Blogging and social networking are two different methods of communicating on the web.
They are both very popular today.
But they are not the same.
They are relatively new forms of communicating however.
These forms can be a method of socializing and also for sharing educational ideas.
Sometimes they are used to promote business products or enterprises in order to create a profit.
Many enjoy the open door freedom that these two forms of Internet communication can offer.
There is no one to dictate what ideas are shared or how they are expressed (with the exception of the various user agreements among providers of course).
Whether or not blogging and social networking are done to promote your personal ideas, products for sale or simply to secure a job, these two forms of communicating and networking can be very effective.
It can be an enticing thing indeed to have an audience such as the web to toss out your ideas to.
For many blogging is simply a way of being heard.
Many times this is done through social networking as well.
But it appears that the social network sites such as Flickr, Facebook and MySpace are more like a personal billboard to display all things "You".
These are excellent methods of keeping in touch with friends and family whether they are close to home or abroad.
The thing to consider however that is these sites are viewed by more than just friends and family.
Many times the information listed in a blog or on a networking site is considered by employers and law enforcement and can become more that a "social consideration".
For any reason it is always an important thing to remember to carefully consider anything personal that you might publish to the internet.
Blogging and social networking are for now, still free to any who can access the internet.
Perhaps it will always remain so.
I'd like to think it will.
Maybe it is important to distinguish between the two simply because they are both powerful in their own right.
They do however, complement each other very well.
It's like the old adage "the sum of their parts is greater than the whole".