Wane as the young Blogs comes to sites like Twitter

"I don't use my blog anymore," said Mr. McDonald, who lives in San Francisco. "All the people that I'm trying to reach are on Facebook".

Blog once had the choice for people who wanted to express themselves online. But with the rise of sites like Facebook and Twitter, they are losing their fascination for many people — especially the younger generations.

The Internet and American Life Project, Pew Research Center found that from 2006 to 2009, blogging among children aged 12-17 have halved; 14 percent of children in these age groups who use the Internet now blogs. Among 18-to-54-year-olds, the project said in a report last year, blogging dropped 2% in 2010 from two years earlier.

Former blogger said that they were too busy to write long posts and uninspired by a lack of readers. Others said that they had no interest in creating a blog because of social networking has done a good enough job keeping them in touch with friends and family.

Blogging started his rapid rise about 10 years ago as services such as Blogger and LiveJournal became popular. So many people started blogging — to share stories, political rant about dieting and celebrate their love of cats — that Merriam-Webster dictionary declared "blog" the word of the year in 2004.

The definition of a blog is difficult, but most people think that is a website where people publish periodically the entries in reverse chronological order and allow readers to leave comments.

Yet for many Internet users, blogging is more personal and opinionated writing style. A number of news sites and comments started as blog before you grow into mini-media empires, like The Huffington Post or Silicon Alley Insider, which are virtually indistinguishable from traditional news sources.

Blog went largely unchallenged until Facebook redesigned the behaviour of consumers, with its multi-purpose hub for posting all social. Twitter, which allows messages of no more than 140 characters, has also contributed to the upheaval.

It is no longer a blog to connect with the world in need of Internet users. Instead, they could post hotfixes complain about the weather, links to articles that infuriated the them, comment on news events, share photos or promoting certain causes — all the things I wanted to make a blog.

In fact, small talk moved largely social networking, said Elisa Camahort Page, co-founder of BlogHer, network of blogs for women. Still, blogs remain a home further discussion meaty said.

"If you're looking for the conversation, you turn to blogs," said ms. Camahort page. "You're not going to find it on Facebook, and you're not going to find it in 140 characters on Twitter".

Lee Rainie, Director of Internet and American Life Project says that blogging is not dying, like moving with the times. Entrepreneurs have taken some publicized by blogging features and fabric into other types of services.

"The Act of telling your story and share part of your life with someone is alive and well — even more so than at the dawn of blogging," said Mr. Rainie. "You just morphing to other platforms."

The blurring of the lines is evident among users of Tumblr. Although Tumblr calls himself a blogging service, many users are unaware of the description and are not considered bloggers — raise the possibility that the decline in blogging within the younger generation is simply a question of semantics.

Kim Hou, senior high school in San Francisco, said she quit blogging, months ago, but he acknowledged that he continued to post photographs of fashion on Tumblr. "Is different from blogging because it is more easy to use," he said. "With blogging is to write, and this is just images. Some people write a few sentences or some quotes, but that's it. "

The effect is seen on the companies providing the blogging platforms. Blogger, owned by Google, has been less unique visitors in the United States in December that he had a year earlier — a decline of 2% to 58.6 million — although overall, Bloggers of single visitors rose 9%, to EUR 323 million.

LiveJournal, a blogging service, decided to emphasize the community. Connect people who share an interest in celebrity gossip, for example, provides social interaction that blogging "classic" is missing, said Its Rosenstock, a spokeswoman for LiveJournal, which is owned by SUP, a Russian online media company. "Blogging can be a very lonely occupation; Write the bottomless pit, "he said.

But some blogging services like Tumblr and WordPress seems to have avoided any decline. Toni Schneider, chief executive of Automattic, the company that sells the blogging software WordPress, explains that WordPress is mainly for serious bloggers, not the young novices who are abandoning social networking.

In any case, said bloggers often use Facebook and Twitter to promote their blog post to a wider audience. Rather than being competitors, he said, are complementary.

