This column is written by Kimberly Turner from Regator (a great tool that gathers and organizes the world’s best blog posts). – Darren
Thanks, as always, for stopping in for our weekly list of the ten most blogged-about stories, provided by Regator. This week, we’ll use posts about these hot topics to discuss thoroughness in blogging. “Thoroughness” can be a vague term, so I’ll define a thorough post as a post that tells the reader what they would want to know about a given topic and does not leave them with unanswered questions. Let’s take a look at some great examples:
- World Cup – Flavorwire’s “First Person: Scenes from England’s World Cup Fever” uses thirteen photos and accompanying text to paint a vivid and complete portrait of England’s World Cup fever.
- iPhone 4 – In “Word on TheStreet is that you shouldn’t buy an iPhone 4,” TUAW does a point-by-point rebuttal of a post from TheStreet.com. Posts or articles you disagree with can be a rich source of inspiration, just be sure to adequately address the points made in the original during the course of your rebuttal post.
- Stanley McChrystal – In “What Gen. McChrystal should have known about Rolling Stone’s reporter going in,” Slate’s Press Box blog spends more than 1,000 words elaborating on why McChrystal should not have agreed to take part in the Rolling Stone profile then adds a level of completeness by providing a dissenting opinion and asks readers to discuss the issue.
- Father’s Day – You need not be reporting on news to provide a thorough post. Miche G. Hill’s “My Dad: A Father’s Day Story” uses personal anecdotes and experiences to build a connection between her readers and her late father.
- Gulf of Mexico – Many blogs were quick to put up posts indicating that a federal judge had blocked Obama’s proposed drilling moratorium, but “Judge Strikes Down Obama’s Offshore Drilling Ban” from Treehugger went a step further by providing quotes from the judicial opinion and the White House press secretary, speculation on why the judgment was made, and a link to supporting documents. Providing these extra elements requires research, but the time spent is likely to strengthen your post and increase your credibility.
- Toy Story 3 – While many other posts on Toy Story 3 mentioned the tear-inducing nature of the film as part of a broader review, Cinematical’s “Why Does Pixar Make Growing Up Feel So Bad?” focuses in on that particular aspect of the blockbuster. If a topic seems too large to cover in a thorough manner, consider honing in on one particular aspect and covering that aspect well.
- Supreme Court – Like number 5 above, SLOG’s “R-71 Case: Supreme Court Rules Petitions Can Be Released” demonstrates that it is built upon solid research and was not just dashed off in haste.
- Miley Cyrus – Speakeasy’s “Miley Cyrus’ ‘Can’t Be Tamed’: Review Revue” combines reviews from various sources to create a one-stop post for those interested in how this pop star’s latest album is being received. Pulling together information from various sources can be helpful to your readers—so long as you also provide them with ample original content.
- Wimbledon – The Guardian’s “Wimbledon 2010 Live Blog: 23 June” may be one of the best examples of thoroughness ever to grace the Blogosphere. When Xan Brooks was assigned to the seemingly enjoyable task of live blogging Wimbledon, he almost certainly never expected the longest match in the history of tennis. Although he was, by the end of the 11+ hour match, rambling about zombie players and hearses, the champion never gave up.
- Kevin Rudd – Rather than simply linking to Kevin Rudd’s farewell speech video, Jack Marx’s “Kevin – too human, too late” analysed it, commenting on everything from the former Prime Minister’s eye contact and body language to the reaction of his son during the video.
Do you think about the thoroughness of the posts you write? Please share your thoughts in the comments!
Kimberly Turner is a cofounder of Regator.com and Regator for iPhone as well as an award-winning print journalist. You can find her on Twitter @kimber_regator.
