Sunday, June 19, 2005

Types of blogs

So far, I have identified two primary blog types. The first is the traditional, commentary blog. This blog is usually filled with links and commentaries on those links. Joel on Software is an excellent example of this type of blog.

The second type of blog is the diary blog. In this blog, the author shares personal information about himself or herself, perhaps as a therapeutic to the author and/or to the reader. You can hop over to Amber's Ramblings to see an example of this type of blog.

I think the successful blog has to have elements of both. First, your readers need to get to know you and feel intimate with you. They must have trust in you and respect you so that they will be a receptive audience for your comments. Second, most web savvy blog readers will want more than just fluff. It doesn't have to be in-depth political commentary, a simple link to a favorite recipe site and information about it will do just fine.

So, if you are just starting up a blog, try to tell us a little about yourself and give us some web nuggets we wouldn't get elsewhere. That'll keep us coming back for more.

1 comment:

shannon said...

Interesting observation, Tanton. And I think you're right. I started out as one type (mentoring young writers I'd been emailing back and forth with) and sort of settled into the other type (personal stories). Does the QuizFarm Disney quiz I posted this week count as an informational post? :)

Thanks for visiting today and leaving such a nice comment.