Sep | 10 | 2008

Long Or Short?

Posted by Jimmy as Tips, Writing

No, I am not talking about the size of paper. I am, in fact, thinking about the length of a blog post. I have always been a proponent of short blog posts – not short short but roundabouts 200++ words. My rationale is that readers who frequent blogs may not have the luxury of time for reading through long and convoluted posts.

These past few weeks, however, I have thought a bit on this topic and I think that I might have to qualify my stand. Don’t get me wrong, I still am a proponent of relatively short blog posts. However, I think that there are times when 500 words, or even more, may be called for.

So what is the rule with regard to the length of blog posts? I am sorry to say that I have no clear cut answer. I think that the answer will lie in your target audience and your topic. For example, if your aim for a particular post is to present a bit of breaking news, then perhaps a shorter blog post would be more appropriate. After all, readers who are looking for specific information would want to get the meat of the matter quickly. On the other hand, if your aim is to give a narrative of a certain event, with all the juicy details included, then naturally, a longer blog post would be necessary.

The bottom line is this – write content that would engage your target readers. Whether a post is long or short would matter, yes it is true. But at the end of the day, it is the quality of the content that would matter more.

Comment (1)

One Response

Suzanne Bird-Harris | vAssistant Services
17|Sep|2008

Visually appealing posts will keep me reading longer.

Paragraphs containing 2-5 sentences, max.

Headings help me scan.

I’ll read forever if I’m learning or interested.

So, I agree with you that the quality of the content matters more than the quantity. But don’t forget presentation, because even the best content isn’t going to get read if it’s not appealing and easy on the eyes.

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