Tuesday, October 18, 2005
The blogs according to Jakob
Let’s take a chance and rate this blog to the standards created by Jakob Nielsen. He writes: “Weblogs are often too internally focused and ignore key usability issues, making it hard for new readers to understand the site and trust the author.” Jakob lists the top 10 design mistakes for blogs. Sadly, this once free-of-rules area of expression now has strict must-do list, else be judged ineffective. Also, sadly, many of Jakob’s rules make a whole lotta sense. Anyway, let’s sadly see what Cotolo Chronicles’ blog has done right or wrong based on Jakob’s commandments. Here are Jakob’s top 10 mistakes.
No author biographies
We got ‘em. People who read this blog know who I am and can Google me to smithereens for more info, as a lot of them do, even with my profile posted. Check.
No author photo
I like the cartoon of me playing the harmonica in front of a racetrack better than any photo because it is more realistic. Check.
Nondescript posting titles
I believe our blog has some of the smartest and most intelligent headlines available. They rule over the theme of the text, as all good titles should. All you need to do is compare. Check.
Links don’t say where they go
Ours do. Check.
Classic hits are buried
We fail here. I am still not savvy enough to understand how to do what Jakob suggests here. I need a few more years to figure this out. However, our classic hits are buried.
The calendar is the only navigation
Ibid. I fail.
Irregular publishing frequency
I am not sure if that collection of words makes sense but I understand what he means. This blog regularly updates material, re-issues certain info and deals with material that the net program/podcast features. Check.
Mixing topics
I blend topics with delightful bridges and segues that are MMMmmmmmmmmmm, smmmmoooooooooooth. Check.
Forgetting that you write for your future boss
Jakob writes: “Whenever you post anything to the Internet -- whether on a weblog, in a discussion group, or even in an email -- think about how it will look to a hiring manager in 10 years.” We fail here. The last thing our blog is, is a resume.
Having a domain name owned by a weblog service
Apparently, Jakob says that because this blog URL ends in “blogspot dot com” then I am not the master of my own destiny and no one will take me seriously. We fail that with an asterisk, but nothing with an asterisk in this world, matters.
We did not do badly, if 60 percent is passing. If you want to take the test or learn more about what you should do with a blog, a website, an email or a bulletin board post, go to this link – click here – it is where you will read about Jakob. This link, too, goes to Jakob’s page. Learn from Jakob. Ok, is it clear enough where those links are taking you?
No author biographies
We got ‘em. People who read this blog know who I am and can Google me to smithereens for more info, as a lot of them do, even with my profile posted. Check.
No author photo
I like the cartoon of me playing the harmonica in front of a racetrack better than any photo because it is more realistic. Check.
Nondescript posting titles
I believe our blog has some of the smartest and most intelligent headlines available. They rule over the theme of the text, as all good titles should. All you need to do is compare. Check.
Links don’t say where they go
Ours do. Check.
Classic hits are buried
We fail here. I am still not savvy enough to understand how to do what Jakob suggests here. I need a few more years to figure this out. However, our classic hits are buried.
The calendar is the only navigation
Ibid. I fail.
Irregular publishing frequency
I am not sure if that collection of words makes sense but I understand what he means. This blog regularly updates material, re-issues certain info and deals with material that the net program/podcast features. Check.
Mixing topics
I blend topics with delightful bridges and segues that are MMMmmmmmmmmmm, smmmmoooooooooooth. Check.
Forgetting that you write for your future boss
Jakob writes: “Whenever you post anything to the Internet -- whether on a weblog, in a discussion group, or even in an email -- think about how it will look to a hiring manager in 10 years.” We fail here. The last thing our blog is, is a resume.
Having a domain name owned by a weblog service
Apparently, Jakob says that because this blog URL ends in “blogspot dot com” then I am not the master of my own destiny and no one will take me seriously. We fail that with an asterisk, but nothing with an asterisk in this world, matters.
We did not do badly, if 60 percent is passing. If you want to take the test or learn more about what you should do with a blog, a website, an email or a bulletin board post, go to this link – click here – it is where you will read about Jakob. This link, too, goes to Jakob’s page. Learn from Jakob. Ok, is it clear enough where those links are taking you?
