Some thoughts on medical blogging vs. Twitter

These are some thoughts on medical blogging from my Twitter stream:

• If you are a medical blogger, don't abandon your blog for Twitter. Look at Scoble for an example.
  
  
• If you are a prolific Twitterer (somebody who posts a lot on Twitter and/or has many followers), consider starting a blog.
  
  
• Start a blog plus Twitter - just a piece of advice from somebody who has had a medical blog for 4 years.
  
  
• Twitter "brings business" to the blog. Visitor numbers went up and I often get comments on Twitter rather than on the blog.
  
  
• Twitter brings new ideas, and the blog generally feels "fresher" and more in the flow of things (it could be temporary).
  
  
• Nobody enjoys blogging all the time. There are ups & downs like everything in life. Blogging due to external stimuli (comments, newspaper coverage) always stops.
  
  
• Medical blogger rule #1: write for your own CME and create an educational portfolio = best road to blog longevity.
  
  
• Some people don't like too many posts, others don't like too few. Post what you think is useful, what you want to read.
  
  
• Most good medical bloggers are very supportive and encouraging. Always ask for advice when you need it.
  
  
• Twitter is easy but doesn't "last" - apart from the embarrassing posts, of course.
  
  
• Many people don't feel like writing a blog - so many great/funny/silly ideas would have gone unpublished if it weren't for Twitter.
  
  
• Social media is (still) a matter of personal preference. You cannot "make" doctors blog unless they want to.
  
  
• In a way, Google itself is a social bookmarking tool too - you vote by linking from your website.
  
  
• There will not be Twitter (in its current form) in 2-5 years, it's so rudimentary.
  
  
• I could be wrong but I just don't think Twitter popularity & hype will last very long. That's why I re-post the valuable bits on my blog.
  
  
• FriendFeed is a better platform but the "crowd" is on Twitter.
  
  
• For companies, resistance to social media is futile: Debunking 6 Social Media Myths http://is.gd/k6c4

Here is how to facilitate the Rise of the ePhysican who works hand in hand with the ePatient:



References:
How to deal with the information overload from blogs, RSS and Twitter?

Assistant professor uses Twitter to teach students dental anatomy at Ohio State University - 113 of 200 students signed up, 56% http://goo.gl/jvyq7