Written on September 12th, 2008 at 06:09 am by Darren Rowse
How Do You Define ‘Great Content’?
Blogging advice articles all seems to include the matra - “create great content”. The theory goes that if you create great content people will come to your blog, link to it, pass it on to friends, bookmark it and your blog will grow.
OK - we’ve heard the ‘write great content’ thing over and over again.
But what is this ‘great content’ thing that we talk about? How do you define it (or can you at all)?
What is Great Content?
I’m interested in how you’d answer this question. Looking forward to seeing what discussion emerges. Feel free to answer as a comment below of if you want to take it up as a post on your blog - please leave a link in comments so we can track what everyone is writing.
Tags: blog content, content
99 Responses to “How Do You Define ‘Great Content’?”
Joseph Arnone
September 12th, 2008 6:38 am
Great writing is subjective BUT it can be found when the reader finds a connection of value from the material for his/her own life.
Brad Shorr
September 12th, 2008 6:44 am
Building on Joseph’s comment, after reading great content, I have a better understanding of a problem or issue, my view on that problem or issue changes, and/or I am inspired to take action. For me that’s the value of great content.
Todd
September 12th, 2008 6:51 am
Write information that people want, make it clear and concise and make sure it’s full of substance!
Louis Liem
September 12th, 2008 6:53 am
A writing readers would share without being asked. Something that address to their problem so they’ll want everyone else to know. And also something you said earlier. An article people will waste their link juice on :)
Rachel
September 12th, 2008 6:55 am
Great content gets my readers to DO something. If I inspire them to tackle a home project, order supplies, watch a how-to video, tackle a craft…anything that promotes action means I’ve done my job.
Nate
September 12th, 2008 6:56 am
It’s gotta be memorable - something that affects us on a deeper level than just intellectual, that sticks with us after we’ve moved on. It’s gotta be remarkable - something that I’d want to share with everyone else. It’s gotta be valuable - something I can use to make my life better.
James
September 12th, 2008 6:56 am
Great content is in the eye of the beholder!
Cigar Inspector
September 12th, 2008 6:58 am
1. Unique.
2. Well written.
3. Helpful.
4. Easy to read.
5. Fun.
6. Engaging.
7. Makes people want to react (comment, link, stumble…).
Here are 7 rules that I came up with :)
Miz Liz
September 12th, 2008 6:59 am
Great content is SUBJECTIVE. But it starts and ends with offering, informing, and resonating. The hardest lesson? Even the best writer misses the mark at times.
Heather of Maternal Spark
September 12th, 2008 7:00 am
I enjoy reading posts that really allow me to connect with an idea or concept and understand it well. I like to read beyond basic ‘common sense’ info to be provoked into thinking down paths I didn’t see on my own.
And funny is good. I like funny.
Ali Hale
September 12th, 2008 7:03 am
Great content is memorable. It says something which the reader couldn’t have found anywhere else. It offers something unique: this could be the blogger’s style, the information in the content, or a different angle or point of view.
Great content is something which sticks with you after you’ve read it the first time.
Great content gets a response — it could change the reader’s emotions or thoughts in a single moment, or it could change the reader’s entire life.
Frugal Wench
September 12th, 2008 7:04 am
I think great content is something I will read all the way through, because I connect to it. Especially with blog posts, I tend to “go long”. I just rattle on and write whatever comes to my head. I’ve had people tell me that they feel like they’re talking to a friend when they read my posts. I write in the style I like to read. I like to be able to sit there with my coffee in the morning, and go to my Google Reader, and find something that feels like a conversation with someone I know and care about.
It doesn’t matter what you’re writing about. I’ve even read tech blogs that are personal like that. Blogger Buster is a good example. Very techie, but also very personal. I hate it when I need to know how to do something technical, and the writer is obviously only writing to other techies.
If you can’t convey your thoughts in everyday language, you’re going to have a horrible bounce rate, because after about a sentence or two, they’re going to click out.
th13rteen
September 12th, 2008 7:05 am
Good question. Great content is like a spark that pulls a visitor into your blog and turns them into regular readers. Makes them say “wow”, “makes a lot of sense”, “i never knew that” or anything like that.
You can’t really measure the quality of a content. Its just a little feeling type thing. You just know when you see it. Its like when you like someone, you just know it.
