Is Blogging Dead?

Most of you know I'd been away from the blogosphere for a while before I started up again a few weeks ago.  It's been at least a year since I've done a decent job of it.

Over the past three weeks as I've read blogs and tried to do a bit of blogging myself I've noticed some interesting things.


1. 75% of my old blogging friends are no longer blogging.

2. When I visit the blog pages that I used to frequent, I notice that blogs that got 10-20 comments per post a year ago now get only a handful, and blogs that used to see 50-100 comments per post now receive only 10-20.

3. Even BIG POSTS, like agent and book deal announcements, seem to be getting way less attention than they did a year ago.

4. Last Thursday, I posted a little book giveaway.  I promised to send three commenters ANY DEBUT NOVEL THEY WANT if they spread the word about a charity auction that will start in 2 weeks.  I got almost no response--even when my rock star agent, Sara Megibow, retweeted the post.  A year ago I'm pretty sure a post like that would have had at least a little interest.  I've noticed that giveaway posts on other blogs seem to be light on readers and commenters too.


I'm not going to lie.  I kind of get it.  Blogging takes an incredible amount of time if you're going to do it right (thus the year long blogging vacation).  There are many easier ways to keep in touch with other writers. But at the same time it's sad to see blogs I used to love close up shop.  I felt like I actually got to know people through their blogs in a way that really isn't possible through other social networks.  If blogging writers really are becoming a thing of the past, I'm going to be sad.


Am I missing something here, or did blogging become a dying art during my year away?  What has replaced it?  Twitter?  Tumblr?  Facebook?  Pinterest?  I do a decent job on Twitter, but I don't have clue about how to use any of the others.  I guess I'd better figure them out.




And feel free to comment on my book giveaway post if you'd like a free book!  Right now you have a 100% chance of getting one, as there are only 2 comments and I've promised to send books to 3 winners! :)