Also, this shouldn’t be a problem even here if you’re the least bit adaptable, because there is a link to recent posts on the sidebar you can, for instance, click to get to Segen’s honor killing post

Publishing on the web isn’t just about pushing your thoughts on others and forcing them to read it. It’s also about people searching and finding content on topics they’re interested in.

Long after this post drops off the front page, it’ll still be indexed by Google and available to anyone searching for posts written on this topic. Your audience online isn’t just who’s reading your blog regularly, it’s also those who find your content later by seeking out information on the topic.

The only time I’d be concerned if people weren’t reading what I wrote is if pageviews equated my income (see the Gawker Media pay system).

Of course the issue is not about being out of a job, but rather who your ideas reach. If people aren’t reading your blog post, what is the point?

I am disappointed that the comments on your post have dealt with the length of your post, instead of dealing with the actual content of your post. But, I can understand the reason…

Kofi: I’m aware of the contradiction. But at the same time, this blog isn’t an online media property seeking to uproot old media. It’s not a business. It’s not trying to increase readership to get advertising money. We’re playing with completely different rules here, and if we break them none of us are out of a job.

Interesting article, Kiyoshi. Seems like we’re at another critical juncture in the media outlets. Have you ever read anything by Robert McChesney…specifically his book The Problem of the Media?

I see what these commentors mean about length, however.

Fair enough. If all you intended was to shoot your thoughts off into the expanse that is the internet, that is fine. Job well done. I just found it ironic that a post describing some of the problems facing old media outlets would exhibit so many of symptoms plaguing them.

See there’s this funny thing about blogging, it’s for people to read. I’m not even passing judgment on what you wrote, just saying that I’d rather not scroll past your Master’s thesis on Chicago media to get to see what has developed in the provocative honor killings post. Tom posts long too, but he generally is polite enough to put down the first thousand or so words then link to the rest for convenience.

What was I trying to accomplish? Two things: writing about something I was interested in and then sharing it with others. That’s it.

I left journalism because I discovered that writing in that profession wasn’t fun at all. Dumb it down for your audience. Write to shorter/longer for space. Include this detail, omit this detail. Write this story that’s bullshit. Don’t write this story because the editor doesn’t think it’s relevant. Etc. You work for others, not yourself and your personal satisfaction.

The wonderful thing about doing personal blogging is that I don’t have to put up with any of that. Instead, I get to do what I want. It makes me happy.

I don’t care about a reader’s short attention span online, how what I wrote makes it hard for them to have an argument on the Internet with someone else or growing readership.

I accomplished what I set out to do and I’m happy with that. What have you, Brandon and anonymous accomplished that’s made your life happier by complaining about something I wrote?

One of the major vulnerabilities plaguing the old media outlets is the increasingly short attention span of the public. We want our news immediately and in short, digestable pieces. We do not wait for the daily news to be summed up in a half hour at 5pm. We do not wait for the daily news to be thoroughly reported the next morning. We certainly do not wait for Time or Newsweek to sum up a whole week for us. These mediums are dying, and the only reason they are not already dead is because the generations that utilize those mediums are still hanging on… for now. This post, no matter how intelligent, or relevant, or on point, is, as Brandon noted in a much nicer way, TOO FUCKING LONG. Not only is it inappropriate for the young generation this sites readership consists of, its too long for a blog. A blog lives and dies off its comments. Its a COMMUNITY circle jerk; not a solo jerk (do that in the privacy of your bedroom). How the hell can Brandon and I bicker at each other when theres three dozen different points made in a single post? No matter how much someone might disagree with the various premises and conclusion of this post, by the time they reach they end they simply shrug and say fuck it – I disagree but I dont have the time or energy to address every point. So what is Kiyoshi trying to accomplish? If he is trying to inform, he has failed because he ran too long. If he is trying to engage, he failed because he vomitted talking points. If he is trying to convince himself he is right based upon the absence of opposition, then he has done a wonderful job.