JMom
September 12th, 2008 7:08 am
What is great content is very subjective of course, depending on your interest. A great technical content may not interest me much as it would probably be way over my head :) Great content for me then, is something that evokes a reaction other than a yawn. If it piques my interest and makes me want to keep reading, that’s pretty good. If it makes me want to cry, that’s even better. If it makes me laugh out loud, that’s the greatest.
Mizuu
September 12th, 2008 7:13 am
I’m having a poll over at my blog right now in order to see what exactly my target group is and what they demands are. Most of the people responding tell me how they apreciate my content because of various things.
- I make use of diffrent multimedia, for example not sticking only yo vlogs or text or pictures. I like to make use of diffrent media, but not more than two at a time.
- Some of them really appraciate the amount of my work for the blog, research, rants and preparing materials (I blog on learning Japanese).
- My readers point out my creditabilty is in great balance with sense of humour, which is a con of course.
- They know I’m likely to be the only one blogger within this small niche (Polish blogs on Japanese).
On the other hand, I’d like to be more sociable, and stll learning on that. It’s quite hard to pursue bloggin in an uncrowded niche. My job is probably to attract people not interested in Japanese previously. That’s a whole damn of work :)
Sid Savara
September 12th, 2008 7:13 am
Great content to me needs to be easy to read in a few different ways:
1) Easy to skim / Well organized. If I can’t see what the post is about by reading titles and sub headings, I will not give it a chance. Unless it is Seth Godin or Mark Cuban. Everybody else has to write properly.
2) Good information that I can learn from, or entertaining. Give me a reason to read it.
3) Timely or Timeless. If it’s neither, it’s usually not worth my time.
Alisa
September 12th, 2008 7:18 am
1) Hooks me in from the first line
2) Tells a story with an arc (Beginning, middle, end)
3) Makes me respond emotionally (laugh, cry, stare at the wall and ponder, bang my fist etc)
4) Changes the way I see the world
Request: Could you do a blog about how to use Stumble Upon as a marketing tool? Specifically, how to make it easier for your site readers to figure out how it works.
J.D.
September 12th, 2008 7:18 am
Whenever you write posts on your blog that answer your readers’ questions, YOU HAVE JUST WRITTEN GREAT CONTENT.
1. Find out what your readers want.
2. Respond to what your readers want by writing up articles that answer all their questions.
3. If you don’t know how to answer your readers’ questions, then network with Darren Rowse, myself, or any other helpful blogger.
Greg Zentkovich
September 12th, 2008 7:19 am
Great content to me is one that helps me discover the answer(s) or information I was looking for in a creative, and entertaining way.
Shanel Yang
September 12th, 2008 7:20 am
In a word: Passion. You can’t fake it, and audiences can smell it a mile away.
Candis
September 12th, 2008 7:21 am
Decide on who or what your target audience and then KNOW IT.
Even extremely well-written content on a blog is ineffective if it doesn’t interest the audience that is reading it.
Alan Gay and Straight
September 12th, 2008 7:22 am
I think original ideas, but which everyone can relate to and as well as have an opinion about.
I like questions no one seems to have asked before.
My favorite post that I did was asking why only gay men have gaydar? I’ve never heard that question asked or answered really well yet ?
I
Steven-Sanders
September 12th, 2008 7:31 am
Interesting! I thought you were going to give some pointers on this… but I guess it all depends on what you’re writing for and who your audience is.
If you were writing for an audience of 12 & 13 year olds, it would be different than writing for a much more mature audience.
Todd Andrews
September 12th, 2008 7:46 am
Everything written by myself is inherently good content.
pavs
September 12th, 2008 7:53 am
This post of yours is a great content; in the context that this single post of your will probably create link backs than most 1000+ blog posts out there; as readers are likely to write about it on their blogs and link back to this post. This will also create higher number of comments than usual; which to some writers are best form of content, as they are user generated free contents.
:)
Bryn Youngblut
September 12th, 2008 7:55 am
I honestly think great content is writing something you are passionate about. If your just writing something to get traffic and hits then it will usually reflect in your writing. You can tell pretty easily when people make a post talking about whatever subject and they don’t have affiliate links everywhere, it’s genuine and you can get a real sense that the person does have a passion for the subject. That is great content.
Jennifer (Et Tu?)
