Better Blogging – Or Is It?

Writing good blog posts can mean many different things. I like to have at least 50% of the posts we publish be “high quality” posts which provide a “real” value to our readers. I’m not talking about distributing free products (even though that’s great and we do it all the time). I’m talking about these posts that are a bit longer, are formatted nicely to make it easier to read, have a nice illustration or picture, and mainly deliver a really valuable content.

These posts take 90% of the time we spend on writing. Is it worth it?

The temporary nature of blogging is so that most blogs out there are just filled with crap posts and “great” titles. What I mean is that most bloggers don’t invest in generating quality content but rather focus on attractive headlines and trendy hot topics. In the end, you know that your post will soon be buried in your blog’s archives, so why care about quality content? Right? That’s one of the keys behind the success of Twitter, and it explains the rise of micro blogging services such as Posterous and Tumblr.

I’d love to hear from you guys on this question. Based on your experience, is it better to write simpler posts but always keep up with the pace? Or is it worth it to post less at times but generate “better” posts? If you have a blog, what percentage of “quality posts” do you publish?

5 Comments

  • Fernando Emmanoel Borba
    Look at this blogger: http://gregorywood.co.uk He has only 20 posts, but all of them has an unique design.

    On the other hand, blogs like TechCrunch post a lot, I signed their RSS too.

    Both could be right. Although, I always prefer quality than quantity.

    Moreover, for a “niche” blog, I would recommend stick with something less frequent but more meaningful.

    Big fan!

  • Andrew
    There is definitely a trend to publish shorter snappier content. Even blogs that are known for consistently generating quality content are now changing. I am thinking in particular about the svn blog.
  • Jordan
    I just wanted to point out that there is a HUGE difference between quality content and lengthy content. Most lengthy articles in magazines, newspapers, blogs and other publication media are filled with wishy washy stuff, repetitions, long quotes, and in general lots and lots of filler. This is also true in books.

    More often than not, quality content comes in the form of a short piece. It takes a much better writer to deliver content in a shorter form. The value for the reader is greatly augmented when the article is concise and dense with meaningful content.

  • Matt
    I agree with Jordan. Quality content doesn’t mean lengthier content – but it will take you much longer to generate and publish quality posts. I think people are much more interested in quality content than in short and snappy “hot titles” like you say. But if you’re looking for promotion, it’ll be much easier to promote something like “a million web apps for free” than “better blogging – or is it?”. Even though the reader will probably get more satisfaction and challenge from reading the latter while the former will only be a waste of time.

    Anyway thanks everyone for the discussion!

  • Dave
    I think you are right about the new trends – and it’s not only with blogging. For example I stumbled upon ignite a few days ago – it’s made of 5-minute talks. The idea is to give interesting talks but limit them to a very short time.

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