If the growth of blogs has slowed down and the social networking using Facebook and Bebo has exploded in 2007, the year 2008 will see the growth of a different type of communication medium.
It is microblogging.
Using short texts, and sometimes pictures and videos, you share your thoughts and actions.
Its popularity is its simplicity.
It frees you from hard thinking and wordy texts.
If you are comfortable sending text messages from your cell phone, you are ready for microblogging.
However, instead of sending text message to one person, you use microblogging to broadcast to your social network.
What are the tools available at your disposal for this new and exciting medium of communication? The last few years have seen the birth of a dozen microblogging sites to carter to your various needs.
Twitter is the leader of the bunch.
As soon as you create an account, you are ready to publish your micro-contents using your web browser, cell phone, or the email client.
You can also follow interesting people like artists, athletes, bands, politicians and check out their insights regularly.
Want to share your files, events, and links using microblogging? Use Pownce to send your stuff to your friends.
Pownce also provides a desktop software for you to download and install on your computer so that you don't have to use the browser.
The site Tumblr has a refined and simple interface.
Use it to publish photos and videos from your cell phone.
Even if you are not wordy, you will be able to share your love and hate with others.
If you prefer talking, instead of writing, use MySay.
You call the MySay service and leave a message.
People in your contact will be able to listen to your thoughts using their phones, emails, or computers.
If don't like texts or audio, use Hictu for video micro-blogging.
Use your webcam to video your actions and publish it in Hictu with the click of a mouse.
IRateMyDay has an interesting angle to the micro-blogging.
Instead of publishing mundane activities of you daily life, you rate your day on a scale of Worst to Great.
You can also give some explanation for your rating.
Are you emotionally upset? Instead of using IRateMyDay, use EMotionr.
If it is one of the happiest day of your life, rate it the highest possible 10.
Don't rate the lowest 1.
It can't be that bad.
Moodmill is where you should go after rating your day or emotion.
This site is for managing your mood.
Use the mouse to slide the mood indicator and share it with your friends and contacts.
If you are at ease with French or German language, you can use Frazr.
It has all the features and functionality of Twitter.
Now that you know a few popular microblogging tools available on the web, you may be wondering, "how can I express my thoughts and actions using this new communication medium? Why people will like to read my mundane daily activities? And what value does it provide to my readers?" To see the value of microblogging, check out what Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama 'steam is doing.
They are broadcasting all the meeting schedules, caucus and primary results, informational and inspirational messages for volunteers to take actions.
If you are a blogger, you can tell your Twitter followers using some teasing information about an upcoming blog article before you publish it on your blog.
This will create anticipation and desires.
If you are selling something on the web, you can use Twitter to publish hot sales for your Twitter followers.
This will give you an idea which products are hot sellers so that you can stock them before you announce the sale to everybody using other medium.
You can publish cool tricks and tips that you just read in a blog about personal development, productivity improvement, money saving ideas, etc.
You can run a quick survey by asking a short question.
You can follow thought leaders, industry luminaries, artists, athletes and other interesting people in Twitter to gain insights on diverse topics.
2008 is the year of microblogging.
As the email was a radical communication medium a decade ago for the most folks and it eventually made the letter writing a lost art, micoblogging will surpass blogging within a few years.