But thanks for tweeting about Kanye's VMA behavior...

In Boutin’s article “Twitter, Flickr, Facebook Make Blogs Look So 2004" he quotes a retired blogger who complains that “Blogging is simply too big, too impersonal, and lacks the intimacy that drew [him] to it.” Maybe I’m missing something, but I thought the purpose of most writers (journalists aside) was the ability to express themselves, or tell a story through words. As Reid points out in his blog, a blog can simply be “blogging is essentially a place where one can hone one's skill as a writer.” So what if you get trolls that post inane comments? The fact that it’s your blog allows you the power to play god; just hit delete. And if your ego is torn up, and you’re upset about some anonymous poster, consider it a growth opportunity and get some thicker skin.

Puente’s article, “There’s an art to writing on Facebook or Twitter – really” only seems to show that the internet reflects real life. Yes, you’re going to read that boring status that tells you that Jane has spent her day doing laundry, or one that lets you know John is really excited that football season has started - but aren’t those similar to the conversations you have in real life? People go out of their way to be funny or clever in their status updates. This is surprising because? I don’t know about you, but even in the most basic conversations my friends tend to, well, make me laugh by saying funny and clever things. That’s why I like them. If there’s an art to writing a good status update, it’s the same art as being a clever conversationalist.

And, while Manaugh makes the interesting comparison between a ballpoint pen and twitter, he ignores one important difference between the two - things written with a ballpoint pen can be eradicated. However, once you place something on the internet, you’re offering it up to the hands of the masses. So those teenage girls, instead of writing in diaries, are posting infamous “MySpace pics” that have the potential to haunt them for the rest of their lives. Or offering up other aspects of their lives to the public, instead of in a private space, without thought to the consequence because Twitter is trendy. So, even though twitter and my ballpoint pen both have the potential to assist me in taking notes, I can put the paper I’ve written on through a paper shredder, or throw it in a fire. But, even if I delete my twitter post, or attempt to erase my blog, it’s still highly probable that someone would be able to find it, or even that someone has made a copy. One of my favorite bloggers, who I read frequently, is still haunted by a post she made while she was extremely emotional state. Considering she’s in her mid-thirty’s and should be much more mature than potential twitter users, I’m surprised that so many people seem to ignore the harmful effects these new technologies can have and instead defend against the insult that most posts are too mundane to matter.