Yes folks, it’s the question that never goes away: Why don’t you post more images? Short answer: I don’t like to read posts with images. Unless we are talking about specific property, images rarely add to the writing, and to me, they almost always take away from the writing.
When discussing property, you do need photos, and I do post images- now I post them in engenu. I take a lot of photos, I post a lot of photos of real estate, however, since they are used for buyers and I’m not the listing agent, they don’t always get posted on my blog. But this email wasn’t refering to real estate photos, the writer was lamenting my lack of just, ya know, images in general.
Here’s the thing: Real estate bloggers ask me about my lack of photos, but other bloggers never ask me this question, and I don’t see a lot of images in the blogs I read. So the way I see it is that since I’m not writing to other real estate bloggers, I’m writing to consumers, some of whom are in fact, non real estate bloggers, and they aren’t bothered by my Walls of Text, why do something that doesn’t make any sense to me?
I’ve been accused, and am occasionally guilty, of being stubborn, I suppose there is the tiniest, itty bitty chance that I’m wrong so I’m willing to listen to reason. I’ve heard and heard and heard some more from the RE.net about this, but I’d love to hear from the anyone outside the industry- are images a help or a hindrance to reading a blog?
And, because I love a good compromise and I love multi-tasking, I’m sharing a video- an image! The sentiment of this song is for Vance Shutes and Tom Vanderwell. We have begun sharing ideas about living a full life in the Rust Belt. And I suppose this song could be considered another Unchained Melody. But mostly, it’s here because it’s a very clever compromise between text and image. I’ve been told that a picture is worth a thousand words. True, but only on occasion. I think it’s more typical that the picture distracts the eye from reading a thousand words. However, in this case, the picture is a thousand words, or letters anyway; created by student Tamara Connelly for a motion graphics assignment, to the jazzy blues of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good.
CJ, Broker in NELA, CA says:
I agree completely. The ones that really annoy me are, for example, a blog post about contracts with a stock image of a pen and paper … or a post about negotiating with a stock image of shaking hands. Gratuitous imagery.
July 1, 2008 — 12:54 pm
Teri Lussier says:
>with a stock image of a pen and paper
Oh yes! And don’t forget the pair of glasses.
>with a stock image of shaking hands
Always diverse hands.
>Gratuitous imagery.
That’s a brilliant phrase. I shall remember it next time I’m asked about images.
You can’t imagine how many times someone busted my chops about this during Project Blogger. So I’d go off in search of the perfect image. Sometimes I’d find something that kinda sorta worked, I’d wrestle it into place, and take one final look at the post… Then go back and rip out the photo before hitting publish! It always feels like I’m dumbing down the post.
I’d hear that my blog should look like a magazine. Okay. Fine. But which magazine would I read? National Review or Family Circle? 🙂
July 1, 2008 — 1:08 pm
Mike Farmer says:
I have started adding a few images here and there, but mostly I agree. I am a words man, words are fine, words are like puppies. I like you and my name is Mike.
July 1, 2008 — 1:16 pm
CJ, Broker in NELA, CA says:
In fact, I liked the phrase so much I went and registered it as a domain name.
July 1, 2008 — 1:19 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Mike-
Putting photos in WP still feels like Big Time Wrestling to me, but I’m sure I could use more real estate photos.
No worries- I like you too, Mike.
July 1, 2008 — 1:27 pm
Barry Cunningham says:
With all due respect…Huh???? C’mon..this was linkbait right? Not a serious post is it…you caught me in the snare so here goes.
Huffington Post
Michelle Malkin
Boing Boing
Jonathan Miller
and literally hundreds of media sites….
Teri, I think this may be your personal feeling but I don’t think it’s what the consumer wants..but hey if it works for you then go for it.
July 1, 2008 — 1:31 pm
Teri Lussier says:
>In fact, I liked the phrase so much I went and registered it as a domain name.
LOL! Oh goody. Porn hunters have another place to visit.
Now that I think about it, that’s probably a good name for an Outside AR blog to post photos of spreadsheets, hand shaking, rainbows, and kids pulling faces.
