[midiwhale]

IMHO good content isn't 2x 500 word paragraphs.

Look up a subject on wikipedia.org or about.com and see the standards they maintain.

Sure magazines articles are around 1500 words with pictures, but a magazine also has 100+ pages to flick through.

My gauge is "emotion". Does the content make me feel something. Does it challenge what I think already, does it feed me new stuff, does it provide a platform for me to participate.

Emotion also comes from "design" and picture content. AKA is it beautiful to look at.

I don't personally think you'd ever make much money by doing a "classified" advert version of short paragraph stories.

Sure people like brief snippets (headlines) but you don't have a relationship with those sites, to go "and whilst I'm reading that headline", I'll just buy this... That's why banner adverts exist on pure info sites.

AYK if you look at the majority of blogs, they survive on time sensitive news, centralising several feeds (corner shop convenience), brief analysis/overview coupled with in depth articles and breakdowns and of course, reader contribution.

If you just want to write paragraph copy, then open a web shopping cart, as when shopping that is what people want. But to promote your store, to give it uniqueness and identity and form a "relationship" with your audience, you will probably need to do more. To offer advice, genuine opinion, real and unique recommendations, etc..

We all have shops we go in, and others we don't go in, even though they sell the same stuff. The 1 we pick may even be dearer.

We do that because of the ambience (design) of the place, the staff (the value and opinion of the copy), the product selection (range of topics/subjects on offer), the convenience of 1 local shop, and so on...

The problem with the web, is getting that across.

Look what Amazon and countless others are doing to blog-up their stores with user reviews.

Of course, for some topics, a list of good URL resources, is also appropriate.

So it's not a black and white topic.

Ed summed it up in one video with the phrase "imagine you are talking to friends".

Do you read your friends classified adverts in the pub?
Do you just read your partner the headlines at breakfeast with no detail?
Do you just go "oh my" and then say nothing else all day?

I'm not saying anyones site was like this, I didn't see them, but this is what separates content.
If you wouldn't enjoy it, why would anyone else.

I think Ed also meant this in "getting to know the subject" for real.

AFAIC the web is totally about relationships. You know how complicated relationships are! You need to work at them constantly. You need to keep it fresh. You need to value your partner (constantly). You need to entertain them. You need to share experiences. You need some solo time apart ;-) or with external friends. You need to nurture and sustain them (post sale care). You need to value and listen to their opinions. Both your presences need to make a difference. You both need to have dreams you can aspire too (next purchase).

You can't do that in 2x 500 paragraphs. Can you?

We are not human RSS feeds.

Sorry if this isn't very coherent or helpful.

JMTCW.