Business Blogging - Sometimes Shorter is Better
Posted by Steve Lazuka on Sun, Apr 19, 2009
The old school way of thinking is that the longer your blog posts are, the better. After all, there's so much to say about any given topic. If you look hard enough, there is always a layer of depth hidden beneath the surface of any subject matter. Why not give your readers all that detail?
... because they won't read it.
The internet has changed the way people consume information. They don't want or need to read your long thesis on the topic. They don't have time for that. They're surfing around at blazing speed looking for the few nuggets that interest them. Sure, maybe they like your style, but they also follow a hundred other people and want to hear what they have to say as well.
Why has Twitter exploded in the past year? It's because people naturally think in short bursts of thought. A sentence or two about a topic is perfect since you can quickly absorb it and move on to the next thing.
So what does this mean for business blogging? It means, keep it simple and short. Get to the heart of the matter and then force yourself to stop from rambling.
This doesn't mean you should be afraid to go into depth once in awhile. If the topic truly calls for it, then feel free to keep writing. However, make sure every sentence counts. Every WORD should count.
Time for me to stop.