What should be done about fake id's?

Question

Why does it seem to be easier for illegals to get fake id's than to get green cards for employment and migrate here LEGALLY? What should be done to make fake id's easier for employers to spot so they can reject illegal immigrants with fake id's? Do you think fines or jail time would be more effective to discourage employers (corporate, proprietorships and partnerships) from hiring illegals?

Answer 1

I think the US is working on making all ID's have a chip implanted in them so that the "fake ID makers" will have a harder time creating them. But then, the governement will be able to track you whereever you go!

Answer 2

If employers would call the 800 numbers that the soc.sec. office has and check out the id's they would find nothing matches. That means you don't give them a job. turn them in.
those are federal documents it is a crime, but we are talking about people who are illegal, the moment they put their foot over the boader they became criminals.

Answer 3

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Tchoekzon...Member since: June 16, 2006

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When Jesus walked on the water, what physics changed?
Did the density of Jesus change, did the density or viscosity of the water change,or what?

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1 week ago
How much weight could Jesus have carried on the water without sinking. Come to think of it, why didn't Jesus ever pick up really heavy rocks to impress the peasants with his miracles?

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TonyMember since: October 20, 2006

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Best Answer - Chosen By Voters

Newtonian Physics according only explains the perceived reality
and like this supposed reality is imaginary. Quantum Physics
observes that there is only energy and that reality is only relations
of energy interactions which are controlled easily by our spirit
nature and mind over matter is the only real reality.

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The Church LadyMember since: January 28, 2007

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You lost me at "physics".

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Coolest GhoulMember since: August 16, 2006

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Maybe the lake was frozen.

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mypublici...Member since: December 08, 2005

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Physics are moot when there is a pen in a mans hand.

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man from utopiaMember since: April 24, 2006

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He was made of wood or very very small rocks.

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Monty Python

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Scott and FriendsMember since: November 30, 2006

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Maybe Jesus was so full of air that he wayed nothing!

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davidmMember since: July 09, 2006

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None! There still unchanged.

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idahomike...Member since: November 29, 2006

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As Jesus was The Author of The Laws of Physics it was not necessary for him to change them... he just used them as he knew they could be used....

if you want to see the laws of physics broken go see the movie Astronaut Farmer... but i do not recommend it... not worth the price of admission... wait till dollar night at the rental place.... I know...this is not the movie forum... but I am still ticked at being suckered into that bomb.

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Story JunkieMember since: April 18, 2006

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there have been numerous stories on levitation.
Love lifted Him up.
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/sai... (St Joseph)
St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross
http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/vie...

Source(s):

Say your prayers every morning and evening for the sake of this old world and all who dwell upon her. Thank you

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sahara_sp...Member since: January 30, 2007

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this is something that happened in a book

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smileyMember since: June 15, 2006

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who woudl go fishing in a BOAT on a frozen lake? there is no physics behind it, and scientists will be trying to "explain" it till kingdom come, when they realize that Jesus is real, and those miracles really did happen.

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zhangMember since: April 19, 2006

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There were stones just below the surface of the water, thus giving the appearance that Jesus was standing on the waters surface. The mind likes to play tricks on people.

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The LinkMember since: April 12, 2006

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If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say it was the viscosity of the water. God commanded it to stay in place, and it obeyed, which would have been the equivelant of its viscosity changing. This, of course, was supernaturally enhanced by God's power.

This is not alteration or suspension of the laws of physics, but the direct manipulation of them by someone/something with an infinite source of energy and an unlimited ability to affect reality. We, too, can alter properties of water. If we compress it or freeze it, we can change its density. We do this by use of energy and a means of applying it (that is, an mechanism to manipulate reality). God is unlimited in both of these categories, and has perfect understanding of how his universe works, seeing as how he designed and built it.

It would be like a computer programmer who designed and built a massively multiplayer online game. Normally, the game elements would be manipulated by players in a limited way, designed by the programmer. But the programmer himself would likely have debug tools or something similar in which he could directly input variable into the program, say generating an item out of thin air or raising his characters level. This is not altering the rules of the game (no programming code is changed, only a variable is input), only directly manipulating them.

