Are we writing the obit for long-form content?

By Angelo Fernando on August 27th, 2009 In Social Media

I’ll keep this short :–)

I’ve been experimenting with both long and short posts, long podcasts and short versions etc. So I raised this question yesterday with an editor-friend: Was long form journalism and publishing really dying, or, were we unwittinglydriving a stake into the heart of something we ought to preserve.  (Yes, there’s a very long post about this here!)

I came across this today,   a view that countered mine. Diane Ravitch at Hoover Digest holds that the decay of a literary culture, which ranges from a big drop of reviews to an increased appetite for ‘reading’ tweets and Facebook updates, is hastening the demise of reading.

So my point is: are we trying to solve the “people don’t read” problem by happily serving up content that lacks depth? In taking everything digital are we making a dangerous assumption that people just might read our stuff just because we throw it online? 

I am a big believer that for effective communciation and PR, there needs to be both short-form and long-form content. Reducing everything to an FAQ or tweet is not the answer. 

Lest I cross my self-imposed 200-word limit, I will stop now!

Are we writing the obit for long-form content?

Comments

Dan Wool Says:
August 27th, 2009 at 5:14 pm

Online, things need to be short. I learned this the hard way as an editor at two online websites. People don’t read online the same way they do offline. Reader behavior is more like television, less like print.

I think you can summarize or tease it short then link to long-form content for those who want depth.

Marketing Sociologist Says:
August 27th, 2009 at 7:04 pm

Sorry. Lost attention after etc. Could you make a music video of this and post it to YouTube so I can understand it? That’s how I learn my iPhone apps, get my news and gossip features. Also learning Spanish and folk guitar via YouTube.

Yet potential clients – even today – still don’t want to hear how YouTube can increase their profits. They’re still looking for the PRESS RELEASE in PR. 20th Century mentality in a 21st Century (second decade) world. No wonder those companies are in financial trouble.

Richard Kelleher
Marketing Sociologist
http://mediarelationsexpert.com/Marketing_Sociologist.html

Laurie Perez Says:
August 28th, 2009 at 11:54 am

Worthy question, beautifully posed!

Length isn’t always a measure of depth. A poem by Mary Oliver or David Whyte can open a world of reflection with very few lines.

I think a greater threat is the noisy overflow. The moment I follow a link to a sexy science article, I see 10 other equally juicy links. When I post the link on Facebook to share, I see it line up on my HOME page alongside compelling articles from Fast Company, videos from TED, and friends’ reports of the news of the hour (or minute).

The challenge to reflection and contemplation today is in that cacophony. Instead of lingering on the science article that first seduced me, I’ve now flirted with five other random thoughts – within five minutes. Contemplation requires silence, commitment, discipline: volume control.

Angelo Fernando Says:
August 28th, 2009 at 1:50 pm

So apart from knowing/checking the reading habits of our audience we need to know (Dan’s point) and using words economically (Laurie’s point) are there other things we want to pay attention to. I say we, speaking for our VPRB team here. But also for other content creators. For instance, do headlines make a big difference to how much time you spend on a post/article. For a writer to give more context, are (’juicy’) hyperlinks enough?

I am not sure what MS says about video being the answer. (The intention here is not to blame one industry or another, but to learn from the process and tools we are all experimenting with.) If video is the answer to everything, will we want everything from tax codes to text books turned into an a/v format?

One last thought: we have to acknowledge that the younger (’generation txt’) hasn’t exactly voted down printed material. How else to explain the passion for Harry Potter and young adult lit?

Students’ G-20 project gives hope « Says:
September 25th, 2009 at 9:32 am

[...] and will probably use it as an example of those who complain that wonder if this generation is all about short form content and  Facebook-y status [...]

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