Question: What Makes an Excellent Blog?<\/p>\n
In my opinion, there is no such thing as an excellent blog. In fact, it is my contention that labelling any single blog as excellent (or at the opposite end, terrible) is disingenuous at best, and dishonest at worst. A blog, at its most basic level, is simply \u201ca value-neutral medium or media format for publishing online\u201d (Carroll pg 138). So defined, the qualification of that medium with either positive or negative descriptors appears to completely miss the point of its existence. If a blog is value-neutral, how can we declare one blog better than another? Wouldn\u2019t a blog be \u201cexcellent\u201d by default, awarded that distinction merely by existing as a forum for digital sharing? I believe it would, especially considering that \u201corganic material and compositions move through particular stages with a goal in mind, but the process takes precedence over the product\u201d (Rorabaugh, 2012).<\/p>\n
With that last quote in mind, I think it is fair to say that a blog exists, for better or for worse, to channel the public desires of its author. Blogs have no prescribed elements and no rigid form. Hell, they don\u2019t even have the same audience in mind. Therefore, how can one genuinely assign words such as \u201cexcellent\u201d without substituting their own preferences in place of objective reading? Just think about it: If you have no interest in the law, are you going to look at SCOTUSBlog<\/a> as an excellent read, its technical merits notwithstanding? If you hate fluff pieces about the human condition, are you really going to think of Humans of New York<\/a> as an excellent blog, even with the awareness of its reach and influence? My guess is, probably not.<\/p>\n With this in mind, I would like to suggest an alternative question: What makes an enjoyable blog? This question acknowledges the subjectivity of its nature and of the reader, and as such, is much fairer in nature. I therefore offer my own personal list of qualities that I look for in determining which blogs I want to frequent, but I hope (and expect) that you might not feel the same way.<\/p>\n 5 Keys to an Enjoyable Blog:<\/p>\n Question: What Makes an Excellent Blog? In my opinion, there is no such thing as an excellent blog. In fact, it is my contention that labelling any single blog as excellent (or at the opposite end, terrible) is disingenuous at … Continue reading \n