Where Have All the Bloggers Gone?
Jul
07
2010
Two or so years ago, Angie and I dove head first into the blogosphere and online design community, being drawn to its vibrant and dynamic nature. There was a united purpose and mission among the masses that all seemed to flood into this landscape and we saw the design community grow by leaps and bounds. Large sites grew larger, dominating the market and creating models that others thought they could also work off of and perhaps build their empire along the way.
There was a great post about this on Drawar concerning how Smashing Magazine’s approach was so popular that so many began trying to mimic what they were doing and the overall dialog quickly began to degrade. There were signposts and warning all over the place, and even Smashing commented on the post talking about how they were altering their model, and they successfully have. While Noupe now continues on with their primarily list style post approach, Smashing presents mainly thoughtful and engaging posts that do what a blog post should do. Make you think.
Now I say what a blog post should do, and in saying so, I realize that I am assigning that role to it, when that may never have been the intent that produced a particular post. But I say this as someone who was drawn into the blogosphere by this community that now has degenerated greatly from the online haven that once appealed to the writer within me. Calling to my pen with an opportunity to find a home, and that is what has happened. But where the landscape was once filled with such promise of thoughtful engagement, it now seems to be more of a barren wasteland of attempted inspirational outbursts.
Granted inspiration is important, and it is noble to try and assist others to fan the flames of their imagination, and though Smashing listened to the masses and adapted their model, far too many others have opted to stay this course and things have gone downhill…fast. So many of the feeds we once kept track of, became nothing more than another uninspired collection of 50 of this or 30 of that to help make me spank my inner creative moppet and kickstart me into creative motion. So we stopped following, and began wondering…
Where Have All the Bloggers Gone?
Blogging used to be about writing a piece of commentary or instruction. Using your words to stimulate and reach out to others within the online collective and share ideas, trade processes, or even contemplate the trends that guide the market we work in. In the aftermath of the list post pandemic it seems that so many people are turning to pictures to speak for them, and the actual engaging writing has faded from prominence through the blogosphere.
Shortcut posts crop up all over, pointing us to 10 posts that each collected 10 posts on the topic that the blog runners would have written about themselves, but this was easier than the extra effort to consider the overall idea, so why re-invent the wheel. But if you don’t put anything resembling actual thought into your topic or post, how do you expect the audience it is aimed at to get anything from it that make them think? Now perhaps it is just the junkie for balance within my hippie nature that is raging against this dying of the light, as I consider the proverbial scales tipping far from moderation and polluting the waters we initially dove into.
Buried there in all of those mixed metaphors was a point, oh yeah, moderation. Remember that one kids? It was the key to everything. An oldie, but goodie if ever there was one. That magical ingredient that an awful lot of the blogging populous has completely left out of the recipe. Leaving so much of the community output falling a little flat on the delivery, and not feeling like a community of bloggers as much as a collection of awestruck fans pointing at what others have crafted. Not taking the time to create something of their own to contribute to the community.
So What Happened?
As we watched this happen, that question sounded over and over? What got so many stuck in the list post loop? The rush to copy this seemingly uber-successful Smashing model could prove indicative of a bit of avarice steering the ship. In uncertain economic times, so many flocked to the web hoping to bite off their piece of the endless financial freedom that was promisingly packed within the freelance design market. When they arrived, the blogosphere seemed like the key to unlocking this freedom from the uncertain financial future plaguing so many. And the copycatting began.
So was Diddy, right? Was it in fact all about the Benjamins? Is that what rendered the rest of us into a lazy list post recycled content purgatory? The fact that the main pursuit for a large portion of the influx of new bloggers that we saw emerge was one of financial gain, would explain the rise and fall of the number of dedicated bloggers sticking around after the dust is settling. When they didn’t all reach the same heights as the original model, and the money wasn’t there like they thought, they either dropped out, or tuned out. Why listen and adapt, if it is not going to pay off the way you hoped? Why not just stick with what’s easy?
So this answer does seem like it could be possible when you look at the way the landscape has changed over the passed couple of years, and could explain some of the content trends that have stuck. People can say that they were only responding to what the audience wanted, but if that were the case, they would have continued to evolve. They were not responding to the audience no matter how loudly they may proclaim the opposite, they were instead responding to an enthusiasm the audience was showing for something they were not getting anywhere else at the time.
It was the innovative and original nature of what they were doing that people responded to, and instead of taking that idea forward, so many just tried to replicate the output and expect the same results. Hopefully, by and large, the community finds its way back to that nature and discovers what once made it so great, its engaging dialog that it opened up to us all through thought-provoking, insightful articles. Before it loses its relevance in the lazy list post loop, and cannot find its way back.