God, as the master of His creation with complete sovereignty over it, can also directly manipulate it.

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saintroseMember since: March 10, 2006

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You are getting the idea. He did live by all laws but had the power to change things around him he may have frozen the water as he walked, he may have made himself lighter than water or possibly some one will find something else out about water and how to make it solid with a chemical change then turn back with another in the future who knows? How hard could it be for the person who created the whole earth to do a simple thing like walk on water?

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CelticFai...Member since: January 01, 2007

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Have you ever heard of a tide? I have walked about 10 miles across the atlantic ocean on more than one occasion, you think maybe just maybe a tide came up....it would not appear that way to the people on the beach and they would be afraid to even consider it if they had no such notions, they were uneducated and only did what they were told too and going into the sea wasnt one of them.

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ronald.sw...Member since: February 21, 2007

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This story is a great picture of positional truth.
Positional truth is our experience from divine viewpoint.
For instance we are "seated above in heavenly places" (Eph 2:6) is a "positional truth". Positional truth is where God sees us. Experiential truth is where we see ourselves. Is it possible to live in (experience) positional truth? Yes it is... but only by faith. By faith we can access our position regardless of our experience.

As the story continues about Jesus walking on the water, Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water also. This not time-space physics! Jesus? No problem! Jesus, who created the time-space universe would have no problem stepping outside of its design parameters. But Peter!! Noway! The key was that Jesus, CALLED Peter out of the boat. When He did Peter's faith went into action and he was able to walk on the water also. Faith in Him is one half of the key to every miracle; the other half is the will of God.

God Bless!
Love in the Lord,
P. Ron Swingle

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jackiedj8...Member since: March 29, 2006

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This defies physics.One time when I was young a bunch of us were in 2 cars and (sad to say now drinking ) driving ,I was in the 2nd car and my brother was in the first car.I watched them hit a tree hard and ran up and my brother was hurt trying to climb out,I picked him up and carried him and put him down on the ground,when someone came to the accident that wasn't with us asked ,how did he get on the ground I said I picked him up ,I can't explain that other than fear gripped me and I had strength that defied physics. We were both in our 20's not little children.

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gelflingMember since: December 30, 2006

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It was ice. Not a big deal, really. Too bad he didn't have skates and a puck.

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mukwathag...Member since: January 05, 2007

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This was used to symbolize how faith can conquer impossibilities.Nothing can not change no matter how difficult.When his disciple Peter tried to imitate him he failed and Jesus rebuked him for having little faith.It is only after Jesus charmed him up,when he was able walk on water like Jesus.Have faith and you will do anything considered as impossible.

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MozesMember since: March 14, 2006

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Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

2 seconds ago - Report Abuse Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.



Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin


Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)


Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)


Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)


Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)


Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)


Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)
Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Each antibiotic is effective only for certain types of infections, and your doctor is best able to compare your needs with the available medicines. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy preventing your doctor from prescribing amoxicillin.

In most cases of antibiotic use, a doctor must choose an antibiotic based on the most likely cause of the infection. For example, if you have an earache, the doctor knows what kinds of bacteria cause most ear infections. He or she will choose the antibiotic that best combats those kinds of bacteria. In another example, a few bacteria cause about 90% of pneumonias in previously healthy people. If you are diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor will choose an antibiotic that will kill these bacteria.

Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered also.

In some cases, laboratories may help a doctor make an antibiotic choice. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing your infection. Certain bacterial species will take a stain, and others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from your infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic.

Only your doctor can choose the best class and the best antibiotic from that class for your individual needs.
It is important to learn how to take antibiotics correctly. Read the label to see how many pills to take and how often to take your medicine. Also, ask your pharmacist if there is anything you should know about the medication.

