Blog
09.03
In blogging, does size or length really matter?
As I blush typing that headline, think about it... ever been to a blog where you had to scroll more than once? I have. Heck, I have written a few like that.
Is there anything wrong with a lengthy diatribe? Consider the movie "Titanic." We all knew that boat was going to smash into the iceberg, but it took 2 hours to get to caps, and another 1.5 hours to sink the ship. Did it matter? Not so much.
Being full of hot air isn't a new thing either. In 1934, "Les Miserables" was a marathon five hours long, but no one cared because it was great. The polar opposite of that would be some of those Pixar shorts that show up before the real movie. Less than 10 minutes long and genius.
So, if something can be taken from both a long film and a short story, a brief paragraph post and a long blog entry, what's the difference? The writing.
If you're post blows, no one will read it. It's that simple. Much can be said for pitches in the PR profession as well. You only have so much time to capture someone's interest, and then maintain it for the sell, but it must be well written.
So, a few suggestions before you place your finger on "enter":
1. Have a clear idea - Without that, your post or pitch will come across as if you were writing out of your... well, you get the idea.
2. Proofread - Whether it's a blog or e-mail, read that thing. Sometimes your brain works faster than you can feverishly type (and other times, not fast enough). Regardless, read it before you send it.
3. K.I.S.S. It - Leave it to Seminarian dude to use a bible reference, but there is a verse that reads, "Write it down and make it plain." The author must have been a writer in his spare time because that is sage advice for anyone who puts pen to paper, or finger to keyboard.
Copywriters and flacks fresh out of school or in the profession for years should pay heed - people will hang in with good copy longer than an e-mail that looks like the alphabet barfed on the page.
Just fud fer thot.
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