A Final Word
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July 7th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Excellent point. I have tried to do this on my blog and, although somewhat slower than I’d like, I have found that the growth and community involvement is more solid and less fleeting. Thanks for sharing.
Also, your comment box should be bigger.
July 7th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Hey Preston, thanks for the comment and the heads up on the comment box (which has now been remedied). I agree, the connection is much more solid with this approach. As always, we appreciate you stopping by.
July 7th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
I hear you Rob, however I would point out that there are bloggers who are writing deep and thoughtful posts that aren’t top 10 lists.
I’ll include myself among them. For about a year I’ve been mostly writing about design principles and while I won’t tell anyone my blog is the greatest thing on earth, I think it’s pretty clear that lazy it ain’t.
One thing I’d say in defense of Smashing Magazine is their list posts aren’t lazy either. They actually create some useful lists. It’s more the other sites that took the lazy approach. Smashing Magazine also mixes lists with more thoughtful posts. Many of the others sites publish nothing, but lists.
I’d also add the problem isn’t all on the sites publishing those posts. It also has to fall on us for reading them. If the community doesn’t want to see an endless stream of list posts all we have to do is stop visiting those posts. We stop visiting, page views go down, advertisers pull out, and lists posts go away. List posts will continue to exist as long as people keep visiting and sharing the links to them.
July 7th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Hey Steven, thanks for the comment. And you are right, there are some folks out there doing things right, which we do point out. And we are not ragging on Smashing, in fact, I enjoy writing for them quite a lot. In fact, we point out, how they have adapted their model quite well.
As we start with, we when got into the blogosphere a couple of years ago, there were so many flocking to the sphere also. We were two among so, so many that there was talk about how saturated the blogosphere was getting. But a lot of those sites have faded out of relevance nearly and it’s odd to see so many falling into the list loop.
The balance is shifting is the point, not that no one is out there actually engaging anyone. And as for visiting those sites, as said, we cleared our reader and have stopped going. This post is a call to get others to see this trend for what it is and to reject it. So you are spot on, until the community turns a blind eye to the producers of these sites, then they will continue to lazily put the lists together.
Thanks again for the comment, and for the read. Keep up the good work on your blog, also!!
July 7th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
What a timely article.
I expressed the exact same sentiment just a few months back in a post about “annoying bloggers” where I expressed how many of the “rock stars” have simply moved on or lost their way or some combination of both. Take a look:
http://bonfx.com/top-10-annoying-graphic-design-bloggers/
Top 10 annoying graphic design bloggers
The illustrations for the article say it all, especially if you like marshmallows
My thought is that we’ll see some kind of final stage of the list post feeding bonanza, or some metamorphosis, that swallows up the list post form as we know it and transform it into something else. I think we’ll see this emerge in 2010 and early 2011.
Second, I think we’ll see bloggers focusing in on niches more and more. The shotgun approach to generating generic traffic is just time and energy intensive with no real ongoing value.
I started about 9 months ago and quickly found that what I was most interested in doing and what I was trying to blog about weren’t the same thing. I thought there were things I was supposed to blog about, to “make it”. Those things quickly faded out of purview as I practiced the art of blog post writing. For me, the continued clarification came through the process of writing.
For me, the idea of a glorified list post turned into a book I’m now working on. Think about it. After a list of 100 of anything, just based on those resources alone, you have enough material if you are diligent, to comb together into some kind of book.
I can see a point in the future, not too distant, where I actually purge my site of all the experimental articles and keyword-laden, attention-grabbing, but well-meaning posts from the first few months.
July 8th, 2010 at 12:51 am
Rob I hope I didn’t imply that were coming down on Smashing Magazine. My bad if I did.
I think you’re completely right with you’ve said in this post. It’s interesting, because there’s nothing inherently wrong with a list post. Many people clearly like them. Yet at the same time many in the design community are tired of seeing lists posts that offer little value.
I think what’s happened is some have focused on the format while ignoring the content itself. There are good lists posts, but unfortunately most that we see aren’t. They are the quick and lazy posts you mentioned.
I’d like to see more people writing in-depth and thoughtful posts as well.
July 8th, 2010 at 2:15 am
[...] Direct Link [...]
July 8th, 2010 at 3:23 am
Awesome read.
I am not a fan of lists posts to say the least and I would never make of them the bread-and-butter of my blog. Now, I am not saying that list posts are pure evil; they work particularly well for some kinds of informative articles. It’s also an effective way of outlining and structuring ideas. However what pains me the most is that they are used for the wrong purpose and are taking over the design community at the expense of more in-depth thought-provoking articles.
July 8th, 2010 at 6:13 am
Hi Rob,
I think one of the reason that blogger stop writing in-depth and thoughtful article is because the lack of appreciation and readership of such article.
Bloggers tend to sway to the trend. Like you mentioned that blogger are becoming lazy, readers themselves have also become lazy.
