Self-expression on the internet: a hybrid approach?

The internet should help you express yourself easily and ensure you have control over the content and quality of your writings. But is that possible?

The internet has always been called the great platform for self-expression. The claim goes that you no longer need to be talented and lucky enough to get your work into a book or newspaper or magazine; anyone can publish anything to the internet, and if it’s good enough, it can get found.

It’s definitely true that the cost of self-expression has gone down with the internet, so people are much more likely and able to use it to publish their ideas. (The idea of economic cost, or amount of effort it takes to do something, is a very powerful one, by the way. When it gets easier to do something, that thing explodes in popularity. It’s pretty self-evident, but it’s a powerful way of looking at things like the rise of self-expression with the internet.)

There are two main ways of publishing content online:

  • Publishing independently (making your own platform)
  • Using someone else’s platform (hosted publishing)

Both of these fall short of the goal of allowing for easy self-publishing. I think, though, that there’s room for a hybrid that would bring the best of both.

On “social” media, weak ties, and Snapchat stories

How social media is designed to help you build relationships with acquaintances, and why Snapchat (yes, that Snapchat) is the most effective social media platform

It was late enough that I’d stopped thinking for the night, so I proudly proclaimed to my nearby friends that I was getting a Snapchat account. It had always struck me as a bit vapid and narcissistic – you’re swapping carefully-chosen selfies with others to try and win favor – but I figured I’d give it a go.

But I quickly learned that Snapchat, like any other social media platform, gives rise to a number of use cases that the creators probably never intended. (For instance, Twitter probably never foresaw that it would contribute to the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.) What I saw was this: Snapchat and other social media platforms are surprisingly effective ways to grow and maintain your network of weak ties (acquaintances) by reducing the costs of communication and increasing the number of “hooks,” or chances to strike up conversation, you have. All social media can do this, but Snapchat, by its very nature, is the king of this.

A Twitter tutorial for beginners: part 2

Hold up! Before you read this advanced Twitter tutorial, check out the Twitter tutorial for beginners. Otherwise you won’t understand all these @’s and #’s.

So in the last tutorial you learned about tweets, tweeps, @’s, and #’s. Heady stuff. But we’re about to take it one step farther. Here’s how to make Twitter – the ultra-popular social network of the future – work for you.

Writing your own Tweet

OK, so you’re following every website on the in and you’ve seen every meme created in the last decade. Now what? Well, it’s your time to shine! Publish some tweets!

A Twitter tutorial for beginners: Part 1

Twitter's new Logo, the Blue Bird
Twitter is an extremely powerful social & news network – you just have to learn how to use it.

Twitter is a great social network for catching up on the latest — oh hey, I got a new Tweet! Be back in a second.

Whoops, sorry. As I was saying, Twitter, the “other” social network, is an incredibly quick and easy way to catch up on all the news that’s fit to type in one convenient place. But, in order to fully make use of the #awesomeness that is Twitter, you’ve got to learn a bit. Luckily for you, @I have made one that @you are reading right now. #whatluck

Follow hathix.com on Twitter

Good news, news hounds, tech junkies, and lovers of the elephant: you can now follow hathix.com on Twitter – @hathix. Or just click on the button above the post.

Here’s what I’ll be tweeting on:

  • New blog posts
  • hathix.com news
  • Small tech news that doesn’t make it into a blog post
  • Minor reviews that don’t make it into blog posts
  • Random musings about developing software

Sound interesting? You can follow me to get all the updates, or if you don’t have a Twitter account you can just bookmark my page and view my tweets from there.