Make your Posts more enjoyable to Read
This is a topic that, in one way or another, has been touched on by many designers and meta-bloggers alike; that is, formatting your post to make it more readable. Regardless, people still continue to ignore this advice. Now, lets make this clear; I am not talking about just a better design. You can have a relatively lifeless, boring design, while still making your posts clear and readable (think of the old Copyblogger design). That is what I am focusing on here.
First Steps to Take
As an example, I am going to use a post from my sports blog, Miami Heat Wired, as an example. Lets take a look at it:
Now, one thing that this post already has, which is key, is a bit of height between the lines. This is one of the first things you should be doing when you are trying to make your website more readable. Unfortunately, this is the only positive about the post so far. So now, I can walk you through making this post a surefire winner; and note, that I will not be adding any content to the article. The actual body will remain the same.
Use those Headings!
They come styled and built-in to every one of your themes! Why don’t people use them!? Not only are they beneficial for search engine optimization, but they also serve as little breaks in your article. Having one solid page of text can be downright tedious; your reader will not appreciate that. Headings also make it easy to scan your post which is always a benefit.
And as I mentioned before, you don’t have to do much work, since the styling is usually prebuilt into any template you can find. So just come up with some headings and sub-headings and then wrap your text in <h1>, <h2> or whatever other level you want.
A Picture is only worth 87 words
OK, seriously, you should be using pictures in your posts. However, do not make the mistake of thinking that pictures are somehow worth 1,000 words; the actual article should be the focus, while your picture highlights some particular element; adding flavor to the soup that is your post.
And while we are at it, make sure that you style your pictures, but only subtly. Make sure that you align them with CSS and also add a border of some sort, when it is called for. Even a caption or two is desirable. These little details can go a long way.
Pull your Quotes right out
An oft ignored text-formatting element is the pull quote. Everyone knows to use block quotes as a way to highlight, well, a quote. And while this is a good technique to use, you should also try a pull quote every once in a while. The issue is again scan-ability, with the reader being able to see certain elements that you want to highlight. And since they are not often used in blogs, yours will stand out.
As for execution of this style, here is an article from Sitepoint that describes the CSS you can use to make pull quotes. But if you don’t want to deal with that dirty work and you have WordPress, you can just use this plugin.
So how does it look?
So, using my own advice, I applied the previously mentioned techniques to my original post from Miami Heat Wired. Here is what I came up with in the end:
Now isn’t that so much better?
This post was written by J David Macor.
Related reading:
One suggestion regarding pull-quotes: I tend to think they’re more effective closer to the beginning of the post, as the main point of them is to “draw the reader in”. Way down the post, the reader is already “in”, or they’re already gone.
Nicely done article. I’ve seen several similar, but the visual examples (that is, showing a whole example article) make a big difference.
By Stephen on August 19, 2007 11:19 am
Thanks Stephen. I think you are right, that it would make more sense to put the pull quote earlier, so as to grab the reader before they move on. I might have to make that change for the real article!
By J David Macor on August 19, 2007 12:47 pm
I’m surprised that a blog with such seemingly high standards would allow the publication of the generic “write for the web” article. A poor one at that. Pictures, headings and pull-quotes, oh my!
Not only have you reiterated the articles of the copywriting blogs circa ages ago, but you didn’t even elaborate on anything!
Franky, you have huge shoes to fill as you know, and these articles won’t get the job done.
By Connor Wilson on August 19, 2007 1:21 pm
[...] to be. So imagine how gratifying it was to read the latest nugget of wisdom from Wisdump, titled Make your Posts more enjoyable to Read (sic throughout, but more on that in a [...]
By nostrich.net » Make Your Blog Less Enjoyable to Read on August 19, 2007 1:28 pm
Connor, we are working at continuing to be a great blog. We take every criticism to heart and try to implement it. I think WD is doing rather well right at the moment, and that without trying to fill any shoes.
No one can replace Scrivs, and that’s last of my aims. But then again… why don’t you write for us?