September 12th, 2008 8:02 am
Passionate insights delivered concisely. :)
Mike Nichols
September 12th, 2008 8:02 am
I would define great content as:
1) Meeting the reader’s needs
2) Memorable - they remember and use it in their lives
3) Interesting enough to keep the reader going to the end
4) Well-edited and visually appealing
5) Posts that have a “long tail,” that readers keep coming back to.
I do my best to make every post have great content. But sometimes I am surprised how valuable readers consider a post that I thought was sub-par when writing it!
The Good Blog Guide
September 12th, 2008 8:05 am
For me great content is simple but concise, structured & exciting but most importantly its written with the reader in mind. NOT THE SEARCH ENGINES.
With this in mind, it’s important for the author to understand who exactly his/her blog has attracted, not who they want it to attract!!
Dainis Graveris
September 12th, 2008 8:31 am
I like to think, if You can write an article that enhances reader’s life - You created great content. It’s the same as the question - what can be called art? - If something great,unique has been created in their own sphere - it’s art.
Blogging Millionaire
September 12th, 2008 8:33 am
If it helps you!
http://franklinbishop.net/top-commenter-of-each-month-wins-200/
Brad V.
September 12th, 2008 8:36 am
Great content, in my opinion, is:
-Informative: I should come away from a blog post a little smarter than before. But some posts are still fun to read without being informative.
-Easy to read: Shorter paragraphs. A decent font that is not microscopic. And no flashing ads, talking characters, sudden loud music that distracts me from the content.
-Relatively clean of spelling/grammar errors: One or two in a post don’t bother me. But if errors are a chronic problem in a post, I’ll quickly give up. I might be more picky than most on this issue, though.
-The right length: I like posts with some meat to them. More than just one or two sentences, or even more than one or two paragraphs. But I don’t wanna read a novel. Don’t have time for long, drawn out posts with lots of detail. Blog posts especially, should be concise and to-the-point.
-On Subject: It’s okay to go off-topic every once in a while, but if a blog website is about iPhones (for example), I want a majority of the posts to be about iPhones. Otherwise I feel cheated.
-Honesty: Bloggers should be honest. If you don’t know something, that’s fine, I’ll respect you a lot more for admitting it. This also carries over to affiliate links, which brings me to my next point…
-Honesty in linking: If a post contains an affiliate link (to a book you read and really liked, for example), at least mention it. I always put “aff link” after anything I link to on Amazon with my affiliate account. Also, if more words in a post are affiliate links, I probably won’t click on any of them (yes, I do see this every so often).
-A modest number of daily posts: I’ve subscribed to a few big blogs that will have 20+ posts per day. That’s too many. I don’t want my time to be monopolized with so many posts from one blog. A couple of posts a day is fine.
I might seem picky but I have read a lot of great content that breaks 1 or more of the items I listed above. If a blogger is passionate about their subject, then I can easily lend them a little slack on their posts.
Ross
September 12th, 2008 8:46 am
Personally I would refer to a site as having great content if the writer is compelling and I’m enjoying what I read!
It’s kind of like being at the movies - contrast those films where you’re checking your watch to see when the movie will end vs the ones you’re so engrossed in the time just goes by - the same goes for ‘great content’.
Cheers
-Ross
Caleb G.
September 12th, 2008 9:57 am
Pure daring. Daring people to change, think, consider, act, feel differently about about any subject and walk away with that difference burning in their mind.
So if you walk away gears working, fuel of the mind burning that is great content…
DennisSC
September 12th, 2008 10:10 am
A number of good suggestions here — though nothing is applicable to every type of blog and not everyone has the same aim. (Political bloggers often go longer than readability might call for, but that’s okay because they have serious aims.)
Still, if there were any simple way to generate “great content,” we’d all be doing it and, suddenly, it wouldn’t be so valuable. Great content is valuable largely because it is rare and hard or impossible to generate at will.
Jess
September 12th, 2008 10:24 am
I think great content has to evoke something in the reader…whether that be emotion, laughter, or action.
It either promotes discussion…(think news or political blogs) or it promotes action (think problogger and the way you use the infomation to apply to your blog)
It may promote an emotional repsonse (dooce is good at this) or it may promote laughter (I try this with my blog)…
One thing that is important above anything else is Trust. Do you trust the writer’s opinion over others.
