Comments on: 10 Tips from Boing Boing on making online content sing http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Mon, 20 May 2013 07:50:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Mark_Frauenfelder http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1656350 Mark_Frauenfelder Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:45:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1656350 Thanks, Shannon! Thanks, Shannon!

]]> By: Dlo Burns http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1654227 Dlo Burns Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:18:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1654227 you can press j/k to skip around you can press j/k to skip around

]]> By: aperturehead http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1653492 aperturehead Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:26:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1653492 The art of the clear, readable headline was developed slowly over decades and centuries through the work of thousands of writers and editors working for thousands of mainstream newspapers, underground papers, leaflets and handbills. It's taken Internet innovators about 10-15 years to collapse all that hard work into unreadable Textual Silly Putty - headlines can be boring, as long as they give an indication of what the article is about. We don't have to be entertained and coddled by every little thing we read. Sometimes knowledge is a bitch. The art of the clear, readable headline was developed slowly over decades and centuries through the work of thousands of writers and editors working for thousands of mainstream newspapers, underground papers, leaflets and handbills. It’s taken Internet innovators about 10-15 years to collapse all that hard work into unreadable Textual Silly Putty – headlines can be boring, as long as they give an indication of what the article is about. We don’t have to be entertained and coddled by every little thing we read. Sometimes knowledge is a bitch.

]]> By: Dean Putney http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1653300 Dean Putney Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:56:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1653300 Ed is the raddest, that's why. Ed is the raddest, that’s why.

]]> By: oasisob1 http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1653196 oasisob1 Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:25:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1653196 Another of BoingBoib's competitors? Another of BoingBoib’s competitors?

]]> By: Shannon Larratt http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1653178 Shannon Larratt Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:42:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1653178  You're missing "Get an attitude" -- Your suggested title is dead boring, even if it doesn't require an intellect to decode. Leave the lowest-common-denominator journalism to the mainstream. I think that part of Mark's advice was that a blog needs to have a personality. What you're complaining about is part of BB's personality. Yes, it drives some people away, but it draws in more than it loses... It's this personality that also helps create a vibrant community around a site.  You’re missing “Get an attitude” — Your suggested title is dead boring, even if it doesn’t require an intellect to decode. Leave the lowest-common-denominator journalism to the mainstream. I think that part of Mark’s advice was that a blog needs to have a personality. What you’re complaining about is part of BB’s personality. Yes, it drives some people away, but it draws in more than it loses… It’s this personality that also helps create a vibrant community around a site.

]]> By: Shannon Larratt http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1653148 Shannon Larratt Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:45:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1653148 Great advice, especially #2 (be original)... Any time anyone asks me how to make money online I always tell them to look for all the things they love online, and when they come up with something that they can't find a decent resource for, they've found an "in". There are still many niche markets left to develop, and because of the internet's ability to collapse population density, there are now all sorts of markets that could never have existed pre-Internet. Great advice, especially #2 (be original)… Any time anyone asks me how to make money online I always tell them to look for all the things they love online, and when they come up with something that they can’t find a decent resource for, they’ve found an “in”. There are still many niche markets left to develop, and because of the internet’s ability to collapse population density, there are now all sorts of markets that could never have existed pre-Internet.

]]> By: Buddy Bradley http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1653066 Buddy Bradley Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1653066 Great pieces of advice, Mark! I think you're spot on with these. Great pieces of advice, Mark! I think you’re spot on with these.

]]> By: aperturehead http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1652974 aperturehead Tue, 12 Feb 2013 05:25:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1652974 Mark - unfortunately I beg to differ with your opinion about BoingBoing headlines. BB headlines seem to me to waver between the excruciatingly simple and non-helpful type, and the long, incomprehensible type. Witness this crazy headline a few posts before yours by Xeni - NYT reviewer takes Tesla on road trip, "wasn't smiling." Elon Musk: NYT review is "fake." This isn't a headline, it's some sort of odd intelligence test. "NYT Review May Have Been Faked" probably would have sufficed I do appreciate BoingBoing's constant attempts to bring the personal (and quirky) touch to articles and headlines, but without a doubt a good headline should let readers know what an article is about...not confuse him or her. I've passed by dozens of BB articles because the headlines have utterly repelled me. And as you say: DON'T WASTE PEOPLE'S TIME. I think BB has a bit of learning to do when it comes to headline composing. Mark – unfortunately I beg to differ with your opinion about BoingBoing headlines. BB headlines seem to me to waver between the excruciatingly simple and non-helpful type, and the long, incomprehensible type.

Witness this crazy headline a few posts before yours by Xeni -

NYT reviewer takes Tesla on road trip, “wasn’t smiling.”
Elon Musk: NYT review is “fake.”

This isn’t a headline, it’s some sort of odd intelligence test.

“NYT Review May Have Been Faked” probably would have sufficed

I do appreciate BoingBoing’s constant attempts to bring the personal (and quirky) touch to articles and headlines, but without a doubt a good headline should let readers know what an article is about…not confuse him or her. I’ve passed by dozens of BB articles because the headlines have utterly repelled me. And as you say: DON’T WASTE PEOPLE’S TIME. I think BB has a bit of learning to do when it comes to headline composing.

]]> By: Antinous / Moderator http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1652878 Antinous / Moderator Tue, 12 Feb 2013 03:44:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1652878 Done? Done?

]]> By: ohbejoyful http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1652871 ohbejoyful Tue, 12 Feb 2013 03:41:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1652871 doing doing doing doing

]]> By: Impostleable http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1652812 Impostleable Tue, 12 Feb 2013 02:24:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1652812 Does "Don't waste peoples time" apply to incredibly long Boing Boing posts that take dedicated mouse wheel abuse to scroll past? I'm talking about the Ed Piskor interview. FIFTY FIVE pages of scrolling!  Hiding the bulk of articles behind a cut is old news in on line formatting. Why is it so hard for Boing Boing to use basic formatting to stop wasting readers time? Does “Don’t waste peoples time” apply to incredibly long Boing Boing posts that take dedicated mouse wheel abuse to scroll past? I’m talking about the Ed Piskor interview. FIFTY FIVE pages of scrolling! 

Hiding the bulk of articles behind a cut is old news in on line formatting. Why is it so hard for Boing Boing to use basic formatting to stop wasting readers time?

]]> By: dirtyarticle http://boingboing.net/2013/02/11/10-tips-from-boing-boing-on-ma.html#comment-1652748 dirtyarticle Tue, 12 Feb 2013 01:06:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=212336#comment-1652748 Because this is on BOING BOING, I totally read that book title as 'The Art of Doing' (Rhymes with Boing)....I will go to bed now. Because this is on BOING BOING, I totally read that book title as ‘The Art of Doing’ (Rhymes with Boing)….I will go to bed now.

]]>