Why 90% of Blogs Are Worthless

I’ve been reading a lot of blogs lately.  And I seriously mean A Lot.  As in I sit at work everyday researching blogs to see what material is worthwhile, and why certain articles are just amazing.  The conclusion?  90% of blogs SUCK.

Don’t believe me?  Ask yourself when’s the last time Copyblogger wrote something worthwhile.  Something that really struck you and you actually USED that advice.  Or did you just find yourself scrolling aimlessly through too much spacing only to find out the entire article can be summed up by their one-line great linkbaity title

I’m not saying they NEVER have content, I’m just saying 90% of blogs out there lack true value.  Or some blogs lack valuable content 90% of the time – using 10% effort to keep readers.

Another great example is good ol’ Trent at The Simple Dollar.  While you get a good recipe here and there, and some interesting budgeting experiments – the majority is merely pointing out what we already know.  Like advice on budgeting, not buying things to impress others, and spending less than what you make — no shit.

Beyond rambling nonsense for content, these blogs also take on a slow, calm, and boring tone.  There’s no spark.  Nothing to keep you reading until  you’re done if it was any longer than half a page.  Hell, the author seems to have lost interest halfway through, or maybe never had the passion to begin with.

Think to yourself, when you start subscribing or reading any blog, how many times are you soo interested — that you actually go back and read the archives fully?  Never?  Maybe that’s because there’s often no real content, or you have to search a long time before finding a good point, or the voice is weak.

So what makes a good blog?

Well, I came across this one titled: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.  Sound arrogant?  Welcome to the wonderful tone of Ramit.  My first impression was: Asshole.  Within the first two minutes of reading the blog I already came across him mentioning how he was a Stanford graduate 3 times.  He’s one of the biggest self promoter I’ve ever seen.  But, what kept me reading was the content and the strength of the voice.

You get used to the presumptuous tone after awhile.  But reading his blog is almost like he’s talking to you.  His strong personality comes through, commanding, somewhat jerkish, definitely someone I don’t want to meet — but it comes through.  And that’s the point.  You wouldn’t walk away from someone who’s talking to you, just like you’d finish reading a blog that has a personality.

Another great blog is Zen Habits.  Great enthusiasm for what he’s writing.  Also solid content for the most part, and offers interesting perspectives with lengthy explanations.

There’s quite a few other great blogs out there, Macrumors being another one.  But relatively rare when compared to how many total blogs there are.

So why do people continue reading blogs that lack content most of the time?

Well, good news for lazy bloggers.  Most of your subscribers don’t pay attention to how many they’ve subscribed to, or are simply ridiculously bored at work like me, or don’t mind scrolling awhile before hitting good content.

Popular bloggers are also making similar pay to that of attorneys, not a bad gig through ad sales.  Regardless, good content should be valued, and while mediocre entries buried.  We could all be pickier on what we spend our time on, after all, you could be getting twice the enjoyment from another blog.