Because the content may be great but is it accurate and is the person trustworthy -?
Samantha
September 12th, 2008 10:28 am
Great content to me is interesting and useful. Having a great post title is a nice start, but if I read on and the content does not live up to the title, I may unsubscribe. Great content is not too long, not too frequent, but just enough so that the reader will be excited to see you posted something and happy to read it all. I think great content generally uses a variety of mediums, ie pictures, videos, perhaps audio, and related links (oh and of course writing!).
WD Favour
September 12th, 2008 10:41 am
If the reader thinks, “Hey! This is what I’ve been looking for to solve this pressing problem…” or “Wow! This is exactly the information I need right now to move beyond this challenge…” then it’s great content. It’s great content if it moves the reader closer to his or her dreams…
http://wdfavour.successacademyonline.org
Steven Wilson Marketing
September 12th, 2008 10:51 am
I would say great content would be something that one could learn from.Like finding the answer to some problem one may be having or something that may teach you a better way to do what ever it may be you are involved with.
Maria | Never the Same River Twice
September 12th, 2008 11:32 am
For me it’s simple.
Great content = helps at least 1 other person.
The end.
Bruno Auger
September 12th, 2008 12:00 pm
I thunk of it informative, easy to read and the reader get something out of it makes for great content
TheGoodNamesWereGone
September 12th, 2008 12:05 pm
1) Concise
2) Actionable
3) Accurate
There’s so much repitition on blogs now - people who take the time so work on original material, packaging up useful information into a neat post are gonna win.
Ryan McLean
September 12th, 2008 12:08 pm
Great content is simply content that answers the readers questions. Great content helps and builds up the reader in some way or another. If it doesn’t do this I question if it is ‘good’ content
Dr. R
September 12th, 2008 12:33 pm
Less is more.
Jeff
September 12th, 2008 12:34 pm
Used to be I’d give you a long detailed answer - nowadays, I might say “traffic.”
But when it really comes down to it, you have to deal with that disparity - the writer’s definition of “great content” might not be what makes a blog successful.
Stuart | Design Meme
September 12th, 2008 12:37 pm
I think good content is *useful* content. If someone’s looking for a recipe for banana muffins, then an awesome recipe is good content.
For my site I’ve found writing web design tutorials and releasing free scripts and FF extensions has been a good way to generate farily steady traffic.
Brutus Centinel
September 12th, 2008 12:40 pm
Great content requires excellence in three areas. A post must be accurate and precise, giving correct information in a tightly targeted area. It must be desirable by the reading public. It may be good but if no one reads your article it isn’t good for much. Third, it must be mechanically sound. So many posts are full of typos and grammatical errors. It’s hard to be great if you write like a third grader.
Great content does not come easily - it takes work. The old saw is proven: If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right!
Jonathan
September 12th, 2008 12:55 pm
LOL - nice one!
Write a post that is only 134 words, with a provocative question and a reliable crowd of readers.
Bang - you’ve just generated great content and didn’t even break a sweat!
I like it.
Cheers.
Alex
September 12th, 2008 1:31 pm
I think most people are either going online to find information or be entertained. If you have articles that provides either or both of those elements while engaging the reader, then you have created good content.
sandnsun
September 12th, 2008 2:53 pm
A convincing article that motivates reader to take an action - is a great quality content article.
Mary@GoodlifeZen
September 12th, 2008 3:33 pm
I would say that good content is one we have live through. It’s not enough to amass info, or to put forward interesting ideas.
I think a post only has power when we have put an idea or an experience to the test - in our own life. Then writing becomes an interesting interaction where the idea and our life collide and in the process bring forth something genuinely new.
Russell Coker
September 12th, 2008 3:38 pm
There are different types of great content which depend on the focus of the blog.
For my blog a large part of the content is based on original R&D work that I have done. So to a large extent my definition of great content is materiel that no-one else in the world could have written.
goodfather
September 12th, 2008 3:41 pm
For me, writing ‘great content’ is expressing myself in a way that truly captures the essence of what I’m trying to say. If I’m true to myself, I will be genuine. If I express the essence of my thoughts, I WILL be writing great content.
I’m blogging because I believe that the perfect form, the ‘great content’, is contained within the solid block of granite that is my Wordpress editor. My job is to free my thoughts, to express them through my craft, and let that artistic expression, whatever it might be, loose on the world. it’s why we all blog. Right?
