Are blogs better than books? It is a question for which I have two answers: yes and no.
First, we must have proficiency in understanding the difference between blogs and books. A blog can be defined as “an online journal or informational website displaying information in reverse chronological orders (with the latest posts appearing first at the top). It is a platform where a writer or a group of writers share their views on an individual subject”. On the other hand, books can be defined as, “An amalgamation of concepts and research of author gathered in any hard form known as a book.”
This shows my agreement with the opinion both are different from each other. Both mediums have their own merits and demerits. Different people have their own choices. Some tend to like books while others tend to like blogs. Blogs are IT-based, so you can see videos and listen to the audio of the blog as well. But the same thing cannot be done with books.
If blogs gave you the feasibility of audio and visual, then, handbooks allowed you to explore more knowledge to go into the depth of topics. To approach other ideas, books are regarded as more reliable as compared to blogs. Here, I have collected the merits and demerits of both books and blogs.
- Blogs can be read from anywhere, while books cannot be carried easily everywhere.
- Blogs are portable and mobile while books are hard and tangible.
- Blogs gave you instant information but for books, you have to spend money to get information.
- It is fact that cannot be denied. There is no better feeling than holding a book and flipping through its solid pages. And that feeling cannot be attained through blogs.
- For blogs, you have to look at the computer screen or mobile screen, which can prove harmful for your eyes because of UV rays. It feels awesome having a good book in hand with all information, pictures and references. Blog sites keep on making tiny changes and this may distract you from your interest in reading the blog itself.
- Handbooks are always on your bookshelf. It is helpful to transform the first of five chapters of books you are authoring in form of a blog. A blog will rather help you to attract more readers to your book. So, in this way, blogs help to promote your book or for marketing it. They can be beneficial, but books cannot be replaced by blogs.
- Blogs are regarded as chunks of daily and weekly information that you can get quickly and tirelessly. Books are full of information; seeing their content may overwhelm you.
- Blogs are a new technology for which information is collected from books and later, that information is transformed into short paragraphs and notes that can be beneficial for the near future.
A question here knocks into my mind: why are libraries full of books? Can blogs replace these books? Libraries are not merely full of books, you can also find here newspapers, journals, magazines, tabloids, etc. Blogs are a part of the new technology, while books are part of that world from time immemorial. A library full of books and information is powerful and more insightful but to me, blogs have advantages that cannot be denied.
Brian Manning once said:
“Most top-selling books are a waste of time and can be summed up in a couple of blog posts. Most business books start with a good idea but are executed terribly. They also have too many redundant examples.”
It seems dull for us as human beings to not indulge ourselves in reading. Blogs are released at a much higher rate as compared to books. Blogs are easily available and are consistent with little chunks of information.
If you have a connection, you can easily find any blog of your choice and extract information from it. However, blogs may seem more interactive than books. For instance, if you have written a piece and shared that blog on a website, then the viewers can share their views in form of comments or by responding to a feedback poll. This will help the blogger to know about their weaknesses and strengths, and will work on flaws that require more correction.
Blogs are less time-consuming you don’t have to sit in one place and concentrate fully as we concentrate on the pages of books. Blogs neither demand a lot of time nor concentration.
To conclude, my above-mentioned reasons will justify both opinions: blogs are better than books and books are better than blogs. I am hoping this article will highlight my opinions about the two.