The death of the blog post (and rise of the blogazine)(smashingmagazine.com)
smashingmagazine.com
The death of the blog post (and rise of the blogazine)
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/the-death-of-the-blog-post/
41 comments
This is a great idea if you're a designer and know what you're doing. I shudder at the thought of how appalling my personal website would look - think geocities at its worst! - if I tried this.
Conventions may be boring, but they allow us design duffers to focus on the content itself.
Conventions may be boring, but they allow us design duffers to focus on the content itself.
to be fair, if you aren't good at design then your "same design on every page" design probably isn't very good either.
I really like the way they are presenting information -- there really is a problem on the web of nav-on-the-top-and-left, ads-on-the-right, boring presentation and it's good to see someone trying other things. Having said that, I don't think they got it quite right wrt the scrolling/page-down flow. I'd like to see something like this that was a bit more screen orientated. Their example is more like something I like to see on a tall poster and doesn't fit screen browsing quite right. I don't know what the answer looks like though.
I really like the way they are presenting information -- there really is a problem on the web of nav-on-the-top-and-left, ads-on-the-right, boring presentation and it's good to see someone trying other things. Having said that, I don't think they got it quite right wrt the scrolling/page-down flow. I'd like to see something like this that was a bit more screen orientated. Their example is more like something I like to see on a tall poster and doesn't fit screen browsing quite right. I don't know what the answer looks like though.
If I'm reading something, I don't want to be distracted by the fancy text layout and bright shiny colors. I just want clearly presented text with a minimum of complexity.
In rare cases special formatting can enhance the effect or help interpret something written, but in most cases it adds nothing except clutter. I found this article nearly unreadable because of the "interesting" and "exciting" way they presented it.
In rare cases special formatting can enhance the effect or help interpret something written, but in most cases it adds nothing except clutter. I found this article nearly unreadable because of the "interesting" and "exciting" way they presented it.
I thought this article wasn't well done, but they do link to some examples that are better. This is one:
http://gregorywood.co.uk/journal/top-5-spielberg-films
I really think consuming that article is more satisfying than yet another top 10 list with a hastily pasted thumbnail of the movie art.
http://gregorywood.co.uk/journal/top-5-spielberg-films
I really think consuming that article is more satisfying than yet another top 10 list with a hastily pasted thumbnail of the movie art.
I actually really like the blogazine concept, but it's very unlikely for me to have the time and the effort to put into creating a unique, story-led layout for a post. On the other hand, doing it for content that really deserves it would certainly stand out. Even at the base level the 'blogazine' approach of using illustrations alongside text is something that blogs are forgetting how to do.
This article fails to mention one of the best magazines on the market: The Economist. It is always the same: simple title, one picture, and lots of columized text.
In addition, they also forget the newspapers. They are always identical from day-to-day. Just because it might be easier to style a "Top X" list doesn't mean it still isn't a useless "Top X" list.
In addition, they also forget the newspapers. They are always identical from day-to-day. Just because it might be easier to style a "Top X" list doesn't mean it still isn't a useless "Top X" list.
Absolutely. I posted a rant recently on how Scientific American lost me as a subscriber (and an evangelist) when they switched away from the 'journal' format, going so far as to increase the size of the body text to put out the same number of pages with about 10% less content.
I like and admire good graphic design. But not as much as I like and admire good writing. Does anyone think sites like Metafilter or HN would benefit from an orgy of visual style?
I like and admire good graphic design. But not as much as I like and admire good writing. Does anyone think sites like Metafilter or HN would benefit from an orgy of visual style?
Man, what is with all the snark around here lately? This thing is gorgeous and there's nothing wrong with that. When Dustin or JSM does it, it gets upvotes up the wazoo. It's even praising those authors and acknowledging prior art.
Ever since I read Jason Santa Maria's article on his "rethinking" (http://jasonsantamaria.com/articles/a-new-day/) I've been thinking about doing something similar with my personal site, where the frequency of posts has reduced over time.
I agree with the comments here that the smashing article went overboard; what particularly annoyed me was the use of different colored words for emphasis instead of bold or italic. I kept thinking those were links and obsessively moused over them to check. In their overzealous sale of the idea I think they definitely missed the mark about how design should work with the content. This is exactly what Jason Santa Maria points out in his post.
He specifically mentions that he may not always have time or the inclination or possibly even a need to do something special for each post. If that's the case he has a great default template for such articles. I highly recommend reading Jason's original article of a more sane and reasonable version of the idea.
I agree with the comments here that the smashing article went overboard; what particularly annoyed me was the use of different colored words for emphasis instead of bold or italic. I kept thinking those were links and obsessively moused over them to check. In their overzealous sale of the idea I think they definitely missed the mark about how design should work with the content. This is exactly what Jason Santa Maria points out in his post.
