I’ve been using this week – really interesting ‘short-form’ blogging service…(mine’s at http://participo.tumblr.com/)
Apart from the very easy/pleasant interface, the medium definitely affords a more spontaneous, less ‘aggh, I’ve got to write something long and meaningful’ type interaction with blogging…
It’s had a really interesting affect on me – almost a sense of relief(!) that I could just pop posts, links and screenshots without creating massive justifications or grasping at some smart analysis.
There’s nothing stopping me banging out this ‘short-form’ stuff on Participo, but the lack of constraint, the large blank page makes me feel like I have to write something substantial when I post, and therefore the frequency drops.
Tumblr’s a great example of how good design, ease of use and low entry barrier creates a different mental framework for an activity
Brief writing is, of course, an art form all of it’s own (what’s that quote? “I would have written a short letter, but I didn’t have the time?”) – well, I would have written a short blog post, but didn’t have time!