Comments on: Whole Blog vs. Skim Blog

By: Bill Bartmann

Bill Bartmann — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:29:34 +0000

Excellent site, keep up the good work

By: Mad-About-You Monday: Social Media for Business « Overcommunicated

Mad-About-You Monday: Social Media for Business « Overcommunicated — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:37:07 +0000

[...] he’s got some good things to say, like how social media isn’t a cheap date and how we need to read and understand before we comment. And, don’t forget Community Chat! This online chat, hosted by Sonny and Bryan Person, is a [...]

By: Michael Bertoldi

Michael Bertoldi — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:00:30 +0000

Skimming has some similarities to reading ads, articles in a magazine, lots of stuff. As a copywriter I know that I better be short and to the point in some cases. I should also, at times, be witty, funny, or serious – whatever the situation calls for.

But, when you write an article in say, a magazine, you’re headlines and sub heads better tell your reader what you are trying to tell them. For example, a skimmer is reading an article on 10 steps to becoming a better ball player. If it has an intro paragraph, plus a paragraph on each step, I bet skimmers only read the bold, 10 steps. They might skip the paragraph about each step unless they really need the description.

The same scenario could apply to blogging. If it’s a really long post and has 10 steps, I might only read those 10, one line steps – not the paragraph under each one. Or I might pick and choose which steps I really need to read.

Skimming is bound to happen sometimes, but if they are truly interested, maybe they’ll take the time to read the whole thing. If people are all skimmers, I might have a hard time gaining any readers… I tend to get long winded sometimes… and I just did it again… gotta work on that

I think

By: Mack Collier

Mack Collier — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:58:42 +0000

This is slightly different, but I’ve noticed that sometimes people will reply to a post that’s linked on Twitter, based on the title alone. They won’t actually read the post, but will argue a stance based on the title. I had this happen today with someone on Twitter, and they kept bringing up points that I had addressed in the post (which they apparently didn’t read).

And yes, you left a great comment Sonny, thanks

By: Sonny Gill

Sonny Gill — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:52:44 +0000

@April – Amen to your point about skimmers who comment. I’ve seen it happen, and as noted have stopped myself from doing so, on though-provoking posts but then the comment is one with little thought or thrown up there for the sake of link building. Sad practice either way and one that is really unfair to the author.

@SaraKate – You summed it up perfectly. It not only needs to be engaging for you to jump in but if you are in that author’s realm, have the courtesy to provide something of value, not only to yourself, but the author and their readers.

@Angela @Marsha – Good headlines definitely ties back into what Jeff was saying on catering your content for your readers, whether they’re whole blog readers or skimmers. We all learn everyday in the blogosphere and the more we write and the more we read, the more we grow in our own practices and understandings of how to truly engage our community.

Angela makes a good mention about opportunities coming from comments. I think as companies become more engulfed in the new media world, part of their ‘due process’ when hiring someone or finding someone that would fit well within the company or for a project is a background check – and commenting is no different. BackType.com is a perfect example in being able to see what blogs a person comments on and how effective they are in their thoughts/ideas. Take a look if you haven’t been there already.

GREAT thoughts and conversations here – you all are blowing me away!

By: Marsha Collier

Marsha Collier — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:36:57 +0000

Angels, you’ve hit it on the nose. I come from a newspaper background and I know the value of good headlines. You must be able to catch a reader by an engaging headline. Just like a billboard – which ideally shouldn’t be more than 7 words. There’s no reason to read a blog (or article) if you haven’t been pulled in from the start.

By: Angela Connor

Angela Connor — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:38:50 +0000

Better headlines would help, in my opinion. I take the blogs in my reader pretty seriously but I will skim some blogs that I only follow for big news, like Mashable. I can’t read everything there. What do they post like 14 a day?
I’ll also add that I am very serious about the way I comment and would like to add that I’ve seen great opportunities come my way based on leaving a thoughtful comment. So I would suggest looking at your comments as something that goes on your permanent record, and act accordingly. Every post does not require a comment.

By: SaraKate

SaraKate — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:21:01 +0000

Sonny, you make such a great point here. I find that, though I have a huge number of blogs I follow, I also don’t read the ‘whole’ of every post. If the headline or first paragraph doesn’t grab me, I skim those posts. However, there are certain blogs (those that are well-written, relevant, and interesting) that I take the time to read the whole of the entry and comment on. We’re all busy people and keeping up with the influx of information isn’t always easy.

Just as I wouldn’t pile every single dish at a buffet onto my plate to eat, I have to manage how much information I want to take in. While I could briefly sample each thing with very small amounts, I’d rather have something truly satisfying at the meal’s end. The same goes for my reading.

So, pick and choose, but if I’m going to comment on an entry, the comment should be made in context of the entire entry and, in order for it to be useful to myself, the author of the blog, and anyone else who reads it, the comment should be based on the entirety of that post.

By: April

April — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:24:09 +0000

Loved your blog today and did actually *read* it, but I’m probably in general a skimmer, too. Unfortunately, there are too few good writers out there to bust out of the noise and make me want to read the whole thing. That doesn’t mean I don’t get good information out of a lot of blogs I skim. But I can tell you honestly that if the topic or the manner of delivery is not engaging enough, I don’t bother to comment and think it would be really unfair of me to do so…
Which brings me to my actual point. Does anyone else have this shared pet peeve? Blog skimmers who comment! So many blog comment conversations get stilted and stupid when a skimmer suddenly shows up and misses the point. It creates the same kind of awkward silence that results when someone joins a heated real-life conversation, hears only part of it, and throws something in that’s totally off base. No quicker way to take the heat out of the dialogue than to have to bring someone up to speed. And it’s rude — especially in virtual space, where the “skimmer” could control themselves for half a minute and see where the conversation started and where was going before jumping in.
I loved the comment posted here about “PDFR” — what a great way to sum up one of the most annoying things on the web. If you’re a skimmer, fine – get your info and go away. But if you’re going to join in the conversation, do everyone the courtesy of reading the entire thing.

By: Sonny Gill

Sonny Gill — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:35:20 +0000

@Rebecca – Well, good to hear you’re changing your online diet heh.

@Daniel – I can honestly say that I’ve also stopped writing a comment because I just didn’t give it my all in reading that particular post. Whether its cause of time or whatever, lackluster comments aren’t what I want to be known for and have been sure to stop myself at that point.

@Jeff – You totally killed my post lol. Seriously, you make a fantastic point about catering your writing to both types of readers. Really a great strategy (that even I need to focus more on) on not only grabbing the attention of your community but those who just stop by on a whim, hoping to see something that’ll draw them in. Thanks for the reminder!