Sunday, August 03, 2008

7 Reasons Why I Hate Blog Posts Which Are Just Lists

Checklist and pencil

  1. The number always seems arbitrary. Why are there only seven interesting things to say about one subject, but 10 about another?
  2. If something is sufficiently interesting and complex, it’s very rare that it can be reduced to simple bullet points. Reading a list is a bit like eating a Chinese meal: two minutes later and you're ready for something more substantial.
  3. By reducing something to a simple list, readers are given the impression that there is an easy fix to everything. That is just not true. A bit like self-help books.
  4. List headlines are lazy and often done just to get more readers. I wonder how many more readers I'll get with this post?
  5. We generally have a much shorter attention span than in the past, by producing short, punchy lists we are simply reinforcing that. (are you still reading?)
  6. Some posts that use lists are of the ‘Top Ten’ variety. Often, the most interesting entries are way down at number 34. Or at number 58.
  7. One of the easiest ways to write a post is to make a list. This encourages lazy writing and doesn’t allow for richer, more textured arguments and discussions.
  8. Oh yes, by the way: sometimes there are more points than neatly fit into the list.

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