Writing In & For Digital Environments

Asking what makes a good blog is a question loaded with opinion and follow-up questions. It is not simply just asking, “what is your favorite class?” but more along the lines of, “what is your favorite food?” If someone were to ask me this I would respond with questions such as, “well, what category?” and “who is preparing it?” It would be difficult to choose breakfast foods when comparing to sweets. My point here is that there are different types of blogs out there that attract people for different reasons. Most people do not only enjoy one blog, and therefore may need to filter the question based on more specific criteria. One type of blog may attract a reader for certain reasons, while the same reader may like another blog for a completely different reason. The question is loaded and must be broken down even more.

What makes a good blog in general?
Although I make the point that blogs attract different types of people based on a person’s specific interests and the blogger’s work, I think that all blogs must include a few basic things to be successful and to be considered a blog. There is a fine line between blogging and writing posts that come across as research or news articles. Yes, blogs can contain information that is similar to these two works, but in reality blogs should have more of a personal tone, “The everyday person voice of many blogs encourages identification versus the dispassionate, clinical choice of traditional media.” (Carol, 27). It is important for readers to feel a connection with the blogger. This connection should be written in an informal tone (or close to it) and should be somewhat brief. Although tone may be different in blogs, and sometimes informal, the writing should still be clear and correct as Carol states in Digital Media Versus Analog Media, “The fact that writing appears on a computer screen rather than in a bound book does not diminish the writing’s need to be clear, concise, complete and correct (Carol, 24). I have not seen many successful blogs that are pages long per post. Secondly, the page should be easy to navigate and appealing to the eye. Although, it is hard to say that appealing to the eye makes a good blog in general because we all have different opinions of what pleases us. That brings me to my next question of, “what makes a good blog when applied more specifically to the readers and writers interests?”

As I stated previously, a blog must be easy to read and somewhat easy to navigate, but when looking further into the question I wonder what makes someone choose their favorite blogs or pick what type of blog they like to read. This is similar to the response of the question what is your favorite breakfast food? This question is much easier to answer, just like if someone were to ask what makes a good travel blog, or food blog. When the question is broken down further it is easier to answer because the interest is more specified. Upon being asked this question, I would answer saying that a good blog is one that connects with the reader. Don Hewitt, executive producer of CBS-TV’s 60 minutes said, “If you don’t know how to communicate with words, you’re in the wrong business.” (Carol, 23). Communication is simply the key to connection, which can be done through tone and writing style in blogs. The tone is still important of course, but the tone will be one that attracts and keeps readers interested. Those who like science blogs may enjoy a certain tone portrayed, but when reading a humor or fashion blog they may be turned off immediately. The reason this reader, and many others most likely, will stay with the science blog is because the blogger wrote in a tone that the reader enjoys and attracts their interest. I think that a very key thing in blog writing is connection. Unlike websites and newspapers, or even books, blogs are like diaries and are extremely personal They may not share personal information always, but there is something about knowing that there is someone on the other end sitting at their computer just like us that creates a new type of connection. Blogs should attract readers with an interesting title as well, one that may attract potential readers from afar. As we saw in class, some people jumped at the title of the blog “People I Want to Punch in the Throat”. This is an example of how just the title can gather potential readers based on one line. In addition, the blog content should participate positively to the genre that it is written in. Even if it is a causal topic, the blog should challenge readers to think or to continue wanting to read more.

What makes a good website is not much different than asking what makes a good painting or football game or cup. They all have to be in some way visually and/or aesthetically appealing. A good apple would not be ridden with dents, marks and worms; just like a good pair of shoes couldn’t be littered with holes, dirt and tears. As with a good website or blog, a great deal of what makes it appealing is good writing. If a website, like a book, was filled with typos or confusing writing/ graphics, the odds of that piece being considered good narrows greatly.

According to news journalist Brian Carroll, good writing needs to remain brief, precise, active, direct, consistent and aware. As a news journalist, his qualities for good writing seem to match his particular career path. The news has to be brief and precise so that viewers/readers get what’s important in the least amount of time. Furthermore, news writing has to be active and aware because “the news” is always changing. What’s important constantly changes and the public wants access to that information as soon as possible, especially in regards to online writing. Online writing and composing has to be especially appealing, since according to Carroll, it only takes the viewer three seconds to access whether a web page is interesting. Elements like credibility, transparency, readability and scan-ability in writing and content contribute to the success of a good website. For me, the easier and more organized the website is the better it is. Sites with complex and convoluted speech and navigation seem to make many users frustrated or can completely narrow the scope of audience, which is only helpful in some cases. Sites like Humans of New York  do a great a job of bringing an audience in with bold headings and use of other media, like pictures. Many times, information given in great amounts must be broken up to allow the reader to better focus on the material or prevent them from losing interest. Good websites can break up this information in a helpful way so that any particular information can be quickly and easily found or read. Wikipedia does a great job of organizing its information into subheadings and categories that are easily accessible which allows for easy navigation and ultimate success.