July 1, 2008 — 1:32 pm
Greg Swann says:
> I don’t think it’s what the consumer wants
Which consumer? One size does not fit all. We like to work with people with brains. Guess how we go about attracting them?
July 1, 2008 — 1:56 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Barry-
Ya win some, ya lose some. 🙂
July 1, 2008 — 1:57 pm
Barry Cunningham says:
Greg, Teri…are you saying that Bloodhound Blog draws readers smarter than say…
Huffington Post
Michelle Malkin
Boing Boing
Jonathan Miller
and literally hundreds of media sites….
C’mon..I’m all for self promotion but guys..it’s me…been here for a while..got the t-shirt.
July 1, 2008 — 2:06 pm
Teri Lussier says:
I can’t speak for Greg.
What I’m saying is that I prefer to read text. I don’t read blogs with lots o’ pix, and if that makes me an independent maverick sort of RE blogger, than so be it.
I’m writing to the people I want to work with.
July 1, 2008 — 2:12 pm
Greg Swann says:
Barry: We don’t tell other people what to do. I personally hate to be pandered to, so I don’t pander to readers. If they don’t like the way I choose to work, they have plenty of choices, here and elsewhere. We hear a lot of griping from people lower than us on the food chain. Our results would tend to argue that we are right and they are wrong, but that doesn’t matter to me at all. I don’t do business that don’t make me smile. My work my way, and if people don’t like it, they’re free to shop elsewhere. There is no substitute for keeping one’s own counsel. Every bit of bland horseshit you find on the market is a product of supplanting true human intelligence with market research. Everything truly excellent is made by someone who tells the market researchers where to stuff it. We are where we are because we’re the best, and we’re the best because we don’t dilute our standards, not ever. It’s not for everyone — but neither is anything else.
July 1, 2008 — 2:33 pm
Barry Cunningham says:
Hi Teri,
No problem with that. If it works for you then fine, but in running with the new “puppies” I feel this is bad advice.
From a marketing perspective the rationale does not work. Too many people market according to what they like..instead of what their audience wants.
So if you are saying that the demographics in the Dayton market don’t respond to graphically molded websites and blogs?
What research do you have that states that consumers don’t like pictures?
I just feel telling Bloodhound puppies information like this sans back-up may not be in their best interest.
July 1, 2008 — 2:34 pm
Barry Cunningham says:
greg I understand what you are saying but what has worked for Bloodhound, and what numbers work for bloodhound is not what the new people on their personal blogs will be able to obtain..this blog (BHB) like ours draws a national audience and is for the industry.
IF I am wrong, please let me know, but the new people are looking to see what can grow their business back in their market. They are’nt developing a national blog.
They are trying to sell houses…they want to be Real Estate agents that blog, nog become professional bloggers who sell real estate on the side.
That being said, I think the project needs to seriously take into account the objectives of the new bloggers which may not be the same objective of BHB
July 1, 2008 — 2:40 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Barry- please reread what I wrote:
>I’ve been accused, and am occasionally guilty, of being stubborn, I suppose there is the tiniest, itty bitty chance that I’m wrong so I’m willing to listen to reason. I’ve heard and heard and heard some more from the RE.net about this, but I’d love to hear from the anyone outside the industry- are images a help or a hindrence to reading a blog?
Excuse the misspelling of hindrance. I’m not asking for links, I’m asking for solid information from someone outside the industry. Not what a website vendor, or pro blogger thinks, just a regular consumer. There was no linkbaiting going on here, but a request for information.
July 1, 2008 — 3:12 pm
Barry Cunningham says:
Teri,
You say that you are asking for solid information from someone outside the industry….and I was trying to direct you to some of the most popular blogs in existence. Does that not provide you with substantive information?
Asking for info here is like speaking to everyone around the thanksgiving dinner table.
Wouldn’t you want your research to be based upon industry norms and proven marketing practices?
Besides, I’m a regular consumer…I think..at least when I buy something at the store they think so…I could be wrong.