He specifically mentions that he may not always have time or the inclination or possibly even a need to do something special for each post. If that's the case he has a great default template for such articles. I highly recommend reading Jason's original article of a more sane and reasonable version of the idea.
...said the blogazine.
It's worth noting that Smashing Magazine is not normally a full-on blogazine; only this particular article was like this. Their previous post was much more in the format of a normal blog: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/11/18/designing-css-but...
They have "magazine" right in their name.
You seem to have missed the point of the article and instead fixated on the "azine" part. Unfortunate.
How is that unfortunate? Do you really think that I'd be poised to launch the next Earth-shattering blogazine, if only I understood the subtle point of this article? Or were you just trying to be clever, without demonstrating any insight of your own?
> How is that unfortunate?
Because your comments may dissuade people from reading the article who may otherwise enjoy it.
> Do you really think that I'd be poised to launch the next Earth-shattering blogazine, if only I understood the subtle point of this article?
No.
> Or were you just trying to be clever, without demonstrating any insight of your own?
No.
Because your comments may dissuade people from reading the article who may otherwise enjoy it.
> Do you really think that I'd be poised to launch the next Earth-shattering blogazine, if only I understood the subtle point of this article?
No.
> Or were you just trying to be clever, without demonstrating any insight of your own?
No.
My initial comment was only intended to remind people that it was in fact a blogazine that was declaring the death of blogs and the rise of blogazines. I don't mean to dissuade anyone from actually reading the article for themselves, we just need to be aware of whose opinions we're listening to.
If you're going to criticize someone for "missing the point" you should at a minimum explain what it is they don't get, that way you demonstrate that it is not you who has missed the point
If you're going to criticize someone for "missing the point" you should at a minimum explain what it is they don't get, that way you demonstrate that it is not you who has missed the point
I get my blog content via RSS. All that fancy formatting and layout never reaches my eyes. That plus consideration of the average half-life of a blog post makes additional effort...well...kind of pointless. (Unless the point is to make art, which is different.)
Great survey.
Their question as to whether blogging is "too easy" really resonates with me: I began prototyping a CMS a while back on the premise that Blogging Should Be Harder (a reaction of sorts, I guess, to services like Posterous and Tumblr [full disclosure: I am a very happy user of the latter]). And what I found is that if it's hard to design a "blogazine"--manually setting type and choosing colors for each individual post--it's just as challenging to build an "anything goes" CMS.
I still think it's a great idea. There might only be a handful of people out there who would use it, but those that did would likely be producing really top-notch content.
Their question as to whether blogging is "too easy" really resonates with me: I began prototyping a CMS a while back on the premise that Blogging Should Be Harder (a reaction of sorts, I guess, to services like Posterous and Tumblr [full disclosure: I am a very happy user of the latter]). And what I found is that if it's hard to design a "blogazine"--manually setting type and choosing colors for each individual post--it's just as challenging to build an "anything goes" CMS.
I still think it's a great idea. There might only be a handful of people out there who would use it, but those that did would likely be producing really top-notch content.
Hey, it's Langer! I didn't know you were an HNer.
What's the difference between your theoretical CMS and a WYSIWYG HTML editor? Something like Weebly or Google Sites? I'd think they already cover the "custom HTML" tactic pretty well. Beyond that the only thing you could possibly offer is custom graphic design, right? Or were you thinking pre-build templates in certain styles, the way iWeb offers for web design?
What's the difference between your theoretical CMS and a WYSIWYG HTML editor? Something like Weebly or Google Sites? I'd think they already cover the "custom HTML" tactic pretty well. Beyond that the only thing you could possibly offer is custom graphic design, right? Or were you thinking pre-build templates in certain styles, the way iWeb offers for web design?
Hey!
Well the difficulty really arises when you want to go a step beyond full HTML control and allow for JS and AJAX (think pagination with really artful page transitions). How do you allow users complete control without turning your service into a cesspool of XSS attacks?
Well the difficulty really arises when you want to go a step beyond full HTML control and allow for JS and AJAX (think pagination with really artful page transitions). How do you allow users complete control without turning your service into a cesspool of XSS attacks?
I'm surprised that people would be so dismissive of this. Good design should obviously result in something usable, but there's nothing wrong with presenting it in such a way so as to take advantage of the medium.
The best way to present information is not always text on plain background. This should be obvious for anybody who has had to visualize data to make it understandable. The blogazine idea carries data visualization forward from quantitative to something more qualitative.