"There's a lot of fragmentation," said Mr. Schneider. "But at this point, who is taking seriously the blogging — are using different means to get a great deal of their traffic."

While the younger generation is losing interest in blogging, approaching people middle-aged and older sticking with it. Between 34-a-45-year-olds who use the Internet, the percentage that blog increased to six points, 16% in 2010 for two years before, Pew found. Blogging from 46-to-54-year-olds increased by five percentage points, 11 percent while blogging among 65-73-year-olds increased by two percentage points, 8 percent.

Russ Steele, 72, a retired air force officer and aerospace worker from Nevada City, California, says he spends up to three hours per day searching for interesting topics and write about them on his blog, NC Media Watch, covering local issues in Nevada County, northeast of Sacramento. All he wants is to have a voice in the community for its conservative point of view.

Although Facebook has signed up for this month, Mr. Steele said he did not use it much and said that he remained committed to blogging. "I would rather spend my time writing on a blog analysis than a whole bunch of short paragraphs, and then send them to people," he said. "I don't need to tell people that I'm going to the store".

N.F.L. Labor dispute unfolds on Twitter

"The NFL has reached the point where the sink is always open and each claim will be tossed out ridic," Winston wrote on Twitter. "Enjoy the people of comedy".

And then: "Walking out of a trading session. These guys are a real hoot. If someone screams, ' I want my cake and eat it too ' is theirs. "

Winston is just one of dozens of players and agents who took to Twitter during labor strife of N.F.L., commenting on everything from skirmish Court above as television contracts of N.F.L have been structured (@ ericwinston) for 18-game regular season (@ RobertMathis98) players from having to pay for their health insurance if the League requires a block when the current collective bargaining agreement expires on 4 March (LeCharles Bentley, who is @ LeCharlesBent65 on Twitter).

N.F.L. work of the negotiations are the first of a major league sports to be played in the social media age, giving hundreds of players, dozens of agents, millions of fans and even a handful of owners, the equivalent of a gigantic microphone to provide instantaneous — sometimes frustrated — analyzing minutiae once-controversial masked trading. Real-time reactions on Twitter sometimes give the impression that the events surrounding the job interviews are moving quickly — in fact, they were just moving at all — but they are also opening a pipe without filter with fans that players have long said that they wanted to.

"People are going to say what they mean," said Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley (@ LaMarrWoodley). "It's like living news. Players can interview themselves. "

The results are not always enough. The risks of unbridled communication were most evident even before the season ended when jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, in an interview, as he dropped his locker, criticized both the negotiators with expletives and League for Union doesn't get a done deal. Which drew accusations from fellow players, including a Twitter message from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who was active in the Union, questioning whether Cromartie knew what it meant C.B.A ... Hasselbeck quickly deleted the post, but a small crack that otherwise might have done only in the intimacy of a dressing room or a phone call was made before thousands of spectators.

Members of the Union has played down the significance of Twitter message of Hasselbeck — "If you know personally, Matt, you know that he is being sarcastic, but you can read words on Twitter, you can't read intent," said Kevin Mawae, President of the Union — but Cromartie and Hasselbeck are definitely not only in their point of view. Which begs the question: could Twitter create a problem of maintaining cohesiveness between a widely dispersed group of players and a block? After all, the few owners on Twitter are less likely to reveal internal disagreements over this great group, distant players who are open to influence by families and friends back home during the low season.

In a publication called "Guide to the NFLPA block", the Union of players warned that the fight may not be won at the negotiating table or in the Court of public opinion if there was even a hint of Division in the ranks. Offered a short list of talking points to players and came with this sobering reminders:

"This modern world of media and social networking, knowing that the nature of the comments that are on Facebook, Twitter and text are taken seriously by the public. A negative comment from a player can be detrimental to the process of negotiation and confuse the public and the media on the position of our players.

Still, the Union has embraced Twitter. According to his archives, 716 players around 1900 N.F.L. have Twitter account (Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco, @ ochocinco, leads all tweeter N.F.L. with the followers of over 1.7 million) and a section of the website of the Union is dedicated to build Twitter posts about the collective bargaining agreement and a block.