They simply don’t bother to read a well-written article completely.
July 8th, 2010 at 9:47 am
Hey Douglas, thanks for the link, nice post indeed. I think you have a point also, that refining the focus of their site could help a lot. Nice idea about the book. Hadn’t thought of that before.
Hey Steven, no in fact, I began wondering if I had made that clear in the post, so I wanted to reiterate those points. Thanks again! And you are spot on, there is value if they are actually thoughtfully crafted and information about each entry is included in the posts. They can be more than they currently are. Appreciate the follow-up.
Kaishin, not pure evil, just close.
lol, thanks for the comment and the read.
Aidan, you are completely right. Most of the audience will skip over the wordier posts, and list posts are easier to skim through. That’s what so many of us do nowadays. We browse and skim. It’s the web on ADD. Thanks for taking the time to not only read the post, but to offer your thoughts as well.
July 8th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Nice read Rob, and very well written!
July 8th, 2010 at 11:29 am
Thanks, Josh. Always a pleasure, my friend.
July 8th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Agreed pretty much all over. The lists of lists of lists stuff is annoying and if I click on something that leads to a post like that, I usually don’t stick around long. I may have only recently started posting with any sort of regularity, but I pride myself on original articles and more specifically, interviews with fellow designers. My next task for myself is getting more variety of posts instead of those interviews dominating my feed.
July 8th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Thanks for the read and the comment, Michael. I understand wanting some variety in your feed. Though, I have to say, I love a good interview. Always nice to get insight into others creative processes and find out a little more about them. So kudos to you for keeping that connection going too!
July 8th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
But isn’t the other problem that most people actually don’t want to take the time to READ a well-crafted article anymore? (If they ever did, that is.)
I don’t know a lot about the design niche, but in other parts of the web, the usual “list 33 awesome things” game will STILL grow your blog faster than you can think, because people are still looking for it. That said, I hope you’re right and times are changing indeed…
July 8th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
[...] Where Have All the Bloggers Gone? [...]
July 8th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
That is true, Fabian, as Aidan also pointed out. Though I do see light at the end of the tunnel, when I see the response that this post has already gotten. I hope that the tides will continue to turn in this direction.
Thanks for stopping by and giving the post a read.
July 8th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Great insights! I think lists are here to stay… That being said, it’s all about finding the right balance between lists and other type of content.
July 8th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Thanks, Walter, really appreciate the comment. Balance is the key, indeed. There is a place for lists, especially when correctly done, but like you said, there needs to be more than just that from the site.
July 13th, 2010 at 5:55 am
I really loved this post, and it raises some issues that are on my mind constantly when blogging. Unfortunately, I’m not perfect in my own blogging efforts, and do use list style posts more often that I would like. However, I do make a conscious effort to listen to my audience and respond. I write as many tutorials as I find time for, and the introduction of the unique ’30 minute redesign’ series has gone down well. However, I continue to put out inspiration style posts for several reasons:
1. I don’t always have time for a hugely in depth analytical article or full tutorial
2. I appreciate list posts myself. Sure, they may not be as engaging as posts such as this one, but they are sure better than nothing. I’d rather give my readers some inspiration than simply not post that day (this doesn’t do well for my stats).
3. I run my site alone, and therefore struggle to balance everything at points.
I’m aware that these points may not make me look like the ‘guru’ that would promote my blogging career further, but they are honest. Personally my solution will be taking on board more guest authors, when I launch with the new network (http://www.fanextra.com). However, obviously this involves more financial commitment (quite a lot actually).
One tip I would give to new bloggers is perhaps don’t start writing every single day. If you start by posting every day your audience will come to expect this from you. Then if you run into time constraints you’re still forced to come up with a daily article, and can’t spend the extra time working on an article for several days.
Once again, great post guys!
July 13th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
We appreciate the comment, Tom. I understand the driving force behind these types of posts, and we have even put them out in the past. I agree that once you have an established schedule, a lot of times that can become an imposing deadline that makes meeting it a near impossibility. Though we started altering our approach to lists a while ago finding that in the time it takes to gather and arrange 40 to 50 images for inspiration, we could gather 10 to 15 that we could then write a synopsis of and maybe discuss the techniques or styles and why we appreciate them. It just shows a bit more thought and effort, but takes about the same amount of time as a larger post.
But again, I think it is about finding a balance, and that may mean one that is destined to be based on individual preference, and as you said, listening to your readers and responding to them.
By the way, congrats on the expansion! Always excited to see more from the Fandom!
July 19th, 2010 at 7:29 am
Cheers Rob. That’s definitely a good point about the smaller, but more in depth articles, as well as finding a balance. I think to be honest I’ll start leaning towards longer, and more in depth articles, but just getting less sleep
.