Up-And-Coming Blogger: How We Judge Other Blogs
Today I just want to ask you guys a simple question in the hopes of letting all of us in on the secret of: How we judge other blogs.
If you’re a blogger and/or a blog reader you have a pretty good idea of what you desire in blog. Whether you’re looking for an expert, a comedian, someone to relate to, etc… But if you’re like most of us you have limited time to make this assessment on a new blog. You may already be subscribed to dozens of other blogs, have a few bookmarked and use social media to find other interesting reads.
Many of us are fairly in tune to some of the signs of a solid blog. We look for certain signs right of the bat to help us gauge how much time and energy we should even put into it. You may be in the small group that always just reads post after post, ignoring all other signs and then, after a while, decides whether they like it or not. But I know for myself, if a blog doesn’t pass a few quick tests, I won’t even give it the time of day. I’m not saying this is right or wrong, it’s just how my mind works when I come upon a blog for the first time.
What’s the question?
The question is: When you go to a blog for the first time, how to you determine if it’s worth reading and/or subscribing to? (When I say ‘worth reading’ I am assuming you will read a little of it. I am referring to whether it’s worth reading through multiple posts.) What I’d like you to do is list, in chronological order, your thought process as you critique a new (to you) blog.
Why do we care?
The reason I am raising this question is not so we can rant about what we like and dislike about other blogs, but so we can see what other bloggers are looking for. And not just the general idea, but specifically, from first sight to the time you move on, each critique. I think this is very important information for all of us because if we have great content, but can’t get new visitors to read it, we are wasting our time.
Quick side note
None of this should scare anyone. Nobodies site is going to please everyone or meet all visitors’ criteria. I don’t want to create more pressure for new bloggers or make anyone feel bad about their site. I just want us to be aware of the importance of first impressions.
My list
Here’s how I see a blog for the first time:
1: The look.
The first thing I notice is the look of the blog. Does it look professional, hobbyish, unique, cookie cutterish, etc… I don’t put a ton of weight here (I’ve seen some great looking blogs that were really bad and some ‘bad’ looking blogs that were great and became regular reads.)
2: The age and posting frequency of the blog.
I’ll get to stats soon enough, but without knowing the age of the blog, numbers are worthless. I like to see if I am looking at a new blog or one that has had a chance to pick up some speed. This helps me adjust my expectations appropriately. (I just go straight to the ‘Archives’ page for this info.)
3: The alexa rating and RSS numbers.
After I know the age I check out the stats. Does it have a low alexa rating (low is good)? If they’re shown, are the subscriber numbers high? The older the blog the more these numbers matter to me. If it’s a month or two old, I take them with a grain of salt. (The subscriber numbers can be ‘enhanced’, but this is usually obvious when it says they have 20,000 readers and they have no comments on their last 10 blogs.)
4: The amount of comments per post.
If a blog has a high number of comments on most every post I have to assume that at least SOME people are interested in the content. With blogging I put a lot of weight in community and without reader interaction it is hard to get excited about a blog. But, and this is a big but, if the blog is fairly new I’m not too critical here. I know it can take quite some time to get regular commenters.
Another thing I look at if there is a high number here is the diversity of readers commenting. If there are 30 comments on a post, but it’s fed by 3 guys having a back and forth conversation, I take note of this. If I see the same thing on every post than I stop seeing it as a highly commented blog and more of a place for a few people to chat. (I know this may sound anal, but it’s just how my mind works as I am getting a feel for a new blog.)
5: I go to the ‘About’ page.
I like to see who the person is and what they’re about. I prefer to see a picture of the person. If they don’t show their face I am a little more reluctant. What do they have to hide? This might sound weird, but it’s just me.
6: I check out their last couple of post titles.
I like to see what they’re talking about and how they choose to present their posts. Are their post titles interesting, catchy, attention grabbing, bland, too purely descriptive with nothing to draw you in, etc…
7: Finally, I skim through a few paragraphs.
I like to get an idea of the bloggers writing style and quality. Is it clean and easy to understand? Or is it too wordy and boring? Not to say that you can get all this in a few paragraphs, but you can get an idea.
And then I may glance through a few more posts to get a more accurate idea of the quality and usefulness of the content. And I may not even get to 3 or 4 if the first few impressions are bad enough. So why do I do the actual reading last? It takes the most effort and focus. I don’t really want to become that engaged unless it passes my other criteria first. Like I said, I have limited resources, just like any other reader.
Now this might all sound too picky, but the average blog reader is picky. If this new blog is going to be added to the numerous other blogs that are fighting for attention in my feed reader, you bet I’m going to be picky.
So what about you?
Are you picky when it comes to reading a blog for the first time or do you just RSS any and every blog you come accross? Do you care about the blogger behind the blog or are you just concerned with the content? Let us all know what you look at so we can have a better idea of how our blogs are being ‘judged’.
