Should We Write for an audience?

How many people still use MSN or something similar? Has facebook essentially monopolized online communication outside of email?

That's what is seems like to me and my social circle. Any major event seems to be organized through facebook. You can check who is and isn't going, leave ideas and talk with people about the event.

But why has facebook taken over?

The main difference I see between facebook and instant messaging is the type of communication. Facebook is asynchronous (like email or texting) people don't expect an answer right away. Instant messaging, phone calls, etc are synchronous. When people send a message it's expected that you will reply fairly shortly.

From what I've seen of the direct that social and professional communication is going in, it seems that asynchronous communication is the way of the future. Twitter is another example of asynchronous communication. People "tweet" their ideas and others may or may not respond, there is no expectation of any response at all.

Finally there is the ultimate form of asynchronous communication: blogging. Thousands of people write blogs and articles. Many don't receive any comments or even get read at all. So is there a point to it at all?

I think so.

Communication isn't just about reaching an audience, it's about forming your own thoughts and opinions. When people blog they write assuming there is an audience, even if there isn't one. That has a significant impact on how they write. And that, I think, is worth something. It helps us develop ourselves, even if it's on our own.