Microcontent Will Rule

Bash.org has always been one of my favorite time-wasting websites. You can add fmylife.com to that list. Of course Twittering is so popular now that even George Stephanopolous is twittering (and conducting interviews on Twitter.)

I’ve probably already lost the reader by now. The long form seems like it is dying. With RSS, often you don’t have to read the article to know the news. You can click down if you want the details. Twitter enables the short form to be interactive.

I know this isn’t new. Hemingway was probably the guy to invent the ultra-short form. Technology is speeding along the spread of this format.

Microcontent is awesome because it allows you to “scan the headlines” for all aspects of your life. Because it is just a little bit longer than the usual headline, it may give you a little bit more color with less of a time investment.

I follow the Boston Police on Twitter. This is a perfect example of just needing the headline. It’s timely and relevant news, but I rarely need the full story. It’s available if I want it. And I can interact with the police this way.

On a side note, my friend Kyle got mugged in Charlestown on Friday night. It turns out that the suspects went on to stab someone, and I found it through twitter and the long-form blog. I think that as this technology becomes pervasive, it could change the way law enforcement is done. I am digressing.

I think the popularity of twitter, mylife, bash, etc. are indicators that this is becoming its own category of entertainment/art, similar to short films. Microcontent will rule, atleast for a while.