Monday, January 02, 2012

Long Blog Posts




Most of the time, I can't make myself read long blog posts. C'mon, people, keep it short and to the point, is it that difficult to do? Granted, some subjects require long posts to be properly addressed (no, what someone ate for lunch (without providing a recipe for something really interesting and yummy) or what they feel like eating or how they went to the bathroom with all the details doesn't fall into that category), but quite often, people just get lost in their train of thought, or fill up the post with various things, each one of them interesting by itself, but too long when put together.

It could be that my attention span isn't what it used to be. It could also be that, when tired after work, I have no patience for long blog posts. If I want to read something long, it's going to be a book. Or, it could be that sometimes (most of the time, to be honest) I'm not in the mood for a long post.

Unless it's as beautiful as Amanda Palmer talking about her and Neil Gaiman's wedding. And no, dammit, I'm not saying this because it's about a wedding and I'm a female. Go see for yourself -- it's a beautiful post whether you care for weddings or not.

How do you feel about long blog posts?

10 comments:

Kelly Hashway said...

I visit a lot of blogs, so long posts kind of turn me off. I'll skim. Brevity is key.

totsymae said...

I can commit to a long post if it grabs me in the beginning. I have been guilty of some long ones but often when reading short ones, there's nothing really stated. What I don't like reading about most times is the writing process from unpublished authors. I definitely don't like reading book reviews.

Carol Apple said...

Great idea. I think I may try limiting my posts to say 500 - 700 words, and splitting my longer ideas into series. I'd probably post more often and it's just a good writing discipline. Cut cut cut!

angel011 said...

@Kelly: it's similar with me, so I give up on visiting some blogs, unless they really grab my attention.

@totsymae: if it grabs me, sure, but most of the time they don't. I do enjoy reading book reviews, though, if they're well written.

@Carol: I did that with my post about Hashimoto syndrome, I cut it in two, and it worked well.

Anonymous said...

It's a rule of blogging, I know the last long post I wrote (for a book I didn't even enjoy) was skimmed over by many followers (except those who were already very interested in the subject), it is one of the challenges, to not compromise on the message while keeping it short.

Now I'm off to read that long blog post you do recommend :)

angel011 said...

@clairemca: it's not always easy to not compromise the message while keeping it short, and not everyone feels the same on the subject -- I write very short stories, and while some love them because of that, the others say they want more in order to really feel drawn into them. I guess it's similar with blogging.

Anonymous said...

Agreed. Too many words and not enough white space make me tired before I begin to read and odds are I rarely make it to the end of the post.

angel011 said...

Anne, I know that feeling of being tired before I begin to read. Some book publishers could keep that in mind too. Thanks for dropping by!

My Inner Chick said...

I agree about long posts...

...Content had better be KICK ASS for me to read a long post.

Some bloggers can get away w/ it.

...but not many.

X

angel011 said...

Amen to that. :)