Words and Pictures
I've been wondering how much benefit photographs really bring to a “journal” style blog. Are they really necessary?At Tumblr you almosthave to post photos to attract any kind of attention to your posts at all (which I think is kind of sadboth wanting to attract attention, and being attracted by photos in the first placebut that's another subject for another day).
I guess it comes down to the speed of modern life, and the influence the internet has upon it. The internet has evolved from a curated library to a fast flowing riverwe cannot hope to absorb a tiny fraction of the torrent, so we typically snatch at low hanging fruit. Pictures, headlines, and bullet points.
On a related note, I recently read an interview with John O'Nolan about the up-coming “Ghost” blogging platformand the decision tonot include any kind of commenting mechanism in the platform. This comes off the back of several other platforms and publications recently removing comments (Popular Science comes to mind). It's interesting that both Tumblr and Medium have never had atruefacility for comments.
We have always been taught that comments provide a primary means of engaging with a readerbut of course allowing public comments also invites abuse, and the playing of games. Suddenly the task of filtering and editing comments becomes sufficiently complex that their utility comes into question.