Jack Rugile
September 12th, 2008 3:43 pm
What is great content?
Well, I can’t tell you what it is, but I can tell you what it makes me do and how it makes me feel! It makes me want to better person. It glues me to my RSS reader in hopes of a new post popping up from that writer. It gives me hope. It gives me confidence. It informs me. It enlightens me. It changes my point of view. It makes me laugh. It makes me sympathize. It puts me into action. It makes me ponder. It makes me feel alive.
It evokes emotion!
sean
September 12th, 2008 3:46 pm
Great content… wish I had some on my blog! While good quality posts are important, sadly much more is needed to actually get readers ie commenting on other blogs etc
hmph… what do i know?
J.D. Meier
September 12th, 2008 3:49 pm
The sum is more than the parts.
Here’s my first response http://blogs.msdn.com/jmeier/archive/2008/09/12/what-makes-great-content.aspx
Vintage Mommy
September 12th, 2008 4:08 pm
I like content with emotional impact, something personal, a story shared - as someone else said, funny is always a treat too.
Useful content is great of course, especially “how to” content without any hype!
TTS
September 12th, 2008 4:10 pm
I’m new to blogging - about 10 days or so - but I think great content is first of all relevant to the reader. I think it should also be helpful, timely and well written. Tutorials seem to get a significant portion of my reading time these days.
I also find myself enjoying blogs that include a good bit of sarcasm as well - especially if it is often pointed back at the author!
Nichelle
September 12th, 2008 4:12 pm
When I can recognize that the writer has invested themselves, their passion, and their knowledge to create the words on the page/screen, when I am motivated to act on what I have read, when I have an emotional response to what I’ve read, when I am compelled to share the article with someone else, or when reading and absorbing is effortless but not brainless, then I have read good content. If one work can do all of these things, it is great content.
I try to write good content for my blog and perhaps occasionally hit on greatness (or at least I’m working toward it). However, different things inspire different readers to action or reaction so I try to write in a way that inspires myself with hope that it will do so for others. I do take into consideration what my readers want and especially questions that they have, however, I try to focus on writing “for me” in a sense so that I can continue to produce good content. I can usually see through someone who is just writing something because they think it is what the reader wants, and I think my readers can too.
Daniele
September 12th, 2008 5:09 pm
Great content is unique, interesting, original content.
MJ Klein
September 12th, 2008 5:29 pm
“great content” is original content, and not the crap that passes for “blogging” these days. great content is not simply giving one’s opinion about what other people are doing. great content is also not all about the blog itself. great content is about what _you_ are doing and why.
Mario Lat
September 12th, 2008 6:11 pm
GREAT CONTENT is when someone blogs not just for the heck of having a blog. When a writer has something substantial to say. Something of value to the readers. Many a blogger writes as if the world is centered upon them-that the readers had to endure all the angst, and anger, and all the attitude projected on their posts.
AFTER reading a post with great content, you feel good and is encouraged to take a positive step towards something. Every writer should ask one’s self what would his writings profit others.
alex
September 12th, 2008 6:12 pm
It’s either funny or valuable for practical usage or both, not intended to reach digg’s front page and not about sarah pallin.
BloggerNewbie
September 12th, 2008 8:31 pm
This is my final answer: http://bloggernewbie.com/blog/
Chris
September 12th, 2008 8:53 pm
Great content is easy to read, easy to understand, straight to the point, unique and accurate.
Sunganani
September 12th, 2008 8:54 pm
Great content is
1. helpful
2. comes from the heart
3. has no fluff
That’s what has got me this far in blogging. Anything other than that meets the delete button.
Alan
September 12th, 2008 9:05 pm
There are several ways that I would define great content.
1. Fulfills a specific need that a person was searching for by providing practical information and advice
2. Answers a question that a person didn’t know they had or provides advice that a person didn’t know they needed (these are good but hard to promote since people don’t know they want them until they find them).
3. Not derivative, if you have nothing new to say as compared to all the other posts on the topic, then don’t say it at all (i.e. don’t write another post on how to get stumbleupon traffic unless you really can offer new insight)
It doesn’t have to be funny or controversial although it certainly can be as long as it fits one or more of the above criteria.
Just my take on it.
