November 23, 2009
By Robert Minto
Re: Blogging c. 2010
Interesting post on the state of the art of blogging by millinerd. One thing I would take issue with, and one I would add:
1. Site-design still does matter, as do blogrolls. And this is because there are still newcomers to the blogosphere, and for these newbies nothing is more attractive than a good site-design and nothing is more helpful than a blogroll. My Google Reader was populated initially from the blogrolls of bloggers I admired—and it is still the case that when I discover a new blog I don’t just view its RSS but I actually visit the site where design continues to deeply affect my first impression.
2. RSS readers have the further implication that it is now more difficult for new bloggers to develop a commenting community. When returning readers always and only encounter your posts via their RSS reader, they don’t have the opportunity to view any discussions that might have begun below the post. Like millinerd I cherish my comments, but I don’t have much hope for a vigorous commenting culture to develop spontaneously on this blog. It seems to me that the best hopes for new bloggers in search of a commenting community are as follows: (1. Either get linked to and discussed by other blogs that have already developed a commenting community (as witness my most commented post—a phenomenon entirely due to the kind link-love of Ben Myers), or (2. Get friends to blog with you, and agree to comment on each other’s blog (–still working on this one; but my friend Daniel Den Boer has begun to blog and I look forward to the relationship between our blogs becoming the nucleus of a blogging community eventually).
5 Comments
November 23, 2009
I certainly agree that the rise of RSS feeds makes it more difficult to get comments; I usually read the RSS feed on this site, and this was finally enough to get me (I understand the need for feedback). I also agree that the site design is vital, if not simply because I need to be able to *find* the RSS feed before I will subscribe.
November 23, 2009
Good point about finding RSS feeds.
Soon, you know, we won’t even have to do that. Have you tried the google reader “explore” feature yet? If you have no feeds in your reader, you can browse by topic; and then, when you do have a few blogs, it gives you suggested feeds based on other readers with similar selections.
If that method of feed-finding ever becomes the norm, then I suppose millinerd might actually be onto something… It will be a sad day when site design is no longer appreciated, though.
November 23, 2009
I agree with both points.
Even when I post a link in a platform like Facebook, I would say 80% of the interaction remains in Facebook. Getting a Facebook user who clicks through to a blog post to comment on the blog rather than returning to facebook to log a comment on the “status update” is very difficult.
November 23, 2009
I know what you mean, Ched. I’ve been trying to find a way to connect those two platforms for some time.
This might actually help you out: there’s a facebook app that will crosspost all your wordpress blog posts as notes on your facebook page. Just search for wordpress in the apps section.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been equally successful in finding a (workable) plugin that will collect comments from facebook and repost them here on my blog… Still looking… Tell me if you find one.
November 24, 2009
Good addenda. I suppose one is less inclined to uphold the importance of site design when one needs a site redesign. Things look much nicer over here.
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