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Do the requirements for a user-friendly blog vary all that much from a user-friendly website?
Folks, I gotta pipe up. It can be pretty painful visiting some of the A-list blogs out there today. My pain comes from experiencing – over and over again – stinging instances of poor usability and functionality. In social-sphere terms, this translates to ”lack of hospitality.”
Your blog is like a house. And your content – which is quite yummy – is what you serve to your guests. Your blog’s usability and functionality are two of several key elements that define your hospitality.
Consider conducting a professional audit of your blog’s current level of hospitality – and do so from the viewpoint of new-to-the-blogosphere visitors (who are, after all, still the majority). Here’s a basic starter checklist that relates solely to usability and functionality – both of which will create your foundation for improved hospitality. If anyone wants to add to this checklist, please feel free to do so.
Usability and Functionality:
The Foundation for Creating a Hospitable Blog
- Don’t make the guest wait at your front door:
- Fast-loading home page – ?
Seriously, some blogs are taking what seems like “days” to load.
- Fast-loading home page – ?
- Provide free reign to explore your home:
- Search Engine functionality – ?
Don’t force folks to page through and manually scan years of archived posts to find a quote, learn more about you, or explore a particular topic.
- Search Engine functionality – ?
- Let your visitors read your diaries:
- Easy and Simple-to-Use Access to Archived Posts – ?
Yes, your pearls of yesteryear are just a valuable as those you dispense today.
- Easy and Simple-to-Use Access to Archived Posts – ?
- Don’t renege on invitations:
- Fix Broken Links – ?
This is Usability 101 stuff, but why are there still so many broken links (including those that ask guests to “register here”)?
- Fix Broken Links – ?
While any blog (including my own) may unwittingly cause usability pain, I am noticing the trend more frequently among popular blogs (Perhaps because I visit them more often? Or maybe because I expect more? You tell me…).
These are the blogs that, by virtue of their sheer traffic volume, have the power and resources to lead by example, sway opinion, and provide a truly hospitable experience for guests – on a grand scale. And your guests include members of the mainstream media who are trying to learn more about the blogosphere and understand your role as an influential communicator in our world. It behooves you to make it easy for them to move about your home.
Why, you may be thinking, hasn’t my loyal following told me about this pain? Well, I can’t speak for the rest of the folks, but I will go out on a limb and offer this: Transparency or not, if a guest is in your home – chances are they will be too polite to say that they have issues with your home (particularly if the prospect of “link love” beckons) or to dis you for your lack of hospitality.
Obviously my appeal is not directed at every A-list blogger out there. But it can be directed at any blogger, A-list or not – both those who are passionate about blogging as well as those who consider it a “necessary evil” (you know who you are) – who haven’t visited their own site, as a guest, in months or even years.
Overall, however, it seems to me that the marketing-focused blogs have a tendency to be much less painful than the others (not really a surprise). And if I were to award a Grand Prize for the blog that was completely pain-free, from a usability and functionality perspective, it would go to Seth Godin (again, no big surprise). He even says “Click on my Head” which actually takes usability to the extreme – never a bad thing though.
Regardless of the usability condition of any of our blog homes, I am still very grateful to be a guest every day. I’ve learned a great deal from all of you in the blogosphere – from the A-listers to the zealous newbies. I value your content – your insight – your expertise – your humanity – your advice – your comments – your feedback – your companionship – and your leadership.
Shoot, I think I just buried the lede.
SPECIAL NOTE: As I was finishing this post, I saw a tweet from Katie Paine that said: “pet peeve: #1 blogs that make you register in order to leave a comment. it’s like demanding a biz card before starting a conversation.”
I’m grateful for her comment because it continues the discussion about improving blog hospitality –albeit from the perspective of communication exchange, rather than usability and functionality. However, like the still-untouched topic of design, this one will require a whole other conversation. Stay tuned…
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Staying on top of the evolving social sphere, increasing internal mindshare, putting out fires, and managing information overload are just some of the challenges we face as marketers. As a result, it can be a struggle to maintain a sharp focus on priorities, make quick decisions that are effective, and strategically prepare for the future.
Here are five “overarching” principles that will help guide you in your efforts to focus, plan, prioritize, justify, and make rapid-fire decisions about all your marketing endeavors.
1. Map your marketing plan directly to your organization’s mission and business plan goals – This principle is #1 for a reason: It will insure that you’re always on the right track. It will also help you focus and prioritize.
2. Maintain a customer-centric focus in everything you do – If an idea, program, or strategy is not “customer-centric,” then scrap it. A “customer-centric” focus is one that is based on customer beliefs, wants, behaviors, needs, desires, feedback, conversation, etc. Note: Be sure to include a definition of your “customer” (which can include existing, prospective and former customers) in your marketing plan – even though this might seem like common knowledge within your organization.
3. Make data-based decisions – Don’t make decisions without data, if possible. Data-based decisions provide much-needed validation and justification, and require less time for deliberation. “Data” in this case can mean anything ranging from an industry research report, marketing book or blog, and program analysis to pinging a colleague or committee for feedback and surveying your customer base.
4. Measure and track programs – Executing a program without knowing the results is like throwing budget dollars into the wind. Setting up a mechanism for measuring and tracking programs may take extra time up front, but the payoff is invaluable. In the end, your new process will save you a great deal of time and spare you from guesswork when making decisions. Also, knowing the results of your programs is a key factor for determining ROI – which, in turn, will help you effectively plan your budget. By analyzing your results you can also better plan for the upcoming year. Note: Be sure to establish a “baseline” metric before launching any new programs and initiatives.
5. Make it a habit to ask “Why?” – Don’t be afraid to ask ”Why?” and ask it often. This will open new channels of communication, windows of opportunity, and access to interesting and valuable information. Some of your biggest surprises and insights will come from asking this tiny question – whether to yourself or others.
NOTE: This post is based on my original response to a question on LinkedIn about “avoiding marketing mistakes.”
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I have warm fuzzies.
Although some of these feelings came from a recent “super quick” response to my question in “Forums” and seeing the new Monotone blog theme, my overall fuzzies are the result of my comprehensive experiences with WordPress over the past year.
I am very happy to have a WordPress blog. And I’m lucky to be a part of the WordPress community. Folks here rock – from the forum participants to the developers. Best of all, WordPress is always improving and evolving. And did I mention it’s FREE?
Lucky, indeed.
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Check out Blackle, a new search engine powered by Google. Blackle is devoid of color with light – so less energy is required for display. Although it seems like the actual energy saved might be miniscule, the numbers add up pretty quickly based on volume. You can see the running tally right on the homepage.
Another bonus, according to the site: “Seeing Blackle every time we load our web browser reminds us that we need to keep taking small steps to save energy.”
Now that’s cool…especially since our biggest long-term energy savings will ultimately come from changing our behavior and habits – which, coincidentally – is also our biggest challenge.
Thanks to tiny gigantic for bringing this “armchair activism” opportunity to light. ;)
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