Michael
September 12th, 2008 11:01 pm
Great content is being yourself. When you are being yourself your content flows out of you naturally and your views and opinions are obvious. These opinions may spark positive or negative feelings. Either way you win because this will promote your readers to leave comments.
I just wrote an article where I call out the classic IT Guy for who he is and shoot it straight from the hip:
http://michaelsminddump.com/redefining-the-it-guy/
Veronica
September 13th, 2008 12:17 am
Great content has to be useful to the reader you are targeting. It should speak to them, clearly so they can understand. Of course, great content is also going to depend on the website/blog and purpose it is to serve. In some cases it should be as short as it can possibly be without compromising the goal of the copy. In other cases, not so. Sometimes it should be conversational and friendly, while other times it should be more subjective and neutral.
Really, it comes down to what kind of content it is supposed to be, and what the main purpose of that copy is.
Pat
September 13th, 2008 1:39 am
I define great content by two key criteria:
1. It fulfills a need.
This means you write to your audience, and always ask ‘How will my post be useful to my intended audience?’. I feel you should always be writing from their perspective, as that is the only way you will have people read you.
2. It is easily digestible. This can include many things - grammar, spelling, format, use of different media such as images, video and podcasts, and style of writing.
Alot of this here was covered in your ‘polish your posts’ articles. Since reading them I focused on making my posts much more polished by making use of good local photographers on Flikr who I contacted, and my blog’s quality has definitely increased recently.
There’s a lot of detail that can be provided but in my mind it boils down to these two things - solving a need, and communicating your solution.
Chika de Manila
September 13th, 2008 1:44 am
For me, great content will……
- move me to bookmark the site
- linger
- leave a positive feeling
- want to go back and read again and again
- will leave me thinking “why didn’t I think of that”
Hendry Lee
September 13th, 2008 1:56 am
I don’t mind a bit of fluff as long as the content is good. By good, I mean it is useful or give entertainment value.
If the post is to ask me to subscribe to the RSS feed, of course, the article should give me a very good reason to add it to my long list of RSS feed.
Parka
September 13th, 2008 2:05 am
Anything that can help readers in these three areas should be classified as great content:
1. Save time
2. Save money
3. Earn money
Entertainment value is bonus but not required, unless it’s an entertainment or opinion article.
Those three are what I believe to be the core.
To dress the content up into something sticky, here are some factors the great content should have.
1. Simple
2. Unexpected - story with a twist
3. Concrete - with examples
4. Credible - someone of authority said it
5. Emotional - must pull the heart strings of people
6. Story - there must be a story behind
These 6 factors are from the book “Made to stick”
Michael Kwamena-Poh
September 13th, 2008 2:14 am
Great content is relative! That is content is ‘reader’ or traffic-specific.
People are always writing Great content. And people are always writing content that is not RELEVANT or Great.
Content is great when it does a couple of things;
1. satisfies a need
2. imparts relevant or useful information
3. educates, teaches how to do something
4. appropriate to a particular situation or need
5. triggers a positive response or action
6. resonates with readers
7. entertaining and fun
Content is not ‘great’ when it does not do all or some of the above. By no means is the list above exhaustive. However for content to be great, it needs to fit in with the ‘needs’ of readers and create value for them.
One can write content which can be considered ‘great’ by a specific reader or groups of readers, but is at the same time of little or no value to other readers.
Format: great content need not be detailed or brief. However, it should have some of the following features;
1. well-written
2. good grammar; devoid of spelling errors
3. good spacing, strategic use of lists or bullet points
4. effective use of paragraphs to isolate and emphasize key points
5. prudent use of images
There are a host of other techniques (some posted by other bloggers already) which can make content great. And relevant.
An example of great content is this particular blog in which you ask for comments about great blog content given the fact that content is the ‘Mother of all traffic drivers’.
This blog has stoked and will stoke a mighty response from several bloggers because you have touched a ‘blogging-nerve’.
I regard your video blog on ‘Watching grass grow’ - maybe I have the title wrong - as one of the best pieces of blog content and information I have ever consumed. Why? Simple; it touches upon a key point in life.
Watching grass grow requires patience, nurturing and hopeful expectation that, that which one has and is investing continuous effort into will yield fruit.
Patience and persistence as captured in your video-blog are the keys to a successful venture and to a successful LIFE. And that video-blog was GREAT content.
