March 22, 2007 10:15
Category: Writing
[]
[To Blog Main]
I always believe a blog excels on the strength of quality content. And I've a different take on what makes a blog content stand apart in the me-too crowd.
Sometime back I wrote a free press release to expound my theory on what makes blog readers happy. The article didn't have live link to my Kolkata blog site that I referred to, yet there were good number of visitors who took pain to copy+paste the static link to see my site. I dare say they found my site as a good example of quality content.
To me, a blog is like the front page of a newspaper. Okay, it may not be like a tabloid, but equally not a textbook either. You've lots of quality content to lead you further. Some of which may be ads, and why not? Don't ads look good?
You also have sundry other information like feeds from popular content sites, a widget showing latest blog readers, another that announces the pop songs you prefer, one or more video capsules, weather in brief, and so on. All this makes what I believe quality content.
But then too much of anything isn't a good idea. The info and the ads that you have on your blog need to be spread over the page. They've to fit in aesthetically and look appealing. The overall idea is to make your blog a pleasant experience to spend time at, while fetching you some 'ad' money as well.
This contrasts sharply with blogs that lay more importance on 'quality writing' alone. Okay, famous bloggers who are at it for years may escape with one or more bad posts now and then. But not you and me, the later entrants, who are trying to float at the surface with all the abilities at their command. For, like it or not, not every post of yours is likely to be top-notch in order to drive strong eyeballs. This is where, according to me, quality content with some makeovers scores over quality writing.
Taking a holistic view, in the large canvas of Internet, blogs are symptomatic of an art putting forth ins and outs of how the authors look upon contemporary issues. Blog writers may not necessarily be articulate, but nevertheless have to take a position to connect with the readers. If you've a steady tone to carry on, then this aspect alone would fetch your blog the stamp of quality content.
Considering blog as a form of art, with or without the concept of quality content, the big difference between it and another art is that it is 'immediate'. Means it is 'live' the moment it is posted. And if you're a prolific writer, you'll be posting several of them each day. Which further means there is just no time for introspection, for looking at your own creation from different angles to assess if it is okay.
Which is why a newspaper like approach to have a blog rich with quality content is close to my heart. Like a newspaper, I prefer my blog offering a sumptuous array of information to my readers. Why? If one or 2 of my writings lack the verve on a given day, there are other fares to fill in the gap.
You might say simplicity is a virtue that works for a blog's strength. Sure it does. There're many on the horizon that I admire. But pray tell me what's wrong if you have both the staple fare and some spicy additions on your table, which I refer as quality content!
To tell you my story, I'm happy that my readers are happy to read my blog. I've as much as 50% of repeat visitors. I like my version of quality content. What about you?
