I pride myself on putting 120% into my schoolwork and finishing everything ahead of schedule. That being said, I do not know why I am only just finishing this assignment after 11pm the night before the assignment must be complete. Fortunately, the occurrence allows me to practice a bit of what I have observed about quality blogs.
1. Good blogs have a point. I do not have the time to read a blog that rambles without purpose. Neither does anyone else, for that matter. Whether the point is a lesson or simply a set of thoughts or experiences the blogger feels compelled to share, there should be a reason behind every post.
2. Bloggers are human. From the blogs I have read, the best bloggers have strong voices. I do not feel like I am reading a professional report. Since blogs are more informal, they read like human beings speaking with friends or coworkers. After all, no one forces people to read blogs.
3. Although bloggers are human, quality blogs look professional. Bloggers edit their writing before posting. Period.
4. Formatting should make blogs interesting to read. Good posts begin with an intriguing title that readers cannot ignore (I tried...it did not work as well this time). They then proceed to walk the line between long enough to make a point and too long. Sometimes, lists help to solve this problem.
5. Pictures and links help. Pictures make posts visually appealing. Links provide more information to those interested in a subject (without forcing everyone to read said information) and add credibility to the blogger's opinion.
6. The best comments add to conversation. A simple agreement or disagreement is worthless. Instead, comments should agree with an example or disagree with a counter argument.
Like many college students who create blogs as classroom assignments, I am new to the world of blogging. However, I intent to do my best to create a blog following these observations. With these observations, the blog itself should hopefully become a success.
Your title and beginning comments made me laugh. You are such a perfectionist. Sometimes I wish I had your drive. Just don't beat yourself up too much.
ReplyDeleteYou take a strong professional view of blogging. Overall, this is good. Mostly for the sake of having something to discuss in this comment, I will make a minor point:
As you stated, bloggers are human, and blogs are supposed to appeal in a less formal sense. Widely read bloggers are more than simply effective and clear writers. They are interesting. Bloggers can get attention because they are creative. They say stuff in ways that other people are not saying them. I think a good blogger is willing to break the rules at times.
Some of what I wrote was influenced by reading this article on good blogs:
http://www.43folders.com/2008/08/19/good-blogs
You make a good point. I agree that blogging does not require strict use of proper grammar. As an ILCP class I took last year suggested, writers should only write in the style of college papers when writing college papers. On the other hand, it is extremely frustrating to read works of any kind that include repeated misspellings and grammatical issues. I know that I personally would stop reading a blog that blatantly ignored the most necessary rules of the English language.
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