For now, most players limit their messages musings on their daily work — what they are eating is a popular theme — steering away from the complex and controversial issues that dominate the discussion. That has helped create a link to fans for better or worse. When Cobra insurance rates for the players were discussed on Twitter last week, dozens of fans reacted with almost identical language: Welcome to the real world. But when a reporter used Twitter to express a similar sentiment, Bentley replied "Writer jealous."

Mawae, that's not on Twitter, said: "we are telling our players be vocal, tweet away, tell people what they think, but make sure you tell them the truth. It is a good thing for us. People want to know what the deal. You feel as much a part of the game, and they are. This gives them an added twist that we care about them. It would be difficult to find players who are speaking out against what is doing the Union, as well as one or two guys. But the problem we have with social media is minimal compared to the positive response we have had with it. "

Agent Ralph Cindrich (@ RalphCindrich), an active user of Twitter, says the Union could help keep players together in case of a lock because the display unit on Twitter will create the public pressure on players that might otherwise be critical of the leadership of the Union. But Cindrich adds that he is not sure how long that will last if you extend a block in the regular season, when players will miss game controls and anxiety will build.

Then the Union may have a forum that has the ability to powerfully shape opinion, as it questioned the hardness of Chicago players current and former quarterback Jay Cutler when he didn't return to Championship game after injuring N.F.C. the knee. The real-time diagnosis distribution via Twitter long before the game is over. It may have reflected image problem of Cutler also among his peers, but it was also surprising just how quickly players, watching from their couches as other fans, on one of them, with little solid information at your fingertips. Only later, when it was disclosed the extent of injury of Cutler, players to recant.

"You can sometimes have an emotional reaction to something and say something that becomes a bigger story than you thought it would be, especially since there will be actual football news," said Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely (@ JayFeely), representative of the Union of the team. "That is probably the bad side."

Maybe so. But for now, said half a dozen players interviewed on Twitter weren't worried that fragmentation and players were taking pains not to be more cautious in their writings. In an atmosphere as charged as the one that surrounds the labor dispute N.F.L., 140 characters might be enough to get their point but short enough to limit the damage.

"The family of the players is just like any other family," said the spokesperson of the Union, George Atallah (@ GeorgeAtallah). "Brothers are going to have opinions of what the brothers. My brother and I fight all the time. The unique element only is you're talking about a family very high profile in a very immediate. "

Top 10 Twitter trends this week [CHART] (Mashable)

The first rule of Twitter trends: never underestimate the power of American Awards shows. While we have seen steady international sports, entertainment and beat out the cultural policy trends bigger than U.S. on Twitter, American broadcasts like Grammys last weekend will almost always be pie. Powered by surprise win of Esperanza Spalding as Best New Artist (a powerful sub-trend in itself), the Grammys were number one this week the Twitterverse.

Holidays always accumulate enough power in the trend to make the chart, and it's not a surprise to see the Valentines day pop in number two (Muslim observance of the birth of Muhammad, Maulid Nabi, will appear at number eight). In addition, consider the trends top entertainment last week, shuffle them around a bit and you have the most chart this week.

For a complete list of key trends, check the chart below, compiled by our friends at what the trend. Because this is a list of current events, games and hashtag memes were omitted from the graph.

You can check Twitter trends in our Top Twitter topic section and read more about this past trends of the week on what the trend of the past.

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, 123render

James Franco, our greatest living actor joins Facebook and Twitter (Digital Trends)

There is finally a good reason to tweet: James Franco can read it. The actor oscar nomination has joined Facebook and Twitter. That's right, the living legend, the co-host of Academy Awards, the man himself, James Franco! Not familiar? He was Harry Osborn in Spider-Man movie.