One final thought.
If you have a blog that’s been around for a while, doesn’t get too many comments, has a ‘bad’ alexa rating, has few subscribers, etc… you should not feel bad about what I’m talking about here. The point of this exercise is to help EVERYBODY make their blogs more successful. If you haven’t had any success yet, well, there’s no time like the present. Share this with us and let us find ways to change that for you and start advancing your blog the way you had hoped.
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18 Responses to “Up-And-Coming Blogger: How We Judge Other Blogs”
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I usually find new blogs through links to one of their posts, so that’s the first thing I’ll see. I find my path through a new blog goes somewhat like this:
1. Look
Not too important, but I have been known to completely ignore a blog that I find *ugly*, even if the subject matter is interesting. As long as it’s at least passable, I’ll stay a few more minutes.
2. Read
I read the post I came to, or in some cases skim through it if it turns out not to be as interesting to me as I thought. If it is interesting, I may be tempted to look through some other posts on the blog (a “similar posts” section at the end of the post always helps in this case).
3. Complete view of the blog
After having seen other posts on the same blog, I decide if it suits my tastes, if the posting is frequent enough, and if the content is interesting enough for me to subscribe -if yes, I do, but don’t expect me to read every single item on the feed.
4. The only case in which I’ll read every single new post on the blog, is if (a) the content is interesting to me (personal preference applies here), (b) if the content is original and well-written and (c) if the content stands out in some way (this could be an intriguing sense of humour, an intelligent way of connecting dots on issues and showing a larger picture, or simply the author’s personal style of writing).
I noticed you place the “about” page high in your list, but for me it’s almost the last thing I check. Wether or not I like the blog will not be affected by who the author is or where he/she is from. However, I find it important that it exists, and is not simply the default page created by the software, since it affects the credibility of the blog.
I’ll read a couple of posts and if they’re interesting, add it to Google Reader. Then I’ll give it a couple of weeks. After a while if it looks like I’m not really interested in it then I’ll get rid of it. Pretty simple – if I read it it stays, if I don’t it goes. But if I’m there, I was brought there due to interest in some article, so it’s worth a chance. And with more coffee this morning I’d probably be more coherent, but I think you get my point.
One other thing, which I just realized when reading the next post in my list: language. I’m not a prude, and depending on the circumstances can use language as crude as anyone else, but I just read a technical article that was written like a drunken sailor – good information, big turnoff on writing style. Buh-bye blog…
I’m not too critical on looks. The I like comments and well written posts. Sometimes, people write long posts because they think they have to. Sometimes a long one is needed to communicate well. But not always. The internet crowd is impatient. Short concise seems to work best for me. I want the most bang for my buck.
@Olrandir: “I noticed you place the “about” page high in your list, but for me it’s almost the last thing I check.”
If it’s a technical blogger and I am reading the blog for how-to’s and such, I then don’t really care about who’s writing as long as it’s solid content. And no matter what the blog, if the content is really good I won’t disregard it based on the ‘About’ page, but I do enjoy a blog much more if I feel a kind of know that blogger a little. I like to have some connection, some idea of who they are and what they’re about.
@Bill Greenberg: “I just read a technical article that was written like a drunken sailor – good information, big turnoff on writing style. Buh-bye blog…”
This is a good point. We can’t rely on solid ideas without good grammar and a little editing to back it up.
@rebel: “The internet crowd is impatient. Short concise seems to work best for me. I want the most bang for my buck.”
No doubt about this! Many blog readers expect ‘fast food posts’. Not to say that we should compromise our quality for a quick fix, but if we can’t get a reader to continue past the first paragraph, then it doesn’t matter WHAT we typed after that.
Hi Eric – Great post with good points, however, since I’m always on the lookout for new blogs, I take almost all of what I see with a grain of salt, mainly because I know blogs that stick around will change over time as a blogger becomes more comfortable with working behind the scenes, changing their theme, adding/subtracting things, etc. . Plus I know their comment counts will increase as well as their stats.
What I do look for is content that resonates with me and content I think will resonate with my readers (if I’m considering them for my “New Blog Of The Week series). And, like you said in #2- the posting frequency and date of the posts, as some blogs are dormant.
BTW: I enjoyed your video. That’s a nice touch!
@Barbara: “…blogs that stick around will change over time as a blogger becomes more comfortable with working behind the scenes, changing their theme, adding/subtracting things, etc. . Plus I know their comment counts will increase as well as their stats.”
I agree with this 100% and I’m glad your brought it up. That’s basically what I was referring to in point #2 when talking about determining the age of the blog. And that after I figure this out, “This helps me adjust my expectations appropriately.” In other words, if I realize they have only been blogging for a short time I realize that much will improve over time and that, as you said, “…content that resonates with me…” is of the utmost importance.
