Is blogging effective?

Are blogs an effective form of communication? Why/why not?

(Sorry, but this is part II of my extra credit for Communications. Please don't feel that you have to continue to read!)

Blogs can be a real effective form of communication if used for the right reasons. I know many people, including myself, that have turned to blogging as a form of journal writing. Long gone are the days of tracking the highlights of our day in a notebook. Today it's popular to post our thoughts for the free world to view and thankfully we can block those we don't want reading about personl experiences.

I started blogging a couple of years ago as a way for distant family members to keep up on the highlights of our family. In theory this seemed like a good idea. However, I still believe that keeping some things private is still the way to go. Blogging is a great way to update at a glance, but I prefer talking to someone in person or even over the phone. It's clear that the times are leading us to faster more effective ways of communicating that don't require face to face interaction and blogging happens to be one of them.

Another form of blogging is to share latest and greatest tips on making life a little easier to live. I happen to enjoy this type of blogging. I would much rather take advice and tips from close friends and family members over TV commericals and spokespeople.

Although I believe blogs are an effective form of communication, I also believe that we should blog in moderation and use face to face interaction more. This form of communication should never go out of style and my hope is that it never will. Even with technology changing ever so quickly, I believe that some things should never change.