My blog http://www.lifebeginzatpoetry.com is not ready yet; I am putting things in place; actual live-launch will be close to the end of this month.
Raivyn ~ Idiot's Guide to Blogging
September 13th, 2008 2:38 am
I wrote an article about this one not too long ago - http://www.idiotsguidetoblogging.com/2008/06/quality-conte-1.html
To sum it up:
“Quality content is the stuff that people are looking for to satisfy a need or desire. It is what people find useful, informative, or entertaining. It’s what makes them want to return to a website in search of more content, or even subscribe to RSS feeds. It is what people find to be valuable.”
Elizabeth
September 13th, 2008 5:44 am
I can tell you what great content ISN’T: it isn’t the same stuff, spewed out over and over again, with no fresh ideas, merely for the sake of posting. I’ve blogged about this recently… hmm… sound familiar?
http://blog.elizabethhoward.net/2008/08/21/problogger-content-madness/
Elizabeth
September 13th, 2008 6:41 am
Darren, Here’s the post you were asking for the link to.
http://blog.elizabethhoward.net/2008/09/12/metablog-madness/
E
CoolProducts
September 13th, 2008 7:22 am
Great writing keeps the reader on the edge of his seats. Informs the reader of ideas they may have known little or nothing about and leaves them wanting more. Find an interesting, new topic, or simply a new spin on a topic and go from there. Give the reader something that will make them want to read the rest of your articles. Find a way to do that and you will be in good shape.
ramiro marques
September 13th, 2008 7:56 am
Great content is when you tell and amazing story or when you give people a great technical advice nobody else know.
thomson dawson
September 13th, 2008 8:47 am
Of course great content inspires the reader. Great content provides a real exchange of value… one comes away with a sense that there was a connection…something gained by the exchange of ideas… nothing new here but the medium.
Andrew
September 13th, 2008 11:22 am
Great content is what you quote or link to without expecting anything in return.
Frank C
September 13th, 2008 1:24 pm
Content that achieves the goal that you want it to achieve when you write it. The goal may be to engage and entertain readers or it may be to bore the reader so much that they find clicking on an ad more interesting. The important thing is that each post achieves the goal that you want. That’s what makes it great.
Pat
September 13th, 2008 2:48 pm
@ Elizabeth. I somewhat disagree with the posts you linked to, since I am a new reader here and appreciative being able to contribute to discussions relevant to me that didn’t happen 3 years ago.
So we come back again to fulfilling a need. Some readers have the need to receive content at certain times, and their need may be time-dependent - they need to see it dsicussed now.
Shanker Bakshi
September 13th, 2008 4:12 pm
For me -Great Content means a content which is unique and well presented - The things you are talking about has been never said before. Impressive, Inspirational and origanal and not a copy of already written scripts.
Shaun Connell
September 13th, 2008 11:54 pm
Great content changes lives.
Dennis Lowery
September 14th, 2008 2:05 am
The writer should know what they are talking (writing) about and the knowledge should come from (at least some) practical experience. Specific experience, that addresses or discusses a specific topic in a way that will be of help to people, put to paper and done well … is great content.
“write things worth reading, or do things worth writing”
~ Benjamin Franklin
Scott Chanaway
September 14th, 2008 3:04 pm
Actually, I am one of those sites looking for great content and some of the responses below can be added on my site if you wish. In fact, I invite all bloggers of all topics to my new site started this month to post lists of information that are short, to the point, and best of all give YOU the blogger the opportunity to promote your blog or website for free as a thank you. Blog now at showmealistof dot com. I’ve started it, now you can help build its content.
Guardian Angel
September 14th, 2008 5:30 pm
When we say that content is great, it can also be treated as a king. This is the analogy I tried to apply when I made a post to answer your question, Darren. When to say that Content is King. But to give you ideas on what is inside, here are my thoughts.
1.0 It is powerful.
2.0 It is invincible.
3.0 It gains a lot of respect.
4.0 It can rule a kingdom.
Thanks!
Holly
September 15th, 2008 2:59 am
Great content is definitely key and what I personally view as great content is anything that I can relate to or enjoy reading. It’s different with anyone, so when finding a niche to write a blog about, you should surely see that there is a market for it, especially if you would like to gain readers who can relate to it or at the very least be introduced to something that they will eventually be interested in. Great content sparks interests as well as conversation.
pearlin
September 15th, 2008 3:50 am
As a writer, I am drawn to blogs with good writing that is succinct and catchy. Of course grammatically, it has to be correct and nothing is more tedious than never-ending sentences with no punctuation. Humour always works!
