Write Articles, Not Blog Posts

Managers and entrepreneurs are always trying to avoid the so-called commoditization. Sugar and coffee, for instance, are commodities. When you become a commodity, you can no longer differentiate yourself, and consumer’s purchase decision will be based on price solely. That is not a good position to be in.

Does the Internet have commodities? I think so, and so does Jakob Nielsen, a web usability guru. Recently he published an article on this topic titled “Write Articles, Not Blog Postings.”

Jakob is arguing that people should focus on in-depth and original articles instead of superficial blog posts:

Blog postings will always be commodity content: there’s a limit to the value you can provide with a short comment on somebody else’s work. Such postings are good for generating controversy and short-term traffic, and they’re definitely easy to write. But they don’t build sustainable value. Think of how disappointing it feels when you’re searching for something and get directed to short postings in the middle of a debate that occurred years before, and is thus irrelevant.

There is no novelty here, I know, but the way he handles the matter is quite interesting. Also, if you are looking for some practical advice, you could start by replacing the word “posts” with the word “articles” through out your blog. Instead of “Recent Posts,” for instance, use “Recent Articles.”

Thanks Jorge for pointing me to the article.

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