Meta Hari
…or Seduce Your Readers.
This excellent article from 2003 at How To Save the World popped up in the referrer log today. Oddly enough we’re thinking about a full-on redesign as it’s way past time, so the reminder was very timely.
Prog Gold’s look and feel is certainly very dated and the content and archiving could be organised a lot better. With the recent explosion in the volume of blogging and the increasing sophistication of blogging tools the look of a blog is now as much a factor in attracting readers as the content and we’ve been slipping a bit lately.
Which reminds me that Prog Gold appears to have devolved from a Flappy Bird to a Slithering Reptile in the TTLB ecology. Not sure whether this is because of the dilution of the blog pool, or whether you the readers dislike the content, or whether it’s the design, which although good on accessibility is a bit clunky by 2006 standards. I don’t care about TTLB that much; if I must be classified in that way I’d much rather be a Komodo dragon than a booby anyday so feh. (Actually, I’d be even more happy to be classified as Archaea but hey, that’s just me. I’m a natural fogey. If I could line the blog in chintz, pipe in Radio 4 and install a TeasMade. I’d be happy. )
Anyway it’s the quality of the links that counts and TTLB rates on numbers. It’s also a Pyjamas Media blog so fuck ’em sideways with a barbed wire cluebat.
Because of my innate tendency to read politics into everything, I’ve yet to find a milieu that is completely apolitical, even geology becuause where there’s people there’s politics. So it’s worth noting that that same circular linking that made the wingnut blogosphere explode into political prominence so quickly, the continuing process of call and response that amplifies volume and influence, is now also being used by many of the more prominent progressive blogs. For some it’s the reason why they are prominent. In blogging, as in life, the squeaky wheel gets the grease and UK/NL/US cross-blogging from a socialist perspective is not very squeaky. So it could also be that we don’t fit into any political kool kidz clique and are not getting the linkage for that reason.
I’ve also noticed an odd thing about blogads: blogs with ads somehow seem much more authoritative than blogs who don’t. Somehow the imprimatur of commerce seems to add gravitas and credence, though you’d think the opposite would be the case. We don’t do ads, never have, never will (or at least only under massive duress, if the minimal income derived decides the choice of staying online or off) so that could also be a factor in the slippage.
But leaving politics and navel-gazing aside, Dave Pollard’s article is a very helpful exposition on the structural aspects of blogging and has lost nothing in usefulness since its original publication. I urge every blogger, no matter how experienced, to read it, ancient as it may seem in internet years. There are those who would say (and you know who you are, Martin) that old news is old news but to my mind a good post is worth reposting no matter how old it is. (As an aside to all the Johnny-come-latelies who pontificate on blogging from the great height of a year or so’s experience, blogging’s older than you think. So stfu.)
Some of the most popular blogs are indeed a bugger to read and could certainly use his advice. If I were to have the self-discipline to follow all David Pollard’s admirable blogging precepts this blog would be a much better read all round, that’s for sure. I need to go off and inwardly digest it for a while and then see how the advice can be put into practice on this blog, because there’s certainly huge room for improvement in looks, usability and content.
The good counsel starts from the very first paragraph:
1. Use Titles: Almost all blog tools allow titles for each post, and they’re invaluable for readers who browse dozens of blogs every day. Make the title clever if you can, or must, but first and foremost make it clear what the post is about. And make it stand out like a real headline: Use a larger font size than you use for the body of the post, or at least use bold face. Example: Xian Crumlish’s Radio Free Blogistan — big, coloured, clear titles, and use of a 1-by-1 table with a different background colour to further set off each post. [Added Sept.2: Christian actually uses CSS style rather than a 1-by-1 table, but the effect is the same, and tables are easier for us non-techies]. Filchyboy also has distinctive, prominent titles.
2.Abstract Long Posts: If your post is significantly longer than one screen, consider writing a one- or two-sentence abstract summarizing the thesis of the post. This is especially important if the first couple of sentences of your post can’t or don’t serve this purpose. Example: I decided I needed an abstract for my post on The Blogging Process because my post had two separate and ambitious goals, and I didn’t want the audience for the second to stop reading too early. It turned out to be one of my most popular posts, as much for the second half (how blogging tools need to be improved to enable conversation) as for the first (a detailed chart of my blogging process).
One of my own particular blogging weaknesses is for the convoluted, obscure punning title that makes little sense to anyone but me. I do it just for the momentary smug pleasure of it. I probably use too many pictures too and I’ve also been known to hotlink when blogger won’t upload images, which really is a no-no. Much of the blog is also NSFW due to my penchant for swearwords, pictures of unusual sex toys and Marmite.
But all these little idiosyncrasies only add to the gaiety of nations and we could certainly use some of that right now – just in a more readable and aesthetically pleasing format.
Read more… Internet, Weblogs, Blogging, Meta, Blogosphere, Blog ecology, Kool Kidz