I sure hope people will cut me some slack as I fumble around the dos and dont’s of blogging while I’m still learning. I think it’s important that I do the same for others. Something to remember as I peruse other blogs.
I think this is a great list, Eric. You cover all the bases. I know I’ve become a lot more critical since I started blogging. I think my reader is a tool. If it’s not becoming more valuable week by week, then what am I doing? You’ve done a fantastic job in a short time. You should be proud. P.S. I liked seeing your face. Good stuff.
I definitely like blogs that have active commenters, it makes me want to engage with the blog and helps me feel like a part of a “community”. It really helps when the bloggers themselves responds to all the posts.
I also like blogs that either share useful information or give a different insight into topics I’m interested in.
But in order to keep me around, the blog either needs to have great writing and an engaging tone, or I have to fee like I’m part of that blog’s community.
Thanks for the video Eric!
Initial attractors are post titles and the company they keep. I liked what you said on a comment at Barbara’s blog so I paid you a visit. I’ll now subscribe and look around for a bit. I also take into account a blogger’s interactions and willingness to support other bloggers. Definitely agree with your #5. It’s not just you.
Hi Eric,
I think (generally) bloggers have compassion for others as we all know what goes into blogging. Plus, as we get to know a blogger via their comments/community, we often realize what their shortcomings are. For me, I’m self taught and had very little knowledge of the techie stuff. As time goes by, I learn more and then add (or subtract), from my blog.
With bigger blogs, I figure they’ve been around because they’re doing “something” right, and on those, I’m there for the content. On newer blogs like yours, I’m there for the community as well as the content, and will love to watch as you grow.
H Eric – Glad to see you got your CommentLuv working.
Barbara Swafford´s last blog post..Signs of A Blogoholic
@Writer Dad: “You’ve done a fantastic job in a short time. You should be proud.”
That’s funny that you say that because I was just thinking the same thing the other day. You’re really building a quality blog with some amazing content.
@Matt R: “I definitely like blogs that have active commenter, it makes me want to engage with the blog and helps me feel like a part of a “community”.”
I think most readers are the same way. The challenge is getting over that hump where no one is commenting because they are waiting for someone else to be the first. It’s that whole awkward silence thing.
@Tom Volkar: “I also take into account a blogger’s interactions and willingness to support other bloggers.”
This is HUGE! Without this you are’nt showing your readers any appreciation for their stopping by and their willingness to interact. I’m sure it does get harder, though, when you get to a certain size. I guess you just have to get creative.
“Definitely agree with your #5. It’s not just you.”
At least I’m not the only one.
@Barbara: “With bigger blogs, I figure they’ve been around because they’re doing “something” right, and on those, I’m there for the content. On newer blogs like yours, I’m there for the community as well as the content, and will love to watch as you grow.”
I’m exactly the same way. I find it interesting to watch smaller community blogs grow; seeing how they adjust; do they still have that same community feel?
“H Eric – Glad to see you got your CommentLuv working. ”
All because of YOU!
Thanks for the assistance. Eric.
Hmm. I would go for blogs where there’s some interactivity going on in there, like yours, where we write non generic posts and articles while giving our best articles published.
Daniel Richard´s last blog post..Never Die Trying, Have A Spirit Of An Explorer!
@Daniel: I agree, interaction is very important. Otherwise, as a reader, you just feel like it’s a one way conversation. Some people like that, but I loose interest.
I like your post title by the way. I’ll have to give it a read. Eric.
I am a mommy/writer who blogs, and I have been on a variety of blogs. Some of the things that I’ve liked (several of which you’ve pointed out already):
1. An about page with a photo
2. Good content wins out any day over snazzy razzle dazzle
3. No profanity or vulgarity (I scan quickly for this, and if I see any, I usually leave; just my personal preference)
4. Even if the comment number is low, if I like the post, I comment. I don’t really care how young the blog is. I will comment whether it be the first or the hundredth.
5. A playfulness that speaks of a friendly, fun personality.
6. The shorter the post the better, especially if it packs a punch.
7. I usually come back if the person replies to my comment on their blog, but after a while, if the visit is not reciprocated, I’m not as eager to return.
I’ve been circulating around in Barbara Swafford’s community and have been visiting your blogs. You all have a wondeful thing going here. Keep it up!
Pink Ink´s last blog post..Not Guilty
@Pink Ink: I was going to quote the part of your comment that I most connected with and then give my opinion, but I’d have to quote the whole thing. You touch on everything quite well and spot on with my own opinion. Thanks for adding to the conversation!
“I’ve been circulating around in Barbara Swafford’s community and have been visiting your blogs. You all have a wondeful thing going here. Keep it up!”
We will and I appreciate the kind words. Eric.