Blogs: Good or Bad?

There are many different types of blogs out there. Some entertain us, while some inform us. With all these variations of blogs we can look at what makes some successful so that we can incorporate traits to improve our blogs. The first blog I chose to explore was Billboard because it is the most popular so I wanted to see what made it so succesful. The first thing I immediately noticed was the layout of the website. It had a ton of large pictures with captions that drew in your attention.  This made me want to start reading everything to find out more about the headline.

Clearly, you can see that they are using relevant pop culture and photos to draw in your attention which keeps you on the site exploring. On the other hand there is a flood of information that attacks you making you feel overwhelmed by the amount of articles you can view. As you begin to explore it just feels like more and more information is being thrown your way which can make it hard to navigate the site. Overall, I feel that Billboard is an effective blog at informing and entertaining people to stay updated on todays pop culture.

Another blog I looked into was what The Verge. This blog is focused on examining and informing how technology will impact society as it become more incorporated into our everyday lives. I noticed that as soon as you enter the blog there is bold captions that seem to be popping off the screen at you.

They are more organized with their layout as they have top stories numbered on one side for easy access and live updates for events below. This article seems to do a better job of motivating people whereas Billboard was more for entertainment.

I wanted to learn more about different elements in a blog that can make it successful. I did somer research and found an article by Forbes that talks about blogs. Some things that stood out to me that I also saw in the successful blogs above, were headlines that grab the readers attention and visually appealing images or graphics that help keep the readers involved. After analyzing various blogs, I have been able to identify some good and bad things each blog does. This is useful information and techniques that I should be incorporating into my blogs to help enhance the experience.