Over the past week, I have been pondering one question, “What makes a blog or a website worthwhile?” There are a million how to’s posted about the subject… How to get readers.. How to blog.. How to design a successful web presence.. But I am looking for a way to nail down good websites.
So I thought I would turn it over to you. What do you look for when you pick out websites, blogs, or services to follow or participate in? What similar characteristics do you see in your RSS feeds? Are the sites witty and humorous, or are they trendy, like something you would see on Digg? Are they mostly the kind that offer unbiased information about new topics, or are they more biased reviews? Do the sites point out the good and the bad in a product or just the good?
In essence, what is it that you enjoy most about the websites that you visit daily?
No related posts.
{ 9 comments }
1. Good writing. Obviously
2. The blogger themselves. I don’t want to invest my time into a site whose writer/s think of themselves as above their readers. There are very few blogs I read who do this, and have good enough content to get away with it.
Isn’t the whole point of blogging to interact, after all? :^)
Many of the large websites (Lifehacker, Techcrunch, Perez Hilton, etc.) all feel its their duty to break news.
Smaller websites (1,000 or less subscribers) can have several roles. Some blogs try to cover the stuff that doesn’t necessarily appeal to the mainstream crowd. For example, my website is geared towards people without much technology knowledge. Many people don’t take the time to explain simple things like what a feed is or how to get an E-mail address. That leaves a gap for someone to fill, and I do my best to do that for those people.
Many others, especially those whos profession is in the same field as their blog covers, tend to give more opinion. They take the news reported from the major sites and explain why its good or isn’t good, which is a great way to start a conversation with others. These tend to get alot of great comments that lead to interesting discussions.
While I keep an eye on the major websites so I can keep an eye on whats new around the Internet, I prefer the smaller blogs where the person blogging isn’t getting paid (or at least not getting their entire paycheck from the blog), because they are truly doing the blogging because its a passion of theirs. I think those types of blogs are great, so I tend to migrate towards them.
Sorry about the book, but its a great topic!
The websites that I visit daily share 1 thing, they give me value in one way or another. They teach me to do stuff I am interested or they give valuable information about certain topics.
Yvonne – Exactly, I feel the same way. Blogs are about the people and the interaction. To not have that, you have to be on top of the reporting. News type portals are one thing, being a good blogger is definitely another..
Kyle – No problem! I encourage the comments! You are absolutely right. Great coverage is one thing, but blogs that offer their opinion are the ones I visit daily too. Even with TechCrunch and Lifehacker, I make less of a point to visit as often as those that are smaller and more opinionated.
Daniel – The teaching aspect is a must. I like to go and learn about things that I am interested in. It bands the whole idea of collected knowledge into one form of media..
I visit two kinds of sites: web sites where I’m looking for something specific, and blogs where I’m hoping to find something neat and cool. For the first, I want information that is authoritative and easy to access.
For the second, I want insight. I’ll get the facts somewhere; no dearth of that. I’ll get copies of New York Times commentaries–don’t bother pointing them out to me. But if you can give me insight, that’s useful. However, if you don’t give me the insight in the first 20 words, I give up on you.
So, my advice is to have pithy insight.
Jason,
Nice article… as you can see, it is getting a lot of attention. More articles like this is what makes it.
Kyle basically summed it up for me. Only thing that I would add, is that behind the blogs are people just like you and me… everyone here knows that, but a lot of people don’t. For someone to realize this, they would be more apt to contribute on the site. Knowing that there is a real person behind these articles and posts. Why do I read your articles? Why do I subscribe to your feed? Because you are a like-able person and happen to write about good stuff!
Bill – You have an excellent point. I approach material in the same way. The insight is what counts. Thousands of people can read the same thing, and all be affected differently based on their past experiences. One person could see a great business opportunity and the other sees something totally different. Blogs definitely have the ability to establish that thinking.
Garry – It is the person that makes the blog. As everyone else said, there are great sites that report news, but the interpretation and commentary is key!
Q] What brings me to Jdsblog ?
Ans: Content, Content my friend !
Absolutely. I agree with you there Thilak. The same goes for me in my travels..