Types of Blog Postings

That post I made about attribution got me thinking about the format and content of blog postings. The way I see it, there are basically three types of postings.

• Original Content, No Target: This is where you actually write something yourself, and there’s no “target” of the post – no thing that you’re directing the reader to. That’s not to say that you can’t have links in the posting, it’s just that they’re not the point of it. There will normally be no quoted passage in this type of posting. (Example: Microsoft Excel as a Simple Content Storage Mechanism)

• Target with Value-Added Commentary: This is where you have a target – a URL that you’re directing the reader to and discussing – but you also have a value-add where you provide supporting information, additional links, etc. It can be a lot of original content, but the original point is some other resource that you link to and discuss. Your role here is (1) to provide a link to the item, and (2) to provide a value-add in the form of some additional information. A quoted passage will be part of this type of posting. (Example: Oracle Ups PeopleSoft Offer Again)

• Target with No Value-Added Commentary: Dave Winer does this a lot. Since he’s using Radio, he doesn’t even have titles. Usually he just has a title and a link somewhere in it. A little cryptic, sometimes, but quick. I don’t do this much. Sometimes you can have commentary, but it doesn’t provide any value. Crack a joke, write maybe one sentence to set up the link, or something, but you don’t really add anything. Oftentimes the quoted passage will be the entire entry. (Example: Camera Phone to the Rescue).