Blog Review Essay, Part 3: Time Is Of The Essence
One of the more subtle elements that play into a blog's popularity is the issue of time. The word "timeliness" can take on several meanings when relating to blogs, and all of them contribute to a blog's success.
The more obvious way time plays a part is in regards to regular updates. Blogs that update infrequently or at odd times are less likely keep a regular audience than blogs that update frequently and consistently. A good blogger recognizes this:
A little less clear are the opposing aspects of relevance and timelessness. Do blogs that refference current events and trends do better than blogs that are less apt to date themselves? That's really a tough question to answer, and largely depends on the type of blog in question. Political blogs, at the extreme end, are about nothing but current events, and most heavily rely on them regardless; yet they tend to draw enough of an audience. Blogs that refference pop culture also have their share of popularity, even though their subjects may manifest a high amount of turnover in terms of interest.
On the other hand, some fiction blogs may never mention anything contemporary, let alone current events. Yet as a result their archives rarely seem "outdated" when read through, and so invite a greater amount of readers to "start from the beginning." This, however, could be a deterrent to new readers in and of itself, as a large archive of backposts can be intimidating. In the end, it rests on the genre of the blog, and the author's intentions for it, to determine how the issue of time is dealt with.
The more obvious way time plays a part is in regards to regular updates. Blogs that update infrequently or at odd times are less likely keep a regular audience than blogs that update frequently and consistently. A good blogger recognizes this:
This is supposed to be an illustrated journal, eh wot?Of course, one of the advantages the blog provides as a medium is the flexibility an author has in making updates in comparison to more traditional forms of media, so the practice of regular updates is a bit of a double-edged sword.
---commentor on Book of the Gear
*laugh* You can have daily updates, or you can have illustrated updates. The two are mutually exclusive.
---author of Book of the Gear, in response
A little less clear are the opposing aspects of relevance and timelessness. Do blogs that refference current events and trends do better than blogs that are less apt to date themselves? That's really a tough question to answer, and largely depends on the type of blog in question. Political blogs, at the extreme end, are about nothing but current events, and most heavily rely on them regardless; yet they tend to draw enough of an audience. Blogs that refference pop culture also have their share of popularity, even though their subjects may manifest a high amount of turnover in terms of interest.
On the other hand, some fiction blogs may never mention anything contemporary, let alone current events. Yet as a result their archives rarely seem "outdated" when read through, and so invite a greater amount of readers to "start from the beginning." This, however, could be a deterrent to new readers in and of itself, as a large archive of backposts can be intimidating. In the end, it rests on the genre of the blog, and the author's intentions for it, to determine how the issue of time is dealt with.
posted by Mithrandalf at 7:31 PM
1 Comments:
No current events for me; if I want current events, I'll turn to more reputable sources than bloggers. Good post.
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