One Post to a Better Blog

          In chapter 6 of Blogging, by Jill Walker Rettberg, she introduces the chapter by talking about how the internet is full of conversations and how "consumers communicate about products" (128). She discusses how customers "were getting accustomed to comparing other customers' reviews of products before making a purchase" (128). This really struck me because my family is dependent upon this. Even though we never comment or review an item, if my father finds one negative review about a product, he will discourage me from purchasing that product. I think that this has something to do with credibility and un-sponsored reviews. People are willing to listen to other people that have not been told by a certain company to talk about X product. If someone reviews an item and genuinely likes it and writes about it, it would give the product a bigger liklihood of being purchased. On the other hand, a product with many negative reviews, or in my family's case, just one, that item has a significantly lower chance of being purchased. Should products with negative reviews be able to hide the negative comments? Why or why not? Would this diminish their credibility?

         Later on, Rettberg discusses http://www.problogger.net/ and how the creator, Darren Rowse, used his tips to increase his own readership. Bloggers would read his blog and find some useful information. Rowse linked to participants of his "31 Days to A Better Blog" and they generally linked back to him. As they got more readers, so did Rowse due to his link on their pages.
          Another thing that Rettberg points out is that Rowse then had a "clear agenda for what he would blog about for a whole month" (149). This reminded me of another blog that I read: Undressed Skeleton. What she did that reminded me of Rowse's plan was that she planned to go vegan for a whole month. She then blogged her recipes and received feedback from her readers. She, like Rowse, had a structured plan for the month, but, unlike Rowse, she did not have her recipes set out exactly. She still had to create them, but maybe a day or two in advance, not as structured as Rowse. Is a structured blog a good thing? A bad thing? Why or why not? What are the benefits and cons?