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How do we improve The Blog Herald?

How do we improve The Blog Herald?

Now that the hubbub and buzz about our acquisition of The Blog Herald is over, it’s time to get down to business and talk about how to move forward.

Our goal is simple: We want The Blog Herald to be the industry leading site for blog news.

In the short term, we see a few key things: a new snappy, yet classic, new design. More in-depth coverage of major events like SXSW, BlogHer, Ad:Tech, and others. Interviews of key players. And so on.

But that’s what we see. What do you want to see here at The Blog Herald?

Our questions for you:

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  • What should our design be like?
  • What sort of news, opinion, coverage, commentary, etc, would you like to see here?
  • Who would you like to see interviewed?
  • Besides my nasty haircut, what do you hate about this site and insist that we improve?
  • What do you really like about this site that must stay around? (Duncan likes the B in the logo and we’re going to incorporate that into the new design.. must pay homage to the founder and all that)

We look forward to your thoughts in the comments.

~~Matt & The BlogMedia, Inc. Team

View Comments (9)
  • 1. It should look like a news source, i.e. slightly reminiscent of a newspaper, as it does indeed now.
    2. It should have about 20 percent op-ed, not just straight news, but discussion of it too.
    3. It should vary the voices and tone — which you’re already doing.
    4. It shouldn’t spook readers with intrusive advertising — see BusinessWeek’s “slideovers” which are sometimes impossible to turn off.
    5. Some content should be light-hearted or witty. Snarkiness is OK against genuine injustice, but not just sprayed around for effect.

    My 2c.

  • Well, since you’re asking :) in point form.. some thoughts:
    – I personally can live without the referrals from your own blogs .. it’s more promotion than news. Can you just let BNW do that and trackback?
    – I’d do less blockquotes and just link to the source .. at least on “news” items .. (they’re okay for commentaries and the snarkie posts and building up enclyclopedia type of archives)
    – Smaller posts, more often. If you can’t pound them out all day, try to pound them out at least on regular cycles.. several times a day. It just seems odd when there are no posts .. ‘there’s always something happening’
    – Why do you need a new design again? To better monetize? well, okay. Just because? I don’t think it’s necessary to change look and would even go as far as suggesting it might be the wrong move to do. At least not yet.
    – I like the interviews. They would be very interesting in video or audio.
    – I also like the news (not gossip) from the main stream sites and “entertainment” sites that I don’t want to sift through. e.g. I’m from central Canada .. tell me about big city local stories making news – especially if it involves blogging. NYC LA LV MPLS etc and – around the world
    – put the search field closer to the top .. and, that’s it from me!

    That’s pretty much all I can think of. Other than that .. if it helps .. you and Marcus is doing pretty good so far.

  • I share John’s vision for the “newspaper” look.

    Also, a tips line prominently displayed at the top and maybe right above the comments form may encourage visitors to send in more story ideas and press releases.

    It would also get your readers more involved in the site if there was more coverage of smaller blogs and bloggers, rather than just going after the A-Listers and big sites. I loved the way Duncan used to do that.

  • Please add the newest interesting Blogs for Sale on dnforum and sitepoint etc. That stuff is interesting to follow.

  • Start talking about, and quoting, people that aren’t in the A-list. You can make this site a lot better by actually seeking out people that people AREN’T talking about. Allow people to submit things to you, like, say, blogger job openings, etc.

  • My main “thing” with the Blog Herald is that there needs to be some
    sort of demarcation between news and opinion. Considering that this is
    meant to be or should strive to be the journal of record for the blog
    industry I’d I think it needs to go well beyond being just a blog that
    mixes the two from ensureing opinion posts and newsy items differ in
    tone too how the posts are presented.

  • I rather like the current look of the site. I’d say, don’t do much changing.

    As for topics.. Interviews are always good things. I don’t have any particular suggestions as to people, but I do enjoy reading the majority of interviews posted.

    Op-ed is always welcome, as well. Straight news/fact-based news items are fine and dandy (and welcome, and informative), but a little spice and opinion is what makes the blogosphere so great as an alternative to mainstream media. So long as the facts are there, feel free to toss in an opinion or two, I say.

    I would like to make one suggestion. Please, out of love for us, please, pretty-please, go to full RSS feeds? Perhaps it’s a bug in my reader, but I’m only getting partials, which is – needless to say – very annoying. (and if I’ve said this before, elsewhere, please disregard. I’ve not much of a memory.)

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