July 1, 2008 — 3:19 pm
Teri Lussier says:
>Wouldn’t you want your research to be based upon industry norms
Not if the norms are crap. 🙂
Barry, I brought this up to give pups some food for thought- like you said:
>Asking for info here is like speaking to everyone around the thanksgiving dinner table.
It’s a feast!
>Besides, I’m a regular consumer…
And I thank you for your input. I hear you. I’ve ruminated. I’ve taken note.
July 1, 2008 — 3:36 pm
Tom Vanderwell says:
Okay, as one of the “pups,” I need to chime in with a few thoughts:
1. If someone is looking for houses on the web, they want to see pictures. Lots of pictures.
2. If someone is looking for information about how to buy, sell, finance or anything of that sort, they are looking for facts and opinions, not pictures.
3. When I’m reading “personal interest” blogs (like http://tinyurl.com/5xcopx ) pictures are very important. However, the financial websites that I read do have some graphs and charts but they don’t have hardly any pictures.
With that being said, I want to restate the obvious. I’m only speaking for this particular pup and not for the rest of the litter. But I do believe that in today’s times, the consumer is looking for facts and opinions on how to guide themselves through this market and they aren’t going to get that with a lot of fluff and pictures.
I’m with Teri and Greg, BHB has gotten to where it is because it stands on it’s own and as Greg says, “Bows to no one.” The market needs that kind of straight talk and I intend to continue to give it. You won’t see fluff and pictures on my site, though you might see an occasional chart, graph or well worded cartoon. Working that way has brought me through the last 20 years and I expect it to help me through the rest of this crisis and I’ll still be standing and talking straight when the dust clears.
As a friend of mine likes to say, “That, and $6.50 will get you a cup of coffee.”
Tom
July 1, 2008 — 3:53 pm
Matthew Hardy says:
> supplanting true human intelligence with market research
An apt definition for what some think is “Real Estate 2.0”
July 1, 2008 — 3:56 pm
Barry Cunningham says:
Hey Tom..great..hope it works out for you!
July 1, 2008 — 4:02 pm
Tom Vanderwell says:
Barry,
It’s worked so far. Thanks!
Tom
July 1, 2008 — 4:08 pm
Stephanie Edwards-Musa says:
Hey Teri,
To each his own. I personally am a visual learner, I like pictures. Yet, it would not push me away to not read one without. Often times, IMO, pictures can take away from the message. Kind of like showing a cluttered home.
It all depends on who the reader is, I believe Greg mentioned that. You can’t please everyone, I personally don’t try. Can make you crazy. 🙂
July 1, 2008 — 4:44 pm
Mariana says:
I SO agree with Barry on this one.
However … It definitely depends on your readers… and YOU.
I actually like using the stock pen and paper clipart as well as the pictures that I take from around town. (Even if that makes me not cool – I can live with that.) I also like using cool images that I purchase from stock photo sites and crediting people who post on Flickr for the CC pics I get from there. But then again, I am a HIGHLY visual person and LOVE color and art and pictures in my day to day life – to include the blogs that I read and write.
I also know that none of this has to do with intelligence. It has to do with personality. My engineer clients love my wordy and detailed no-picture market data posts, whereas my non-engineers love the pictures. (I know because I ask.) I also know that HOW I write brings me the type of clients that I want to work with. I write with pictures and I get clients who like pictures.
I guess if you like pictures … ad pictures. If you don’t … then don’t. You will naturally get readers who agree with your point of view.
July 1, 2008 — 4:53 pm
Greg Swann says:
> That being said, I think the project needs to seriously take into account the objectives of the new bloggers which may not be the same objective of BHB
Teri is not arguing against using photography to sell real estate — and certainly I am not. We use more photos than any Realtors we know of — hundreds more photos per listing than other Realtors. That being said, all our web sites are targeted at people who read well. Why? Because people who read well have money. People who read badly don’t. There are exceptions to both propositions, but we sell premium houses to serious people. Highly-detailed, well-written copy is a big part of our strategy.
