content than a barrage of meaningless drivel. Content curation has been talked a lot about lately: for some of us, it’s time to practice it. The next time your mouse moves to the “Tweet” button, ask yourself: what value am I providing?

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Posted by Dave Molloy in •Journalism •Tech

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