This post is a big deal. A lot of points are raised, and I hope it catalyzes discussion here and on my blog! - Ethan Klapper

Has anyone really claimed that blogging IS social media? - Thomas Ho from twhirl

People tend to place it under that category a lot, which pisses me off - Ethan Klapper

Blogging can be a Social media network if you make it to be! The blog owner is the moderator and the users that he attracts will make it a social media network or not! It can be done, but it is not an easy thing to do! Blog tends to be more one to many not many to many! - Igor The Troll יִצְחָק

Techcrunch isn't a typical example of a blog because of its unusually large subscriber base and the number of comments it generates. Many, many bloggers will join in the two-way conversations that are a hallmark of social media. However, most don't have to deal with the sheer volume of readership and comments that Arrington would have. And yes, I do consider blogs to be part of social media. - Mark Dykeman

I think TechCrunch can be a Social Media if Mike choices it to be one! But I do not think it is his objective. - Igor The Troll יִצְחָק

I think this raises a bigger question: do people need to subcategorize blogs better than they do right now? - Ethan Klapper

Ethan, you just hit the nail on the head - Rah-PM 2012

Intent, authorship, intellectual property, etc. all play into how blogs are constructed and utilized. - Kimberly J

Ethan I do not know if you want to build a fence around a blog! Let the blog owner and his audiance build up their won community rather than categorize what the blog is about. A blog is art, it is self expressionism. A blog is work in progresses, so like any art it it takes a different representation in its life time, from birth to death! I hope Ethan is not a blogger for the rest of his life, and I am sure he was not born as a blogger! - Igor The Troll יִצְחָק

We as bloggers need to think out of the box and break all boundaries of creative social media! Orly then we harness the full ability and the capability of what blogging can offer! http://www.smallbusinessbranding.com/images... - Igor The Troll יִצְחָק

this is the most ridiculous question ever.... myspace and facebook are glorified forms of blogs with restraints. tear down the walls! - NoahDavidSimon

Noah, I totally agree with you! We do not need walled gardens! They inhibit self expressionism not cultivate self expressionism.! Communication is about expressing yourself. If we cannot communicate because of oppressions, do we call that Social Media, or Mob Rules! - Igor The Troll יִצְחָק

Blogging is without a doubt, most certainly social media. Think about it and it boils down purely to three things: 1) Writing to an audience, 2) Engaging in a conversation with that audience, 3) Building relationships with that audience and others (potential peers) in your space. That is what blogging is, and blogging without the social media aspects would make blogs as static and uninteresting as mainstream news outlets. - Muhammad Saleem

Read the Social Media definition on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki... "Weblog which is what a blog is, is Social Media!" - Igor The Troll יִצְחָק

igor the troll, as you said, it can be social media if the blogger wants it to be...and most people blog with the intent of being heard (even by a small but still "social" gathering or niche readership). i guess some don't actually engage or interact with a readership (as saleem defined social media in the context of blogging) so they could be called, um, public diaries i suppose, that people are pretending to keep outside of social realms, but maybe secretly wanting to be discovered :) - jaybol

Muhammad brings up a good point. But where do you draw the line? Do you think it's right what is happening with TechCrunch's content being displayed on washingtonpost.com like any other article? - Ethan Klapper

Ethan, you are a Devil advocate! Very good point and excellent rhetorics! - Igor The Troll יִצְחָק

A blog in and of itself is not social media because it is not designed with the explicit purpose of being social or being a place to interact with anyone else. It *can* be, but it is not. Also, it seems there are a lot of news and other types of websites masquerading as blogs. - Rah-PM 2012

@Rasheen "Also, it seems there are a lot of news and other types of websites masquerading as blogs." Excellent point. Do you have any examples. It's kinda late, I can't think of any right now! haha - Ethan Klapper

Also, I plan to issue a bit of a clarification on my blog tomorrow. Watch the feed! - Ethan Klapper

Ethan, you better give us links to our FF feed for giving you these great ideas for your post! Please quote us as well. - Igor The Troll יִצְחָק

I just discovered a good reason for commenting on FF instead of blogs: I hate pre-moderation. - Andy Roberts

Andy! lol - Igor The Troll יִצְחָק

@rahsheen I don't agree with your last comment. I interact with people all the time on blogs via comments and pings. We are "social" around a particular interest/topic. Now, blogs that don't enable comments, for instance, do NOT qualify as social media. Bloggers who do not interact with ppl who leave comments are not making the most of the social component. - Kimberly J

Sorry to bump this, but here is the follow-up post: http://eklapper.com/2008... - Ethan Klapper

Any type of commenting or interaction between users is "social." The degree varies depending on the blog. Some blogs are feverishly social. Some only have a trickle of comments. There are still blog authors who don't even pay attention to their comments (old media bloggers). Even if I don't even comment on a post, but read someone else's, and click their profile link to see all their past comments, then explore any links they have for other profiles, it's all social. - Seamus Condron