Photo courtesy and copyright of Mary Scanlon
One of my online contacts and a fellow Vera collector is considering giving up his blog and putting all his content on Twitter, flickr and tumblr. He sites a lack of conversation on the blog, something that is certainly not lacking at twitter, and something that is so important to bloggers. So is the conventional blog becoming obsolete?
I’ve noticed a bit of a drop in comments on this blog as well, and I know that it is partly that people are responding to me on flickr. But give up The Vintage Traveler? I can’t imagine!
I’d be too afraid that people like Mary Scanlon would never find me. Mary sent the above photo of a 1963 White Stag top after reading one of the posts I’ve made on the venture. Here and Here
Here’s what Mary had to say about this fab piece:
“My mother bought this top in 1963, probably at Levy’s department store in Tucson (Arizona), along with a pair of black stirrup pants. She remembers them as being ‘rather expensive.’ I was fascinated by this top from the time I was very small. The drawings looked so whimsical and appealing, as if a child had done them. When I was in high school I absconded with it and wore it frequently until I was in my twenties. At a certain point I realized it might be somewhat unusual, even rare. So I packed it carefully away. It’s still in reasonably good shape, albeit with a loose neckline seam as you can see. As I’m writing this I realize it has a drawstring sewn into the lower hem; I don’t believe I ever noticed that before. I have periodically searched for this piece online over the years, to see if I could learn more about it. Only now, as I’ve found your blog and a couple of other websites, have I been able to learn something of its history. I had actually hoped to find another shirt like this to BUY at some point, but I see now that may not be in the cards! “
So therein lies the power of the blog. It’s such a good way for people with common interests to find you. It’s here, it’s on google, and people can find you.
I use Twitter, mainly because I find so many interesting things that I just don’t have time to look for myself. It’s great for sharing links, not so good for sharing concepts. And it’s here now, gone in an hour!
I know some people who do use flickr like a blog and it works very well for them. I put some photos there, but it’s too limiting for me. I don’t want to up-load other people’s photos there where it is often a big photo-free-for-all.
I know that internet communication is constantly evolving, that today’s hot site quickly becomes a faded memory (Myspace, anyone?) But until some smart 20-something comes up with a better alternative to blogging, I’ll be right here.
PS: Mary’s White Stag Picasso print top was featured in the August 16, 1963 issue of Life magazine in a feature on college fashions.
Comments:
Posted by Scott:
I really appreciate your thoughtful words. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.
Posted by Lizzie:
Posted by tom tuttle from tacoma:
i believe it’s synchronising your blog with the other social media tools that’s the trend now (i mean, i noticed it only recently). as a reader, i have become less participatory in posting comments. when i feel i wish to say something but can’t think of something fruitful, i do the ‘like’ thing on facebook. facebook is like twitter for me. i prefer the visuals, they help to ‘anchor’ stories for me, whether i’m a reader or a blogger/twitterer/facebooker. i can imagine flikr works for people who photo-blog mostly.
Posted by Karen/Small Earth Vintage:
I am glad you are not planning to give up the blog. I follow a lot of vintage blogs and one thing I’ve noticed recently is that nearly all of them (many with fewer followers than my own small blog) have started adding ads and are becoming vehicles for giveaways and promotion. I have no problem with that (I promote my own offerings on my blog), but the lack of other content makes for much less interesting reading. Your blog is one of the few I follow where I always find something new-to-me and fascinating!
Posted by Lizzie:
And I don’t mind people promoting their own stuff, as long as that is not the extent of the blog. Who wants to read something that is nothing but an advertisement? I like a mix of content.
and I sure do appreciate your kind words!
TTFT, that’s funny about facebook. I used to say the exact thing about twitter, but I actually like it and get lots of good info from people’s posts. There again, though, I can’t be twitter friends with someone who tweets nothing except what is in their online store.
Posted by Valerie Chapman-Stockwell:
Posted by Lizzie:
Posted by Jen O:
I too have noticed the ‘quiet’ scene when it comes to comments on my blog posts, but on the other hand, my Google analytics show that my blog’s ‘hits’ have increased by 5x in the past year.
I believe that we should power on with great content, as readers are finding good info on our blogs, and they are still dropping by in increasing numbers to see what’s up.
One reason for the lack of comments might be that our blogs are being seen on hand held screens, rather than big ol’monitors. These smaller devices are cropping and narrowing their field of vision, and THAT is something we bloggers won’t be able to ignore for long. Reply’s have to be sent as text, which makes the viewer think twice, or at least that’s my take on it.
So, power on! I love what you have to say.
Posted by Lizzie:
I had naturally assumed that as my readership rose, so would the commenting, and I do get more comments, but they are not proportional to the increase in traffic.
And you are right that good content is the key to people finding you.
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