Although writing for a digital setting should be relatively brief and simple, that does not mean that the writing itself shouldn’t be good. Part of what makes a website visually pleasing is good writing and content. Authors Rosenwasser and Stephen believe that writing well requires more than appropriate syntax and correct grammar; it involves using writing a means to thinking and processing well. Therefore, what also makes a good website is its ability to get an audience to think and reflect on the content displayed, whether it’s food or the theory of evolution. Using the ideas of Rossenwasser and Stephen, if writing is supposed to be a method to thinking better, all elements in a good website like images, navigation, links etc. must also be thought- provoking. Sites like The Atlantic and many travel blogs do this very well. These multi-modal sites bring in many different elements of media to create a cohesive, thought-provoking topic. One that an audience is eager to contribute to and comment on.

Ultimately, I believe the best websites convey a topic with clear and concise language, many different types of media, easy to use tools and navigation and an unique tone or style. These websites create a responsive and informed audience interested in a range of topics which allows for a complex and rapidly changing social environment.

My favorite sites:

Jezebel– Has a pithy voice and relays media in a very relateable way.

courage 2 create– Creative writing blog without a condescending voice and a simple yet, attractive layout.

8 tracks– Music site that focuses on input from users and creates a community of listeners who hand-craft the music they listen to and share.

Collective Intelligence and the Blogging World

The digital age has revolutionized the transfer of information, and as such the manner in which information is conveyed has also changed.  Sean Michael Morris explains in “Digital Writing Uprising:  Third-order Thinking in the Digital Humanities” that digital composition is non-linear, thus throwing away traditional writing styles and literary road-maps.  Morris explains that, instead of present fully formed ideas in a printed format, blogs allow writers to present, use, and reuse partial ideas.

I believe that, as a result of this sharing of ideas, a good blog should be able to contribute to and participate in the global collective intelligence community.  By adding to the online discussion of any given topic, blogs allow writers to explore concepts with the input of a wider, more involved audience than ever before.  An example of this is Humans of New York, a blog dedicated to sharing interviews and photographs of people in the Big Apple.  In doing to, HONY serves as a kind of oral history microcosm, documenting the lives of local people and spreading the perspectives of others.

A good blog should also give readers the tools and resources necessary to discover and learn more about the concepts, ideas, topics, and perspectives covered by the site.  This can be done in a variety of manners, including links to explanatory articles, citations leading back to original sources, and in-article definitions.  Hybrid Pedagogy shows how these links and definitions can be kneaded into the fabric of an article, providing greater clarity and allowing readers to delve deeper into issues of interest.

Effective Blog Design in the Mobile Age

Brian Carroll’s book, “Writing for Digital Media,” focuses on key aspects of any successful blog.  Although Carroll focuses on journalism sites, many of his points are applicable for any blog or website.  This includes using lists, linking when appropriate, and checking for broken links periodically.  Carroll also touches on the importance of multi-modal media (a combination of text, images, and videos) within an effective blog site. 99% Invisible shows the true power and possibilities behind multi-modal media, using podcasts, images, videos, and drawings to convey deeper meaning and draw readers from one article to the next.

Adding on to that, I believe that bloggers should be aware of their audience so that their content and media remain relevant and consistent.  A weekly blog about blockbuster movies, for example, may include a link to another site’s review of that film with every post.  Bloggers focused on sustainability might be sure to cover the latest LEED-certified building data, writing articles about remarkable projects from time to time.  This consistency allows bloggers to retain their audience and create a more credible web presence.

Carroll also focuses on the importance of readability and scan-ability for blog articles.  By working with current trends in mobile browsing by shortening their posts and ensuring easy reader comprehension, bloggers can increase the popularity and effectiveness of their content.  It should be noted, however, that this does not equate with “dumbing down” content; a good digital writer can strike the delicate balance between “writing down” to their readers and presenting their ideas in an easily understood way.  This is best accomplished by reducing the use of unnecessary jargon and breaking up ideas into smaller portions.

The Power of Good Blogging

Ultimately, the power and credibility behind any blog depends on a number of factors.  In a digital world where partial ideas are shared and reused constantly, a good blog will contribute to the collective intelligence of the online world.  Useful blogs will also provide background information for readers and ensure that ideas are comprehensible, and properly split by lists or smaller paragraphs.  Consistency should also be present in any web presence to enhance credibility.  Ultimately, any blog is only good because of the opinions of its readers.  In the digital world, quality is judged by the entire online community.