However: Project Bloodhound participants of all skill levels: If you want to imbibe some EZ reading KoolAde, there’s plenty of it out there. Don’t get any on your clothes.
July 1, 2008 — 5:42 pm
Nick Bostic says:
I guess I’m remembering back to my journalism education and the idea of breaking up text with imagery or white space. These were considered journalism/graphic design norms from an accredited journalism school. I agree that too many and stupid/cheesy images are fairly pointless, but I will also admit that I must have a fairly short attention span (even on topics like this that I enjoy learning about) and a wall of text will not keep my interest. Teri, you do a good job of adding line breaks in your paragraphs, so that definitely helps. Had this post been another 2 or 3 paragraphs longer, I probably would have stopped reading and definitely wouldn’t have commented.
IMHO, I think the correct usage of images, HR’s and header tags can greatly enhance the readability of any article.
July 1, 2008 — 6:01 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Stephanie & Mariana-
I have an art background, so I do understand the impact art can have, and perhaps that’s the problem. With the exception of RE photos, art should be able to stand alone. The images that truly speak a thousand words are art. Otherwise, like Steph suggested, it’s clutter- blogging bric-a-brac.
July 1, 2008 — 6:38 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Nick-
I’m glad you mentioned journalism ’cause I want to pick your brain about something. I do hope you subscribed to this.
Journalism is frequently brought up as a standard bloggers should follow, and I’m told that journalists think that images are important to their stories. I’m not arguing what journalists think. And I’m not trying to pick on you, but I have to ask myself if newspapers are going bankrupt, why would I blindly follow what journalists do? That’s sounds very sarcastic and that’s not my intent, but I am curious about the logic behind this.
I don’t want to put you on the spot, but if you have any thoughts about that, I’m willing to listen and learn.
July 1, 2008 — 6:46 pm
Irina Netchaev says:
I think that you’re overcomplicating this. If you like images put them on. If you don’t avoid them.
I love images, personally. I think they make it easier to read the post. When selling homes, they’re a necessary evil – the more, the better.
And, even “gratuitous images” are okay. They can be fun, break up the post a bit and are easier on the eye for those of us just over 40.
July 1, 2008 — 6:57 pm
mariana says:
I agree that great art and great writing can stand alone.
You (and others) may have great success w/o graphics in your blog posts … and that’s awesome.
However, visually and spacially, I like a nice mix of text and graphics when it comes to blogging… & I’m sure I’m not alone.
July 1, 2008 — 7:00 pm
Teri Lussier says:
>I think that you’re overcomplicating this.
Who me? 😉
Irina, I brought it up because other people bring it up to me, as in, “How come you don’t use images?”
July 1, 2008 — 7:02 pm
Teri Lussier says:
>I’m sure I’m not alone.
I’m sure you are in the majority. 😀
July 1, 2008 — 7:03 pm
Stephanie Edwards-Musa says:
Hey Teri,
I personally like to use one picture in a normal post. Only one that relates to the main point of the entire post. Don’t know why, kinda weird now that I think about it that way.
Just depends on how froggy I feel when I’m writing it.
I wouldn’t worry about it (don’t think you are:)) but still.
I love Greg’s comment about people knowing how to read. Never thought about it that way, but makes sense.
It made me think about how beginner books that I read to my 2 yr old vs. Novels that I read as an adult. Funny but Please, I don’t mean that in a bad way. Just sayin’- that’s what it made me think of.
July 1, 2008 — 7:09 pm
ines says:
I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer here. Some people are visual and some others are not. I personally love blogs with graphics (real estate and non) but I also like to read certain posts without images because the writer is fantastic and grabs me without the need for imagery.
If I can attract other visual people as my clients, chances are that our business relationship will be stronger because we have that in common. Same goes with you and writing for the consumer that is not visual.
If you remember JP and Debbie Micek from “Tribal Seduction” they explain how important it is to appeal to all senses but I know a lot of people get overwhelmed from too much video and find the experience annoying – we need to focus on what we feel comfortable with and ultimately what our clients will look to us for.
