Earthling

Note that she's not calling on *all* bloggers to change their habits or follow her lead. She avoids collapsing all of the various ways people use blogs into her own definition. In the end, a blog is just a listing of dated entries, and who is anyone to say what they should all be used for.

But more bloggers creating more original content would be really good for the medium. Bloggers who want to be widely read outside of their social circle should always keep that in the back of their head. The definition of "original content" in my mind is pretty broad and forgiving. An expression you hear often among blogging nerds is "Add to the conversation." You don't need to write lengthy editorials or scour the web for new and undiscovered treats every day. You just have to be willing to engage with whatever it is you want to write about. Say something about it. Explain it in your own terms. Apply your own thinking to it, or frame it in your own way. There are countless ways to do it.

In addition to being just plain wasteful, the glut of empty repetition is part of what adds to our overall feeling of information overload on the web. One technology news story comes out somewhere, and then a zillion blogs pile on within minutes. And then it feels like there's more information out there than there really is. There's a reason for some writers to jump on breaking news, but many could stand to wait a day, do more research, absorb more of the story, think, synthesize and then write something original about it. If it's truly worthy of discussion the opportunity won't evaporate overnight.

And that connects up to the second thoughtlet I read, by Merlin Mann on 43 Folders. Merlin writes about the tendency of podcasters, or people who record audio segments for us to listen to on computers or ipods, to lose momentum and quit recording fairly quickly. Many podcasts start up with best intentions, but for whatever reason their authors lose the time, interest, or inclination to keep going with it, and the new content dries up.

Merlin reminds us that podcasts don't have to be daily or weekly or even periodic. They don't have to mimic radio broadcasts at all -- they can just be something you do every once in a while because it fits your goal or message or it's what you feel like doing that day. It's the right tool for the job sometimes. He writes:

Me? I like the idea that a podcast is simply another way to post. Nothing more. Same way that Flickr and del.icio.us — to name just a couple — let me share something in a way that isn’t a traditional blog post, recording audio lets me (try to) make a certain point in my own way and with tone (and, one hopes, personality) that are a contrast with typically dry blog writing. But maybe that’s just me...if we are to be stuck with this radio mindset for now, I do wish more of the many talented podcasters out there would aspire toward making a series of brilliant poppy ’45s — rather than manufacturing these hour. long. news. casts. Seriously. Just do 3 fun minutes every couple weeks, and then stop for a while. I want “Love Me Do,” not “The Ring Cycle.”

Podcasts don't have to be radio stations. They can be one-off recordings. One great book with no follow-up isn't a failed book franchise. One excellent CD isn't a broken radio station. Just because we have the technology to create podcast subscriptions doesn't mean that the subscription model is the best one for everyone.

As content makers, we're all told that we need to commit to a "format" to be important, whether that's daily, weekly, or monthly. But podcasting, like writing and sharing bookmarks and sharing photos and making music, can be just something you do when it fits. Some ideas lend themselves better to pictures, some to words, some to audio. The web is adaptable, the tools are adaptable, and your audience should be adaptable.

The fact that you only produce something every once in a while doesn't limit its utility. It's shelf-life doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how often you produce it. Some sites and authors might be valuable to us because they provide a steady stream of stuff. Others might be valuable because they provide something great every once in a while. Some gal's individual podcast from a few months ago might still be good to listen to even though there hasn't been a new one since.