This sounds like heresy, but after being a voracious consumer of blogs, etc. I find I’m having a hard time persuading myself to keep reading most of them. Many that seemed to have interesting insights I’ve discovered become significantly less useful and interesting over time.

This isn’t a complaint that bloggers aren’t journalists. I’ve found the ones that are good journalists. But blogs typically mix “news” with opinion/analysis. This works great when the opinion is fresh and innovative, but seems really hard to sustain over time.

One dramatic example is a first rate tech blog whose comments I can predict typically as soon as I see the headline. They were interesting the first half dozen or so times I read the author on similar subjects, but after a while contained very few surprises. He’s got a valuable opinion about the excesses of the patent industry, but unless he introduces new ideas I already know what he will say. I now read more out of obligation, rarely finding something that I didn’t expect.

Many writers produce one or two good novels, and then repeat themselves at painful length. I think this is a trap pulling down many of the best bloggers, who’ve spent a lifetime building knowledge and opinion. To retain my interest, they’ve got to go beyond what they have already done.

It takes enormous effort to always find something “new.” But I think it’s essential to hold longtime readers.
db

Yeah, I felt the Poynter post was long enough, I’m more free to go longer on this blog.

But you make a good point. I should recraft the last section of this post for Tidbits.

Thanks

- Amy

Yeah a couple of years ago I thought I was just being impatient about it. Now I’m actually concerned. There’s got to be a way to speed this process along.

- Amy Gahran