Content is subjective as what may be interesting to me may be boring to others. I guess the universal themes of money, business and sex has its fair share of fans.
Edit My Text
September 15th, 2008 8:16 am
Great content is well suited to your blog’s target audience; in subject matter and through the use of appropriate language.
Great content is engaging, informative, concise, and well editied to ensure that it is error-free.
Passion, creativity and credibility are also key elements of great blog content.
timmyjohnboy
September 15th, 2008 2:45 pm
Good content is content that truly inspires. GREAT content inspires someone to act! One may act by beginning to track your site, tell others, be curious enough to study out a subject more, perhaps even continue the topic in a post of their own (and hopefully quote from you and add a link!).
Just as “charity” is having love so true as to elicit action, GREAT content should elicit action, of some sort.
Mark Nagurski
September 16th, 2008 3:47 am
Great content solves a problem.
People read blogs (or consume any other content) for a purpose - it could be to be entertained, to learn or to be inspired. The flip side of those purposes are ‘problems’ - ‘I need a giggle’, ‘I’m not getting the best results from my x’, or ‘I’m feeling uninspired’.
Great content fills those need and so starts with understanding what the reader is actually looking for - and then serves it up.
Chris Marshall
September 17th, 2008 10:10 am
Great content is great art–it cannot be reduced to a formula.
Mike Smith
September 17th, 2008 9:51 pm
After reading a few comments I find it funny how some people think “good writing” has to be world changing. “When your words touch somebody’s soul.” Whatever man, clam down Cyrano. So my story about almost burning the house down while making Pop-tarts isn’t good? I don’t just write about my incompetence but it’s unfair for my blog to be ruled out because I’m not trying to change the world.
Blogging is like comedy. Many comedians look down on physical comics and I’m not a big fan of physical comedy but sometimes it’s funny when Chris Farley jumps out a window or a dude gets kicked in the balls. These comics view physical comedy as childish and they prefer to be witty because they are sooo grown up but to me funny is funny. Physical comedy isn’t my bag and I would never do it but I do enjoy it, I’m not above it.
To me “good writing” is anything I don’t regret spending my time to read.
-MFM
Chris
September 19th, 2008 3:47 pm
For me, great content is finding an interesting subject, and writing about it in a way that hasn’t been done before.
Structure, presentation and actual writing skills are all important, but I reckon it’s putting a personal spin on an already strong subject that defines great content.
Mel Menzies
September 19th, 2008 5:43 pm
Mmmm! This is quite challenging. Especially after reading what Mike Smith had to say (incidentally, the link to his site wouldn’t work for me so I was unable to read his blog about burning the house down). I was asked, sometime ago, what drives me. It took me sometime to answer and, in the end, I decided that the conclusions I reached summed up my ‘brand’ - so I put them on the Welcome Page of my website. In essence, they were exactly what Mike Smith was complaining about. i.e. content which changes people’s perspective on life.
And I have to agree with him. At least in part. Good content is something which, as an author, I’m concerned about. I don’t always achieve it in my blog because of the time constraints. But I think I would define good content as something which engages people. After all, a good belly laugh (which I blogged about yesterday) can be ‘life-changing’ for anyone - at least for a moment, when it’s uplifting. Equally, my bereavement poem (an excerpt from my latest book, which recently ranked No. 1 in Google searches and continues to be in the top ten) engages people - but in a different way.
Isn’t this what ’successful’ blogging is all about? Trying to reach out and ‘engage’ with other human beings in the same way that you would if meeting them face to face? Perhaps we ought all to ask what it is about other people’s content that engages us?
Serge
September 21st, 2008 9:28 am
Great content is what I go through my browser cache to re-locate.
Therefore, it’s something that is memorable, which may not immediately appear useful or relevant.
Mlinar
September 21st, 2008 7:59 pm
It’s when you write about something you like and know well, without imagining that everyone likes it; it’s about sharing the information and passing the thrill to the readers without assuming that they have more (or less) mental capacity to grasp it. In essence, respect the reader and share things about what you know the best.
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