July 1, 2008 — 7:15 pm
Michelle DeRepentigny says:
>To each his own.
I’m an image freak, I don’t think I’ve posted but a few times without some image. Sorry, it’s from teaching post license & adult ed. It’s beaten into our heads that we have to entertain to hold attention and get the true message across. IMHO, BHB thrives because the people who read it are motivated to obtain the education with or without as many frills.
July 1, 2008 — 7:15 pm
Gretchen - LifeStyle Denver says:
Teri – Even The Economist has photos. Dumbing down isn’t good, but many people do respond to images.
Greg – “Our results would prove that we’re right and they’re wrong.” In this – is there really a right and wrong? Isn’t a person’s blog supposed to be a reflection of their personality?
July 1, 2008 — 8:09 pm
Greg Swann says:
Hi, Gretchen,
I did not say: “Our results would prove that we’re right and they’re wrong…”
What I said was: “Our results would tend to argue that we are right and they are wrong…”
The subjunctivity of the form I used is important, and the whole subject of copying text literally and in full context is a valid post for PB II.
But there is more to this than that. BloodhoundBlog works because we deliver the goods, period. We talk seriously about serious topics, and everyone coming here knows that we are not going to leave anything unexplored, not even when we’re seemingly just having light-hearted fun.
But everything about the way we go about doing things is focused on that kind of very serious joy. I lead by example, of course, and I am the poster boy of the wall of text post. When I am taking on a topic of moment, I am doing everything I can to make readers work for the truth, even if that means they have to read the post more than once to get it all. I want for us to be the home of ideas on the RE.net, so I deliberately make a type of philosophical rigor that is statistically very rare seem to be common and normal, to be expected.
We’ve used one WordPress theme from the first day of the weblog, and it’s one that is very well suited to long blocks of text — small type in a narrow column. We’re not photo-hostile, but we’re hugely vertical, like a gothic cathedral, not wide-open and horizontal, like an amphitheater. This is all intentional — and this is the essence of art: Every different thing is all working in the service of one thing, and not one element betrays that essential idea.
> Isn’t a person’s blog supposed to be a reflection of their personality?
A Cat Blog, maybe. A weblog with a persuasive intent should be targeted to its ideal audience. We sure are. My goal, at least, it to appeal to the brainiest of Realtors, lenders and other real estate professionals. We are not actively pushing anyone away, but we set some high barriers to entry — and not just the one we’re talking about now. I want for us to be able to influence the very best of real estate professionals to do still better in everything they do. If we can do that, we can rehabilitate this profession, even as we put the bums by whom we have been until now encysted into a jobs they can actually do.
July 1, 2008 — 8:47 pm
Greg Swann says:
Stephanie and Michelle (and everyone): As a reminder, we have the PhotoDropper plugin available in the Write panel. I write in a text editor then post from Ecto, so I never think about it, but PhotoDropper gives you searchable access to Flickr photos, then plugs them right into your post. More info at BHB 2642. We’re 468 pixels max width. If you go wider than that with an image, Microsoft Explorer pitches a fit.
July 1, 2008 — 8:55 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Hi Ines!
>I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer here.
My point exactly! 😀
July 1, 2008 — 9:03 pm
Barry Cunningham says:
Greg..I have no idea what you are saying and why you are saying it.
You wrote” Because people who read well have money. People who read badly don’t.” Who says so? That seems to be might presumptuous.
You of all people should know how many seconds you have to grab the attention of a reader. Many studies have proven the short period of time you have to do so.
When you say “BloodhoundBlog works because we deliver the goods, period”…what is that suppposed to mean? High traffic, great technorati, huge backlinks?
I thought that the Project Blogger was about selling houses. If I am wrong then let me know.
Like Hunter wrote in a BHB post today, I have read plenty on BHB as well.
The average real estate agent who is trying to sell houses and is to be successful doing so, can’t replicate what you have done on BHB. IMO, it won’t work on a real estate sales blog. It works obviously well on a contributor national blog and I have followed a lot of the principles learned while a contributor here and it has worked great for us. No argument..hands down what you said can work if applied.
