Chris’ recent struggles to create an interest in his Looney Tunes posts made me think about posting on the blogosphere. There are a lot of reasons people have for posting on their blog, and some encourage more comments than others. Just because you don’t receive any comments on a post doesn’t make it a bad post. Here are a few generalizations about different types of posts.
1) Diary Posts
This is probably the most common type of post. I usually make these when I have nothing in particular on my mind to write about. I’ll find a few interesting occurrences over the last few days, and ta da, I’ve got a new post. There’s nothing wrong with these posts, but don’t expect a flood of comments to roll in. The problem with a post like this is that it doesn’t invite very much discussion. To make a simple diary post more interesting, don’t simply recount what you’ve done like an encyclopedia, but make sure you mention how it made you feel. Give the reader some insight about why you felt it was important enough to share.
2) Creation Posts
These are really rare, unless your name is Paully Wally. These are posts where you’ve created something from nothing. Whether that is art, writings, video, or something else of that nature. I think these are fun posts because it takes the blog beyond just words.
3) Opinion Posts
I like these kinds of posts. They can cover a wide range of topics from politics to religion, and they are almost always passionate. These are usually a rant of some sort and always entertaining to read, whether you agree or not. These posts are great for discussion because when you’re passionate about something it can illicit responses from other people that either agree or disagree. You will most certainly receive more comments about your opinion regarding thong underwear than letting people know you went to the market yesterday for milk.
4) Discussion Posts
I would say these are similar to opinion posts, but with different intentions. Sometimes I’ll use an over the top rant opinion post to force people out of their shells to post, but a discussion post is a much more agreeable way to spur blog discussions. The most important thing in a discussion post is that it has QUESTIONS! If you’re tired of never getting any comments, then start asking people questions, and go beyond the basic yes or no variety. Force people to think about something they haven’t yet and some great discussions will evolve.
I’m sure there are more varieties of posts, so I will open the floor and make this a discussion post. What other types of blog posts are there that we can categorize, and what is good and bad about them? This would also be a great opportunity for people to share the ups and downs of posting on their blog. What has been rewarding about it, and what sucks about it?