Franco has been known to do whatever the hell he wants and his sudden and late entry social media means that her fans can finally know what he is up to at any time. Unlike many celebrities, Franco is a part of the whole party hangover and nonstop scene. In recent years, Franco started painting, joined General Hospital (soap operas) for a short time, he enrolled at NYU film school to learn to direct and members in Colombia to study writing fiction. Lately, is known for its interesting choice in film as well. Recently played Aron Ralston, a man who has been inpigliato in the canyon for hours 127 and appeared in various films like Pineapple Express, milk, date night, eat love pray and the Green Hornet. Also He'll play Oz imminent in a prequel to the wizard of Oz.

Although he didn't say anything in particular, face-melting yet, we are confident that his entry will mark a new beginning for both social networks. The actor has a following of approximately 125,000. Franco will host the Academy Awards with Anne Hathaway on 27 February.

Roadmap wp7: CDMA support, IE9, SkyDrive, Twitter, multitasking

The big news last week was that Nokia was the transition to Windows phone as its primary smartphone platform. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, however, Microsoft had much more to share regarding the future of WP7. Here are several new features and features coming this year: first important update: a free account will be made available for all Windows phones in the first two weeks of March, which includes new features like copy & paste and the performance of your application faster.Availability on CDMA Networks: with the addition of support for networks CDMA phone Windows will also be available for multiple customers on mobile operators such as Verizon and Sprint in the first half of 2011. Twitter integration Hub people: the popular social networking service Twitter will be integrated into the hub people in the second half of 2011. storage in the cloud Office document: document sharing and archiving in the cloud via Windows Live SkyDrive to Windows phone will be added in the second half of 2011. Next generation browsing with Internet Explorer 9: Windows phone, you will add a browser of Internet Explorer 9 greatly improved in the second half of 2011. It will feature the same support standards (HTML5, etc.) and hardware accelerated graphics as the PC version.More Multitasking: we will add the ability to quickly switch between applications, run apps in the background (like listening to music), with a number of other features in the second half of 2011. Developers will learn much more about this during the MIX conference in April.

Microsoft also has the opportunity to announce that now has over 30,000 registered Windows Phone developers. They have built 8000 apps for date, adding approximately 100 new titles every day.

In the video above you can see how multitasking will work on WP7. Below, the image on the left shows how integrating SkyDrive will appear while the image on the right shows an obvious IE9 mobile performs GPU acceleration demonstration.

A spokesperson for Microsoft, "was only a year ago that we unveiled Windows Phone 7 in the world for the first time," he said in the statement. "Was more than the launch of a new product. Windows Phone 7 represents the best from Microsoft including Xbox LIVE, Office, Bing, Hotmail and Windows Live, adding that deep integration of third-party experiences more like Facebook, as well as thousands of developers. For consumers, we set out to make Windows easier to use and most delicious phones in the market. With the Windows phone, our priority was to build phones that people love. Our phones are diversified so that are designed and how that experiences are beautifully integrated and seamless. This focus on smart design makes it easier and faster to get the information you care about. And with Windows phone Hubs, we organize information, applications and services in one place. "

Twitter for Android updated with a new design, universal search

Twitter has released a new version of Twitter for Android, bringing t more in line with the company of other official Twitter applications and providing a more consistent experience across platforms and devices. You can download the new version of the application (Android 2.1 or higher required) from the Android market.

Most noticeable is the new design of the application: when first Login, you will see your timeline, along with the icons along the top that allow you to view @ mentions (including retweets), messages and lists. Also, Twitter has introduced auto-complete for usernames. Universal search has been added: when performing a search, you can find tweets with the word you're looking for, tweets sent from people close to your location, or people whose names you include this term. At the bottom of the new research section, you can analyze your address book to find out which of your friends who have chosen to be discoverable are also on Twitter.

Last but not least, the app can now be used even if you have not signed in or do not have an account. Can view trends, browse your interests, see suggested users in various categories and tries to find out what they say about certain topics. Can now also register to Twitter from within your application.

Six months ago, Twitter for Android was not even among the top 10 most used Twitter applications. Over the past two months, however, has doubled the use and is now among the top five with twitter.com, m.twitter.com (service mobile website), Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Blackberry.