Comments on: Lists of trite advice

By: 24…not just a case of beer, but the ideal percolation time for blog posts

24…not just a case of beer, but the ideal percolation time for blog posts — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:43:06 +0000

[...] Blog posts are usually written on the fly. They’re read that way too, so the blogosphere is full of listicles and trite nonsense. [...]

By: Caveat Emptor

Caveat Emptor — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 23:43:28 +0000

[...] written each day. They are a great fit for the way we read online. But, just because someone writes list posts of trite advice that gain mad traffic does not mean that they can execute. And execution, in business, is [...]

By: Lisbeth

Lisbeth — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:27:46 +0000

Agreed.

By: Kelly Misevich

Kelly Misevich — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:21:21 +0000

I rarely read list blog posts unless it is on a topic that I’m not familiar with. The exception to that is a list that has some comedic value. Kudos to you Mr. Wightman for doing a good job of adding some humor into your lists!

By: Jackson Wightman

Jackson Wightman — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:36:08 +0000

Well said Marla.

By: Marla Lepore

Marla Lepore — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:33:30 +0000

Agreed, Jackson!

I, too, love the easily scannable, easily digestible nature of lists, but they’ve become so ubiquitous, I’m starting to tune them out. At best, many of the “top 5 ways to…” and “top 3 tips for…” posts are blending into the background noise. At worst, they seem gimmicky or forced.

By: Jackson Wightman

Jackson Wightman — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:19:46 +0000

Diana and Scott:

Thanks for the the insights.

I like lists too for the same reasons you outline. And I fully agree re there power as a digestive tool.

But this is getting a bit much in our particular space. Your pts are very well taken.

By: Scott Meis

Scott Meis — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:14:28 +0000

Agree, lists do become repetitive and can easily play into the social media echo chamber but lists can also be incredibly powerful when the content is unique. Personally, I love quick, digestable content that I can quickly understand and can easily help clients understand. Humans are naturally methodical beings and I think the nature of bulleted or numbered content (again, when done with unique, creative insight) is a great approach.

By: Dr. Diana Tucker

Dr. Diana Tucker — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:45:10 +0000

I should say, keep those concentrated, helpful lists coming, not the trite and reductive ones

By: Dr. Diana Tucker

Dr. Diana Tucker — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:38:55 +0000

I agree wholeheartedly! As a PR teacher, I find those blogs that give me lists of steps or tip lists (such as your “6 tips on a designing and staging a successful PR stunt”) are extremely helpful. And even better when using a real example to help give detail to the list. Students of PR (and really, aren’t we all “students of PR”?) can really engage with these kinds of blogs and use them as check lists when they put together project for classes. Keep those lists coming!