The best way to present information is not always text on plain background. This should be obvious for anybody who has had to visualize data to make it understandable. The blogazine idea carries data visualization forward from quantitative to something more qualitative.
I don't think people are being dismissive of the concept of cool visualization but the idea that it will replace typical blogpost (The death of blogpost). I can consume this once in a while - but if they this every single post or frequently I will be quite turned off to read the content.
If all you have is text, text, text, then people will be less likely to read it. Put a little effort into styling the content, and your post will become much more readable.
Pah. Text is good for people who can think about what they're reading rather than what they're seeing. They are my audience (such as it is).
Pah. Text is good for people who can think about what they're reading rather than what they're seeing. They are my audience (such as it is).
This is why some of us use bookmarklets like readability http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/ to get rid of the visualization crap so that we can concentrate on the things that matters most: Content
Funny thing is that when I went to read the posted article, I realized I did not have that bookmarklet on the particular browser I was using and immediately went to get it.
On that note, check the redesigned Engadget...not quite a 'magazine,' but edging in that direction...http://www.engadget.com/ (not in the sense that every post is designed differently, but in the way content is highlighted)
Yeah it's nice looking and pragmatic. The quick stats on the right are useful and a great visualization.
These guys aren’t using standard WordPress themes or cutting corners to make their lives easier. Rather, they are challenging themselves and producing some fantastic content.
appearance != content
appearance != content
Why not? What is content? Is it possible for the appearance to "mingle" with the content in a way that enhances or creates greater content? At that point is the appearance part of the content? Or is it more like a "content additive" ?
In this case, content is material that I the consumer am interested in. I'm potentially interested in writing. I'm less interested in design. I don't read blogs to look at the design, I read blogs to read blogs. So if you're capable of creating logical, readable designs time and time again, go for it.
But that's not happening. This article was not very readable: It broke itself up into fractious chunks, highlighted words in the middle of normal sentences, and generally jizzed.
I love that it brings up normal magazines and says they'd be boring if they looked the same. Newsflash: Normal magazines do look boring. When I read an editorial, it looks the same week after week. When I read articles, sure, there're big quotes and pictures and the text is laid out differently, but the writing itself sticks to the same font/size consistently. That's what makes it readable.
The problem with the blogazine is that most blog posts don't have enough content for what they're dealing with. A 10-page magazine article with a hundred potential photos can use a layout. A page-long article that's blogazined is fluffing up without providing shit. People who're so easily wooed by designers that they still ooh and aah at big fonts, they eat it up, but readers who want a no-bullshit presentation are turned away.
But that's not happening. This article was not very readable: It broke itself up into fractious chunks, highlighted words in the middle of normal sentences, and generally jizzed.
I love that it brings up normal magazines and says they'd be boring if they looked the same. Newsflash: Normal magazines do look boring. When I read an editorial, it looks the same week after week. When I read articles, sure, there're big quotes and pictures and the text is laid out differently, but the writing itself sticks to the same font/size consistently. That's what makes it readable.
The problem with the blogazine is that most blog posts don't have enough content for what they're dealing with. A 10-page magazine article with a hundred potential photos can use a layout. A page-long article that's blogazined is fluffing up without providing shit. People who're so easily wooed by designers that they still ooh and aah at big fonts, they eat it up, but readers who want a no-bullshit presentation are turned away.
Thanks for your detailed response. I agree that smashing did a piss-poor job in presenting this stuff - but I think they linked to some examples that do it really well. You are 100% spot-on with the font size/color/weight stuff.
I think the idea with some of the posts is that it allows for random access rather than linear - and I think there is some value in exploring a page to see what it contains for some readers. Quality is still probably the most important aspect as you said.
I think the idea with some of the posts is that it allows for random access rather than linear - and I think there is some value in exploring a page to see what it contains for some readers. Quality is still probably the most important aspect as you said.
I think you make a number of really valid points here.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately through the lens of late-19th- and early-20th century European philosophy and literary theory, when guys like Gautier and Baudelaire and Mallarmé and Benjamin and Kraus were livid about the rise of the newspaper and, later, the feuilleton (early serialized novels). These men--poets, mostly, or at least advocates of the form--saw the confines of the newspaper column as a reduction of writing proper, where writing (in their strict poetic sense) necessitated a careful consideration of the placement of each word on the page.
The same considerations can well be applied to blogging, at least on an abstract formal level. You're very right: it all falls apart if there's not ample content to back up a thoughtful design. But it is probably still the case that while a great design may do little for mediocre writing, great writing can be held back by mediocre design.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately through the lens of late-19th- and early-20th century European philosophy and literary theory, when guys like Gautier and Baudelaire and Mallarmé and Benjamin and Kraus were livid about the rise of the newspaper and, later, the feuilleton (early serialized novels). These men--poets, mostly, or at least advocates of the form--saw the confines of the newspaper column as a reduction of writing proper, where writing (in their strict poetic sense) necessitated a careful consideration of the placement of each word on the page.