I’ve invited you and every author will tell you that they have free hand when it comes to their entries. I’ve set a ’standard focus’ for WD and then it’s up to the authors. And I believe in growing as we move forwards. Wanna be part of it?
Suck up your criticism and show us what you can add. You’ve got my email, the last mail was mine. I’m still awaiting your answer. ;)
By Franky on August 19, 2007 1:38 pm
While a huge, self plugging post like this could really do me some good, what I would want to add is more visual than content driven. Whatever happened to the redesign anyways? I saw the drafts before SP took over, some of them were great.
By Connor Wilson on August 19, 2007 1:54 pm
I’ve already replied to this entry, as you’ll see in the pingback above, but now I’ll reply to your comment, Franky. (I know it wasn’t aimed at me, but I don’t care.)
Perhaps not trying to fill anyone’s shoes is your problem. You absolutely should be trying to fill Scrivs’ shoes, because that is what people expect. That is the level of quality we’ve all come to expect. And currently, you’re not delivering. Perhaps a change of footwear is in order.
You also appear to have contradicted yourself in the following sentence, by way of a typo. That seems to be the biggest issue here. No one seems to care about proofreading. That is, arguably, your biggest problem currently. Some of the content, at least, has been passable as ‘quality’, but is let down by terrible writing.
And I think you’re beating a dead horse asking your critics to join you. Particularly those that were previous writers and left for the exact reasons they are still complaining about. But each to their own.
By Richard on August 19, 2007 1:55 pm
Richard, I admit my poor grammar and proofreading. Sorry if I write in my fourth language, but still I do try to follow those huge shoes, without having an active fan base just as Scrivs did.
Change of footwear? No, biggest error most people make when taking over a blog is trying to be the successor of the former owner/blogger. No one can replace a personality, but what needs to be done is sit back, take your time and find a new line (hopefully a continuation of the same line) for said blog. Time will show if the new editor is right.
As for Connor… he only wrote one entry on WD if I remember well (shoot me if it were 2 entries). I strongly believe in the tactic hire your strongest critic, and hope that Mr. Critic can add some more than just spew venom. So… obviously the ball is in your camp. Wanna write?
Yours now.
Disclaimer: Yes, I can be as offensive (moronic?) as Scrivs when it comes to snark/bite.
Connor, a redesign will come. But we don’t work with the same people Lee did, so you’ll have to patient some more.
WD visual? Now that goes against all your criticism too, doesn’t it? I thought Wisdump was content focused!
I know… redesign, redesign. Hit me up with a great redesign and we’ll discuss it and pay appropriately if approved. But right now… Wisdump still is content driven.
By Franky on August 19, 2007 2:26 pm
Why is everyone being such a baby… Damn. I was just trying to write something that everyone would find useful, but I am sorry that I reached too low for you blogging Gods…
But seriously, why don’t you guys just lay off a bit. There is no need to make things personal. I suppose that I will just write more technically savvy articles; general audience be damned, right? But, you and I both know that nothing this blog produces will ever be good enough for you…
So Franky, I am sorry for bring this sh*t storm to you. I know that you have been working hard to right the ship here. I can’t say that I am not disheartened and disappointed, but hey; I will just try again next week.
By J David Macor on August 19, 2007 2:37 pm
Franky: As appealing as getting paid at 2.5 times the industry standard to blog sounds, I will have to decline your offer. Thanks anyway.
By Richard on August 19, 2007 3:01 pm
J David, don’t worry. Every critic is welcome to prove they can do better.
Nothing is easier than say You suck!. Showing that they don’t is another topic.
So far I’ve seen no one stand up. I’ll stand my case corrected when someone does.
By Franky on August 19, 2007 3:01 pm
Guys I think the continuing complaints are not that you’re talking like Paul but that you’re letting content through which, no offence to JDM intended, probably shouldn’t be here.
WD used to be full of original, provoking thought; a rare commodity now.
It’s not good enough to just commission writers to pump out any old content once a week. You need to get involved with them and talk through what topics and subjects they’re going to write about so you can weed out the fluffier ones before they’re written, let alone posted.
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