An important question to ask is how the medication should be taken. Some medications need to be taken with something in your stomach such as a glass of milk or a few crackers, and others only with water. Taking your antibiotics incorrectly may affect their absorption, reducing or eliminating their effectiveness.

It is also important to store your medication correctly. Many children's antibiotics need to be refrigerated (amoxicillin), while others are best left at room temperature (Biaxin).

Take your entire course of antibiotics. Even though you may feel better before your medicine is entirely gone, follow through and take the entire course. This is important for your healing. If an antibiotic is stopped in midcourse, the bacteria may be partially treated and not completely killed, causing the bacteria to be resistant to the antibiotic. This can cause a serious problem if those now-resistant bacteria grow enough to cause a reinfection.
Antibiotics may have side effects. Some of the more common side effects may include:


Soft stools or diarrhea


Mild stomach upset


You should notify your doctor if you have any of the following side effects:


Vomiting


Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps


Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, fainting)


Vaginal itching or discharge


White patches on your tongue
Allergy
Some people are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, most commonly penicillin. If you have a question about a potential allergy, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medicine.

Allergic reactions commonly have the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath


Hives


Itching


Swelling of your lips, face, or tongue


Fainting
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose

Source(s):

NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose
NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats. See the index to this series for the complete list.

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list.

Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but difficult (even tortuous) to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference.

Good Example: Are Useful Requirements Just A Fairy Tale? by Dan Willis, Boxes and Arrows.

Needs Editorial Work: Most of the articles in Jay Rosen’s blog PressThink. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Rosen’s work. He makes excellent points, and I often refer others to his articles. He is one of the great media observers today. But (someone has to say it, sorry Jay), Rosen probably should spend less time writing and more time editing. Many of his blog postings go on hundreds of words longer than they need to in order to make his points well. The lack of subheads only makes it more difficult for the reader to stay engaged and follow Rosen’s points. Also, he often rambles and loses track of which point his article is making – in which case he’d do better to break longer articles into two or more short ones.


ADVANTAGES: In-Depth, Enhances Reputation, Good for Storytelling

If you offer well written and edited (I can’t stress that enough) blog postings in the long article format, you’ll give your readers plenty to think about and talk about. Plus, you will probably enhance your reputation as an expert in one field or another. The trick is to effectively engage their attention and hold it throughout the article. That’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.

Also, the long article format gives you room to explore a topic in as much depth as you feel is warranted.

If you are telling a story in a blog posting, the long article format tends to work well. Storytelling resonates deep in the human psyche, so if you can find ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into your long article format postings, that’ll help keep your audience engaged.

DISADVANTAGE: Tedious + Rambling = Eye Glaze

Unfortunately, most long articles I’ve seen posted to weblogs are poorly written and/or edited. They ramble, take too long to get to the point, beat a point to death with over-explanation, and commit numerous other editorial sins. The primary effect of these problems is that readers’ eyes quickly glaze over. They lose interest and click away.

This doesn’t simply mean that all your writing effort was for naught – in fact, it had negative value. Anyone who reads a bad long article will have even less inclination to read more items from the same weblog in the future.

TIPS

Any time you find yourself writing a posting that’s more than 700 words long, look for ways to trim it to below that benchmark or else divide it into separate articles. Don’t ever write a long article as a blog posting unless you absolutely must.

If that’s simply impossible, then insert subheads every 500 words or so. This clarifies transitions to new topics, and it also gives the reader a visual and psychological break. Reading lots of text on a computer screen is hard on the eyes! White space helps.

Or, you can do like I did in this article and find a way to convert a long article into a series. (See tomorrow’s posting.)

Edit long blog postings very carefully. Decide which points you wish to make or which story you wish to tell, support it adequately but not voluminously, and stick to it. Keep your writing tight. Employ standard editorial tightening tricks such as eliminating passive verbs, simplifying complex sentences, and eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Most importantly, adhere to the key principles of effective writing: make it engaging, efficient, and readable. Those considerations don’t preclude long articles, but they do clarify the extent of your editorial responsibility if you choose



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