However…on our real estate blog, things are MUCH different. BHB principles and practices and even what we do on our Radio show blog, don’t work and on a blog wherein you are reaching out to the consumer.
It’s simply not going to happen. You have under 15 seconds to grab the attention of the prospective homebuyer. They want information very quickly and they make up their mind very fast.
We are getting so many leads from our real estate blog that it is hard to keep up. The reason I am up this late is I checked my email before turning in and we got thre leads (real leads) tonight while I was having dinner.
The SEO, the graphics, the short stories written in high school level english brings them in. And what you said earlier about economic level coinciding with reading level does not hold water.
The guy who flew in from London last week because of a single blog post wanted direct info by email, flew in, met for lunch, bought that afternoon and spent $450,000 cash.
I don’t want to beat the proverbial dead horse but there are different kind of blogs, this one and those like it, And the blog to reach the consumer.
They are different and should be tailored for the audience..not because the blogger wants it a certain way.
July 1, 2008 — 9:11 pm
Brad Coy says:
> I personally hate to be pandered to, so I don’t pander to readers. If they don’t like the way I choose to work, they have plenty of choices, here and elsewhere.
🙂
>are images a help or a hindrance to reading a blog?
Teri, I posted a link over at the ProBlogger room on friendfeed in asking for some “outside the industry” feedback.
July 2, 2008 — 1:19 am
Teri Lussier says:
>Teri, I posted a link over at the ProBlogger room on friendfeed in asking for some “outside the industry” feedback.
Thanks! I’ve not explored friendfeed. We’ll see how it works.
July 2, 2008 — 4:44 am
Nick Bostic says:
>but I have to ask myself if newspapers are going bankrupt, why would I blindly follow what journalists do?
I seriously hope you’re not saying you think newspapers are going bankrupt because of layout and design.
Newspapers are going bankrupt because A) it’s an inconvenient, wasteful media B) the newspapers are completely political (at least the ones I pick up once a month) so if you have an opposing political opinion, they’re bashing you and C) blogs, like this one, report on news faster and either with less bias or with enough people reporting from different points of view that all sides are fairly represented.
If we are to ignore “what journalists do”, does that mean we can falsify quotations and write slanderous articles? Or maybe IGNORE – basic; punctuation & cApItAlIzAtIoN rules? Yes, these are extreme examples (sorry if I’m coming across as being snarky, not my intent).
From a site manager perspective, not including images is brilliant. It’s easier to manage the flow of the site (as Greg mentioned, IE breaks too easily) and keeps bandwidth at a much more manageable level.
July 2, 2008 — 8:45 am
Vance Shutes says:
Teri,
The new “pup”, Tom Vanderwell, captured it all for me with his comment:
1. If someone is looking for houses on the web, they want to see pictures. Lots of pictures.
2. If someone is looking for information about how to buy, sell, finance or anything of that sort, they are looking for facts and opinions, not pictures.
That’s the approach I’ve taken with my blog. I’ll let the consumer sort it out.
July 2, 2008 — 10:07 am
Teri Lussier says:
Howdy Nick! Thanks for the response.
No, I didn’t say we should ignore the very best in journalistic integrity.
I agree with A,B,and C, but yes, I would add D) There are issues with newspaper layout and design.
At least there must be because the layout is frequently being tweaked. I do read newspapers, so I am sensitive to the design changes, which always move toward more photos, more graphics, more adverts, less solid information.
Reading a paper is rarely enjoyable to me and a large part is because of the layout- it’s very difficult to find information in a newspaper, and if I’m going to work that hard to find the information, then the information I find had better be extraordinary. It ain’t happening in most papers. WSJ is the exception to that rule. Look at the design- more info on the front page than in whole sections of other papers. Layout does matter.
