Blogging sins
Back in 2005, I took Jakob Nielsen’s test on blogging sins. And came off with four and a half. Some of which were rectified in the intervening years, but now, with the new engine, it’s time to revisit the list, which appears not to have been updated since.
- 1. No Author Biographies
- No real biography, CV does mitigate this sin a little. Half a sin.
- 2. No Author Photo
- Yes there is, on the top page of the site. No sin here.
- 3. Nondescript Posting Titles
- I still believe in the non-sequitur school of entry naming. Hence, no sin.
- 4. Links Don’t Say Where They Go
- True, they don’t. But then again, how many people actually stop to see the link title appear before boldly clicking the underlined text. Quarter of a sin (with a hint of mistrial in the air).
- 5. Classic Hits are Buried
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They are. And this is especially bad considering the shape the old archives are in.
But I will launch a “Best of…” widget in the sidebar soonest, thus nipping this sin in the bud. - 6. The Calendar is the Only Navigation
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It no longer is, categories are used to the full effect.
I’m still on the fence about using supplementary tags as well. - 7. Irregular Publishing Frequency
- I don’t consider this to be a sin. Apart from the “game of the week”-category being truly misnamed. Irregularity is good, and the use of the RSS-feed pretty much keeps readers informed when there’s new stuff available. No sin, no sir, indeed.
- 8. Mixing Topics
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As with previous, I don’t consider this to be a sin.
“Rampantly and wilfully mixing topics since 2004″ is actually a pretty decent tagline. - 9. Forgetting That You Write for Your Future Boss
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Nah, I don’t blather too much about work or my private life to register.
And anyway, anybody who seriously objects to something written here wouldn’t be much of a long-term prospect as a superior officer anyway. - 10. Having a Domain Name Owned by a Weblog Service
- Nope. It’s mine, all mine. My precious.
There, that was easy: .75 sins, with one new entry-listing to launch. Got off much easier than three years ago.
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