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Finding a Balance Between Quality Content and Generosity
July 31st, 2007 by Matt HugginsI don’t have time to read every post in all the blogs I’m subscribed to, so I end up skipping those posts that provide less content and are more of a “filler” (e.g.: blog reviews, link trains, blog contest entries, etc.). While I can’t say I’m in the majority, I’m positive that I’m not the only one who skips these types of posts, which unfortunately causes both the post and the blog to lose some value.
Keeping this realization in mind, I think it’s important to recognize that a good blogger is able to perform a consistent balancing act between quality content and generosity. When reading blogs that you consider to be an authority on a topic, take note of how many filler posts they have compared to the number of purely content posts. I’m guessing it’s a relatively small ratio, but I’ll leave that for you to determine.
Contrarily, consider some of the blogs you follow but don’t necessarily consider an authority on the topic. Do you find that the ratio of filler posts to content posts is higher than those of the authoritative sources?
Admittedly, being “tagged” by another blogger can be exciting, as it infers that others are reading what you write and implies that you’ll end up receiving traffic you otherwise might not have received. Furthermore, in becoming a valuable blogger, it’s important to network with others to make your blog known, which can include methods such as link trains, viral links, and other similar forms of link love.
While my intention is not to dissuade you from partaking in link trains and blogging contests (there is certainly value in each for their own reasons), there is a degree of importance in balancing the two types of posts if you are making an effort to be recognized as an authority. The exact ratio cannot be defined, however, and it is up to each blogger to determine his or her preference. Nonetheless, I encourage you to consider this each time your blog is tagged.
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July 31st, 2007 at 4:31 pm
You should also think about the shelf life of such posts. Your very unlikely to reference these posts in a years time. As your blog matures you should be backing up your points with previous posts.
Jamie
July 31st, 2007 at 8:38 pm
I skim all my RSS feeds a couple times a day. The real good ones I put in a folder then read later in the day when I have time.
Your blog is growing nicely. It has been a few weeks since I dropped by.
BeachBumIS
July 31st, 2007 at 11:43 pm
Good reminder, but i’m not sure what you are trying to say. It seems that you are concluding that filler posts should be kept at a minimum and to increase quality posts to a max. So it is not really so much of a balance but how much you can actually do.
August 1st, 2007 at 3:00 am
I think it is important not to really consider these as posts - and if you do post a “filler” post you should have something else that is new to offer your readers as well.
August 1st, 2007 at 5:40 am
Having said that, I recently un-subscribed to a couple of blogs because all post seemed too serious. So the odd filler post doesn’t harm, otherwise you become a online book or white paper.
So as you say Matt, it’s just finding the right balance.
Jamie
August 1st, 2007 at 10:20 am
When I first got into blogging I did a link train, but later on realized how it didn’t really provide anything to the reader and have not participated since. Filler posts are alright as long as you put a little thought into them and don’t do them all the time.
August 1st, 2007 at 2:05 pm
I skip right over the Friday recaps and useful link articles in my reader. Odds are what they are referring to is not valuable or interesting to me or I have already read it.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:38 pm
I think it also comes down to what type of blog you’re maintaining. I have 2 of them, one for reviewing and more business-styled posts, and one for whatever else. That’s where I do the link trains, and what not.
Also, some filler posts may turn out to be more informative to readers, and being shorter than normal posts, more appealing.
My 2 cents,
Christine
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:46 am
I agree with Christine,
I think the type of blog that you are running will affect the balance more than any other factor. For instance, my site is devoted to teaching web page design from the ground up in a semi-humorous way. My audience is very broad since quite a few people might want to learn more about my topic. How I manage my content is going to be very different from someone running a site on celebrity gossip.
I think the important thing is to maintain consistency with your balance. I write three semi-solid content articles every week. I also have two articles during the weekend directing people to interesting articles and useful sites. My readers (all 12 of them) know that my site is structured this way. They thus know what to expect.
I don’t think everyone needs to be so structured but I think it is worthwhile for every blogger to think about the balance at all times. If you decide that you are going to have “filler” articles around X times each month for instance and you stick to posting around that number I think your readers will appreciate it, even if they don’t realize it.
I have only been blogging for a few months, so clearly I am not an expert on the subject, but I think just taking some time to think about your posting habits will help maintain the proper balance for your particular site more than anything else.
-Andrew-
August 4th, 2007 at 6:49 am
[...] Huggins has a nice article about Finding a Balance Between Quality Content and Generosity. A very interesting article that is worth a [...]
August 4th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
[...] Finding a Balance Between Quality Content and Generosity This great article by Matt Huggins examines a topic that I don’t think we think about enough as bloggers. How many posts should we have that simply offer link love to other bloggers? Social connections are obviously important, but should we sacrifice some of the tone of our site just for the sake of link love? [...]