As the blogosphere continues to develop, I notice that there are really two main types of blogs: opinion and news. You are primarily one or the other. News blogs include sites like TechCrunch, while Freelance Switch is based around the various bloggers opinions.
While both types of blogs have huge audiences, it got me wondering which type are “better”. I define better as able to grow faster, easier, and monetize better. News sites seem to depend on either being first to report on something, or being known as covering everything in a niche. Opinion blogs depend on the expertise of the writers involved to share their thoughts, advice, and sometimes their own personal takes on news effecting their niche.
Opinion based sites don’t have to be the first to report on something, as people go to their sites to see the personal thoughts of the individual or small group. For a single author site, I have to lean towards opinion based blogs being the better choice. News sites require connections, a strong connection to the niche you are covering, and the ability to jump on a story before anyone else hits publish. This can be quite difficult for most bloggers, and require resources that they may not have. The ceiling on news sites seems higher though, bringing me back to the question in the title of this post. Which do you think is better, news or opinion blogs?
I have written many blogs that are news style, opinion style, and tried to mix the two as often as possible, but I have found that people that come to a site in hopes of finding factual news, don’t like having a heavy dose of personal opinion, while those looking for opinion hated when I just reported the facts. So please, when commenting, don’t say a mix of the two is the best answer, unless you are willing to explain your response.
Have your say in the comments below.
