Blog Post Formats

by December 16, 2005

As mentioned in our Blog Interface Design article, blog posts often align with a specific format:

“Some posts are full-fledged articles with substantial content, some are simply pointers (links) to content found elsewhere, some are announcements, some are reviews (of books, movies, events, etc.), and some are compilations of content published in various locations.”

Amy Gahran described seven such formats and even outlined the characteristics of each type: link-only, link-blurb, brief remark, list, short article, long article, and series postings. On Functioning Form, however, I’ve been labeling each post as one of these six formats:

  • Announcements –Information about an upcoming speaking event, an article published elsewhere or design organization news.
  • Articles –Medium to long posts about a specific subject matter. These often consist of original ideas or commentary on trends, ideas, or applications (these form the bulk of the archives).
  • Follow-ups –These posts point readers to additional information or opinions on topics previously discussed on Functioning Form.
  • Links –Pointers to interesting articles or papers (these are quite rare).
  • Reviews –Notes and opinions about recently read books or recently attended events.
  • Round-ups –A gathering of multiple perspectives about a specific theme or idea.

Each link above provides a list of the archives filtered by a specific post format.