How to Write a Great Blog Posting
Posted on April 13th, 2007 in Usability | 6 Comments »
I wrote a posting about India etiquette 2-3 years ago that prompted this response:
“WHAT HAPPENS IF YOUR LEFT HANDED? DOES THAT MEAN THAT YOU ARE WRITING WITH YOUR POOP HAND?”
Now, you have to realize that this is not a spam comment. Instead, this is a real comment by a real WebWord reader. I see the comment above as strong affirmation that what I do on WebWord is worth everyone’s time. It’s good stuff.
The problem is that to keep a blog good, you have to consistently and constantly update it with great postings. Otherwise, why bother?
I have to admit that I’ve done a terrible job updating WebWord recently. Honestly, I carry around guilt that I have not posted anything recently. I have not posted anything in a long time. Nothing! Not even a good (versus great) blog posting.
Interestingly, this blog posting — what you’re reading right now — is probably pretty good. It’s probably not great. The reason it isn’t great is because this posting doesn’t really focus on usability whatsoever.
Then again, maybe this is about usability…
I think of usability very broadly. In fact, I hardly say “usability” any longer. Instead, I tend to talk about user experience (UX). So a stale blog drives a poor user experience and that’s not good for anyone.
Let’s jump to the conclusion now…
If you want to write a great blog posting, Rule #1 is keep your blog fresh. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
6 Responses
So, does that mean that we’ll get to see more updates on the WebWord site now? :)
Hi, John. You’re still on my Google Homepage.
I thought this one was pretty good. You managed to write the cliched “haven’t posted in a while blog” (I’ve posted like 5 of those already across various blogs) in a new way.
This is actually topical to me as I haven’t posted anything at WineLog in like 2 weeks, InvestorGeeks in as many and very little at TheRealJasonColeman.com.
Is the blogging fad over? Or are younger folks taking over for us busy guys? Is everyone on Twitter? Who knows.
Not to whine too much, but blogging well isn’t easy. I’ve barely been at it a year, and it takes real time and effort to keep producing content. I hope that content is useful, but I’m certainly aware that the quality isn’t always what it could be. There are always busy weeks, writer’s block, etc. For someone like you, who’s been at it since the late 90’s, it’s got to be a real challenge to keep coming up with new ideas that interest both you and your audience. Still, you seem to be doing it pretty well from where I stand.
I definitely appreciate the words of encouragement.
It’s mostly been a matter of time recently. I’ve been crushed with all kinds of work and WebWord sometimes needs to take the back burner.
[...] He’s right, of course: it’s the fear of failure, of incompetence, or the fear of being perceived as incompetent, which stops so much useful work being done. If it’s sub-standard, will it actually drive readers/customers away? John S Rhodes has an interesting take on the issue. [...]
heLLo John. You’re still on my Google Homepage.
special thanks..