July 2, 2008 — 11:48 am
Teri Lussier says:
Hi Vance-
How ’bout that video? 😉
July 2, 2008 — 11:50 am
Nick Bostic says:
As I look around at my friends (Generations X & Y), I see fewer and fewer newspapers and novels and more magazines. Is the content better? No, not usually. But the presentation is eye-appealing. For those of us who have grown up on the Internet, graphic design has become a sixth-sense whereas people who grew up with newspapers saw the same format from city to city.
Newspaper subscription numbers are in decline because the very large group of Gen X & Y (there have been plenty of articles lately on RIS, USA Today and others about how this age group is impacting this industry) don’t find the layout of newspapers to be appealing and older generations are becoming more comfortable getting their content online.
To me, newspaper layout and design is more akin to the overall site design: site title and links across the top, a giant bloodhound, the elements in the sidebar, etc. The individual articles in newspapers are using more images, charts and graphs to catch the eye and draw readers into the (lately terrible) content.
To me, there’s a time and place for graphics and imagery and, if used effectively, it’s great. Too often, it contributes nothing to the content and is therefore a waste of the eye, formatting and bandwidth.
July 2, 2008 — 12:17 pm
Heather Rankin says:
Teri – I am torn on the one. I am still pretty new to the entire blog world as well as the RE world so it has been a bit of a learning curve. One of my earliest experiences was on ActiveRain where some of the blogs I ran into had large, rather cutesy images, big, purple text … and hearts… and flowers … and on and on and, well, you know.
On my blog I am not using images lest I have taken them and they apply to the subject matter. Fortunately, living in the Lake Powell area is a photographic dream. Every direction a person turns out here qualifies as stunning.
If a blog is supposed to introduce the reader to the writer, then for me, putting in big purple hearts and bright yellow text, just isn’t getting it done. For the blogger in the next county over it might fit like a glove.
July 3, 2008 — 12:58 am
Teri Lussier says:
Nick-
>As I look around at my friends (Generations X & Y), I see fewer and fewer newspapers and novels and more magazines.
Semi-tangential: I’m not sure that’s a Gen X & Y phenom, it could be an age/maturity thing. I used to read more mags, less newspaper, too. And I’m still a magazine junkie.
I brought up newspapers and journalists because in mind, rightly or wrongly, newspapers are the first thing I think of when someone says “jounalist”.
>To me, there’s a time and place for graphics and imagery and, if used effectively, it’s great. Too often, it contributes nothing to the content and is therefore a waste of the eye, formatting and bandwidth.
That is precisely my point. Images must be effective or they are simply an annoying distraction. And remember, my blog theme has a huge header, and color in the sidebar- graphic elements are built into the theme.
July 3, 2008 — 5:19 am
Teri Lussier says:
Heather-
It doesn’t sound to me that you are torn at all. I think you understand the difference between effective use of photos and distracting junk.
You love photography, and live somewhere that lends itself to that. It makes sense to add beautiful photos to your blog.
An a-ha moment, not directed at you personally, just thinking out loud here: I suppose the flip side to this whole discussion is that if you are not a good writer, then a beautiful image would help keep people on the page.
July 3, 2008 — 5:34 am
mariana says:
… but even great writers can use pictures effectively.
July 3, 2008 — 6:22 am
Teri Lussier says:
Damn straight!
Greg has written about the effective use of both words and photos to sell homes (with picture goodness!) perhaps he’ll chime in with a url.
July 3, 2008 — 6:36 am
Greg Swann says:
You asked:
Twain said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” I would make the same argument for images: If a picture is not pulling the weight of a thousand words, the thousand words is preferable.
July 3, 2008 — 7:08 am
Sonny Gill says:
Images within a post, RE related or not, breaks up the monotony of having to read a novel. It’s not a matter of how great your writing skills are, but more so the point of giving your readers something fresh with every post and show some creativity; adds to their user experience (yes, UE goes for blogs too, not just company websites).
July 13, 2008 — 2:03 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Sonny-
Thanks for the input from outside the industry!
The “user experience”. hmm. What does that entail, I wonder? You given me something to consider, so I very much appreciate it.
July 13, 2008 — 3:26 pm