A Taxonomy of Blogs

In a comment to a recent post about the "Red Queen Effect," I challenged Tom Haskins of Grow Change Learn to come up with a "taxonomy," or classification structure, for the different types of blogs he sees in the blogosphere. And this is what wrote: "Different Motivations for Blogging."

It's a good post. Basically, Tom believes there are four types of blogs: "Distraction" blogs, "Archive" blogs, "Conversation" blogs, and "Democratic" blogs. Check out his post for a fuller description.

I think Tom is on to something. The Creative Think blog, like most, falls into all four categories, but I guess the predominant form is the archive one — I share my creativity stories and observations about the creative process. But this can change from week to week, and I find myself engaging in a conversation with my readers. I'd like to hope that there isn't a lot of distraction blogging here, but I'm probably as self-deluded as the next person.

Here are some questions for you: What types of blogs do you see? What structure do you recognize? Where do you fit in?
  

Comments

[Kent Blumberg]

Roger,

I'd guess my blog fits mostly into the archive category, except for my "Saturday Snaps." These photos are pure distraction.

A couple of my favorite conversation blogs are Liz Strauss (http://www.successful-blog.com/) and Gretchen Rubin's Happiness project (http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/).

Kent

[Valeria Maltoni]

Roger:

Do I dare say conversation and archive for my blog? Should we add the base for a book blog? Since Kent mentioned Gretchen's project...

[Paul McEnany]

I guess I'm with you, and I think most blogs we frequent fall into all four categories, as well. It's tough to build a blog if you're only one-dimensional.

[Stephen Denny]

Roger:

I see aggregators (quick hits and a link pointing you to someone else's thinking), conversationalists (two paragraphs on a provocative subject with a call for comments, beginning a conversation), and essayists (those who take a position and go long on it, giving you the beginning, middle and end, with a call to add to or debate the points made).

Good aggregators are guys like Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit and reviewers like Tech Crunch and Engaget. Conversationalists like Ann Handley and CK stay under the 400 word limit and usually bring people out of the woodwork. Grant McCracken and Valeria both do outstanding long copy essayist writing.

I'd put Creative Think in the conversationalist/essayist camp -- you have to straddle the line, now that I've drawn it. I'm firmly in the essayist group but hope one day to be a conversationalist; that, and of course one day to direct.

[Peter]

There are people who like purity and there are people, like me, who like blending.
Some of the best blogs I read cannot be categorized easily. I mean you might be able to put some kind of label on them or give a broad idea about what they provide BUT sometime the experience cannot be described.
Take for example Evelyn Rodriguez from Crossroads Dispatches... the first time I tried to read her blog I tried to get some information out of it and... ooopsie... something went wrong... the style was strange, she made me think about Attention Deficit Disorder (which I have by the way) needless to say that I abandoned that blog... but then I saw it mentioned again and again on another blog that I liked and... I approached it again... this time I just read it for reading... not trying to get anything from it... just for the pleasure of reading, for the melody of her words and something magical happened... my heart resonated... now it is one of my favorite blogs.

Anthony de Mello said:
"Some people write to make a living; others to share their insights or raise questions that will haunt their readers; others yet to understand their very souls. None of these will last. That distinction belongs to those who write only because if they did not write they would burst... These writers give expression to the divine — no matter what they write about."

So you see... structure might not play such a big role... resonance of the soul... that's what it might count more...

[L.Vazquez]

Been reading this blog since the beginning, but this is my first time commenting (I think) because I find this topic fascinating. Especially with the inclusion of the Distraction catagory, which took my by surprise.

I was blogging in the days before it was called 'blogging' and most 'online journals' I read back then were written by people who were in their early-mid 20s sharing their daily lives, just like I was.

My tastes have shifted since then. All my subscritions now are art and design related. I think all of them mostly fall under 3 of the 4 catagories... the least of which is the distraction blog.

[Roger von Oech]

Kent: Good analysis.

Valeria: I'd agree that you're: big Archive - medium Conver.

Paul: But some have more of a Distraction quality than others, and I tend not to frequent those as much.

Stephen: I like your taxonomy as well. I think you've got me pegged about right as an "essayist/conversationalist." I've written a lot of longer pieces, and if readers want to read something a little more substantive (for a blog), they can go to my "Favorite Posts" or archive. My goal would be to write longer pieces when I feel like it, but to have enough of a "salon atmosphere" here where three paragraphs of a conversation can get something going. You are right: you do go long — but it is like Jerry Rice or . . . like Randy Moss? ; - )

Peter: I think an Anthony de Mello quote always raises the level of a conversation! Personally, I don't write blog because I feel I'd explode otherwise. I've been fortunate to have my writing out in the world in other avenues. BTW: thanks for the link to "Crossroad Dispatches." Looks quite interesting.

Luis: Thanks for joining the conversation. I hope you'll be a regular here. I enjoyed looking at your blog! I agree with you: I tend to go less to the "Distraction" blogs.

[Carma Dutra]

I don't think blogs can be categorized so easily other than by subject. It has been beneficial for me, during the little amount of time I have been spending surfing and commenting on blogs, to have a variety of themes and attitudes.

I like Valerie's comment. We are not one dimensional.

I think I am going to fit into a blended category which will be more toward human interest,learned life lessons, motivational, instructional and....I'm going to have a difficult time deciding which category I will fall into.