The same considerations can well be applied to blogging, at least on an abstract formal level. You're very right: it all falls apart if there's not ample content to back up a thoughtful design. But it is probably still the case that while a great design may do little for mediocre writing, great writing can be held back by mediocre design.
Creating a magazine is very similar to creating a web site in that you need to think ahead in organizing content logically before creating multiple layouts that comprise the whole document (itself a collection of smaller documents).
Within a magazine these multiple different layouts must be arranged such that the information can be readily digested while keeping the presentation dynamic. This principle of balancing the tensions between the dynamic and the uniform is the very heart of crafting publications. You see it at work in very conservative publications as it is in very edgy publications.
Certain articles (typically featured articles) get a much stronger visual treatment than others in order to create a visual hierarchy of importance. That's where this "blogazine" (whatever the hell that means) approach to designing content becomes yet another tool and asset in your skillset.
Layout and content design are not ideological positions of one wav vs. another. A competent designer balances and plays with these tensions to present information appropriate to the audience with regard to the topic at hand.
Within a magazine these multiple different layouts must be arranged such that the information can be readily digested while keeping the presentation dynamic. This principle of balancing the tensions between the dynamic and the uniform is the very heart of crafting publications. You see it at work in very conservative publications as it is in very edgy publications.
Certain articles (typically featured articles) get a much stronger visual treatment than others in order to create a visual hierarchy of importance. That's where this "blogazine" (whatever the hell that means) approach to designing content becomes yet another tool and asset in your skillset.
Layout and content design are not ideological positions of one wav vs. another. A competent designer balances and plays with these tensions to present information appropriate to the audience with regard to the topic at hand.
"appearance != content"
appearance ∈ content
appearance ∈ content
My eyes! My eyes!
Don't you normally have one person who writes the article and (at least) another person who does the layout and photography for the article in a normal magazine?
I'm not saying that this is not a great idea for a new content type, but it seems to me that the intersection of people who are good at web design and people who are good at writing (about things that aren't web design) is probably a fairly small set (in comparison to the set of people who are good at writing).
You also have to notice that the signal to noise ratio in a magazine (feels to me) much higher in a traditional print medium than it is in a magazine. The text gets stretched out over a much larger area (although the trade off is worth it for magazines where the pictures help to tell the story).
A lot of the time, the design is there in order to cover up the apparent lack of information in the magazine. Have you ever read Cosmo? It is mostly full-page advertisements.
Although that does bring up the fact that you could monetize a blogazine really easily by including full-page advertisements and making it so you have to scroll through it. Imagine one of those really pretty magazine-style photo-adds on a blogazine, I would imagine that the click through rate would be pretty good, and you could charge just for showing the add.
Appearance and textual content meet somewhere (otherwise we would all be using HTML 1.1 or whatever), but I doubt we will be seeing full-blown blogazines go mainstream any time soon simply because of the technical skill involved (and how bad it will go if you don't pull it off properly).
I'm not saying that this is not a great idea for a new content type, but it seems to me that the intersection of people who are good at web design and people who are good at writing (about things that aren't web design) is probably a fairly small set (in comparison to the set of people who are good at writing).
You also have to notice that the signal to noise ratio in a magazine (feels to me) much higher in a traditional print medium than it is in a magazine. The text gets stretched out over a much larger area (although the trade off is worth it for magazines where the pictures help to tell the story).
A lot of the time, the design is there in order to cover up the apparent lack of information in the magazine. Have you ever read Cosmo? It is mostly full-page advertisements.
Although that does bring up the fact that you could monetize a blogazine really easily by including full-page advertisements and making it so you have to scroll through it. Imagine one of those really pretty magazine-style photo-adds on a blogazine, I would imagine that the click through rate would be pretty good, and you could charge just for showing the add.
Appearance and textual content meet somewhere (otherwise we would all be using HTML 1.1 or whatever), but I doubt we will be seeing full-blown blogazines go mainstream any time soon simply because of the technical skill involved (and how bad it will go if you don't pull it off properly).
Blah blah. Chewing on names. Pure onanism.
In seriousness though, those people they mentioned don't just have interesting designs with each article--they also have interesting content. Dressing up a "Top 10 WordPress Plugin" post in a special skin isn't going to make it any less shallow. However, maybe designing a skin for an article forces people to think more about what they are writing. After all, it'd be a waste not to put effort into the content if so much effort is being put into the design. I really just want more interesting content.