Content: A ramble about quality versus...

[ChickenFreak]

So I said that there are discussions to be had about content. Here's an attempt at one. The question is: When is quality paramount, and when do other factors drive a compromise in quality?

Ideally, every blog post would be carefully researched or brainstormed, carefully written, edited, held for bursts of inspired eloquence and edited again, proofread, and proofread again. The illustrations, if any, would be carefully created or chosen and maximize the goal - communication, whimsey, humor - for which they're intended. The post would be as perfect as it could be.

And ideally, all of that would be compatible with getting the posts out there in a timely manner, and compatible with all of the other goals for the blog. That's where the ideal can fall short.

So, when - what kind of blog, what kind of post, what kind of situation - is quality paramount, and when is some compromise in quality appropriate instead? When does appropriate care become inappropriate perfectionism?

In my case:

- I always edit and proofread. I don't think that any post has ever gone out without being checked at least three times before posting, and at least twice after posting. Longer, more complicated posts get a lot more checking/editing cycles than that. I don't compromise that part.

- For my daily posts, while I won't compromise on writing correctness, I do regularly compromise on writing quality. On eloquence.

I've made an editorial decision that I will post about the Scent Of The Day every single day, no matter what. It's a feature of the blog. Sometimes the words flow and the opening comes to me and Wikimedia Commons or my own iPhoto database has the perfect image and I'm happy with that post.

Sometimes I have nothing beyond the bare, bald fact that I wore Scent X and I still like it or still hate it, and the best image that I can find is miserably pedestrian. I still post. In that case, my commitment to a daily post outweighs lack of inspiration. Timeliness trumps quality. Again, it doesn't trump _editing_, or proofreading, but I don't wait for eloquence.

- But for "articles" - longer posts about various topics, that aren't driven by a daily schedule - I'd _like_ to wait for eloquence. This is where the question of perfectionism gets harder, and the question of what, exactly, the blog is for?

Am I blogging to express myself and improve my writing with an audience? If so, then the time comes when I need to shoot my internal editor and post the thing. And sometimes there will be times when I need to just let the words flow, squeeze my eyes shut, and post. (After editing and proofreading and proofreading and editing, of course.)

Or am I blogging to create a leading blog in my niche? If so, then I should take the time for eloquence and inspiration to come, and not post until it does. And since readers are also displeased if they have nothing to read, I should put in consistent effort, maybe a lot of hours of consistent effort, to ensure that those no-compromise posts are being produced frequently.

So what's the answer to that question? For me, the answer is that my blog is for expressing myself and for getting experience writing, regularly, for an audience. A lot of things come out of that decision, including a commitment to frequent posting, and a certain level of compromise in quality.

Editing still happens, proofreading still happens, correct English still happens, no matter what. But many hours of research, and holding posts for days or weeks until I have the right take on the topic, and getting others to read and comment before posting, that doesn't happen.

So what's _your_ take on quality and compromise?

[Melody]

I follow almost the same routine as you do. Wow.

In addition, my best friend has a degree in English. We have an agreement that after I post something new she proofs it and sends me an email with every missed comma, and every subject-verb error. In exchange, I often take her to lunch.

The bottom line: Have someone else read through the blog for the professional final touch of perfect English.

[ChickenFreak]

Hmmm. I persist in believing that my English is just fine, but whether that's true or not, my _writing_ could certainly use improving. Everyone's could. Maybe it would be good to find someone to swap commentary with.

[Piratejon]

I feel that the two things I have to work on at the moment is creating a backlog of posts so I don't feel the need to rush a post. The next thing I need to get used to doing is spreading out the writing of the post over multiple days.