The Wow Factor: Is It Ruining Our Culture?
Culture has been getting faster and shallower for hundreds of years, says Seth Godin, and encourages us to have meaningful conversations with a smaller number of people and to create thoughtful content instead of trying to get that shallow, meaningless “wow” from thousands – or from millions.
I agree – I think anyone would agree – that meaningful, long-term conversations and relationships are more important and have a higher value – to the individual and to the culture – than quick, drive-by, “wow”-type interactions, but as a blogger I have to say that the temptation is huge.
After all, if you’re not Seth Godin – if you’re a non-celebrity person who produces high quality content for a small group of fans, at some point it becomes frustrating. If you can’t get lots of people to read your words, what value do they have? If I write something shallow and meaningless such as this, and it goes viral on Stumbleupon and gets 100,000 page views in one day, and then I write something deep and meaningful and it gets 1,000 page views, which piece is more important? Which made a bigger difference?
And then there’s the question of money of course – people need to make a living and most would love to make a nice living – so if the deep, thoughtful piece does not make me money but the shallow crap does – it becomes a tough choice.
This blog is an interesting experiment, becuase it is my space so I get to do whatever I want here. I sometimes go with shallow crap, sometimes with deep thoughts and sometimes with something in between. While I sometimes look at the shallow posts that I produce and tell myself “I can’t believe you just wrote this,” I can also tell you that when I write something deeper and it does not go viral on social media and relatively few people read it, I feel disappointed.
When you’re a new blogger, one of the first pieces of advice you hear is that people on the Internet don’t read – they scan – and that you should write short posts with lots of bullets, numbers and lists. They tell you to highlight the important lines and to add a pretty picture. The assumption is that long = tedious and that no one these days has the time, the attention span or the number of live brain cells required to read and process long articles, however thought-provoking or culture-changing they may be.
So if you’ve read all these words, and you are still with me (unlikely since this post is turning out to be almost 500 words long, is not bulleted or numbered and does not discuss a celebrity), I would love to hear your thoughts:
If you produce or market content, are you going for the wow factor, or do you insist on being authentic, even if it means your audience will always be small? And if you’re a reader, do you find yourself gravitating towards titles such as “Kim Kardashian Tweets Bikini Pics” while ignoring deeper titles that lack the wow factor?
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Loved this comment: “If the wow stuff can get people to come, some of them might be also into the deeper stuff you write. Some of the people that only read shallow stuff might have a moment of weakness and accidentally start looking at the deeper posts and be converted into philosophers, so you never know. South Park has lots of fart jokes but there are also sharp social commentaries in many episodes. The wow might bring the crowd and attention, but maybe it will make some of them think. Then maybe, the shallow stuff has value that way.” Kelvin Kao, Puppet Kaos.
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san responds:
Posted: April 6th, 2010 at 9:56 pm →
You bring up a really good point here!
I only have a personal blog, but I am constantly torn between writing just “for me” and writing what I think more people would like to read.
I (somewhat) envy bloggers that have many, many followers, but at the same time, I’m not writing to get more hits and I value the fewer people that come and read my blog.
Davina responds:
Posted: April 6th, 2010 at 10:25 pm →
You know it’s funny Vered, I was just thinking that on posts such as “Kim Kardashian Tweets Bikini Pics”, I would probably scan and then spend more time reading the comment section. Even in the shallowest type of post there can still be some interesting discussion and oftentimes, quite entertaining. The entertainment becomes more appealing than the content. Having said that, I’d prefer the deep, philosophical type posts over the wow factor posts because… I just do. For some reason, all I’ve got to write about lately are personal stories and I feel a little self-indulgent about that. Plus, I do like to keep my posts below 700 words and the last few have been way over that.
Marelisa responds:
Posted: April 6th, 2010 at 11:30 pm →
You got 100,000 page views in one day?! Wow. I think my blog has a personality, and if I were to write something for the “wow” factor it would be like someone showing up at a cocktail party wearing a wig and really big sunglasses, so I don’t think I’ll be going down that route. I just can’t do that to my blog. I do strive to write viral content though, and I’ve discovered that list posts tend to have the most opportunity to go viral. It is a delicate line to walk.
Hilary responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 2:05 am →
Hi Vered .. I don’t do shallow, but I can’t do too indepth – I like value for money .. as such .. value for reading time, and picking up useful and informative items. I like to relate to bloggers who are within the sphere I’m blogging in .. so I am spreading my wings a little – I value the people who comment on my blog and thus believe their commenters will be like minded.
I would prefer to have a smaller (large!) readership and as I grow and develop my ideas I can continue to have those relationships and not become just a name – though I guess in a year or two ..that’s what I’d like – and then I’d have freedom to be with friends and tie in with other bloggers get to meet them and travel the world.
I like to offer an interesting resource as my blog – somewhere slightly different, with a twist .. a quaintness, while giving value in the information or snippets I’m offering .. so people will want to come over and will want to read it – because it is different.
Thanks .. I’d go for value! – have a good week Hilary
Lovelyn responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 2:24 am →
Interesting point, Vered. I think it’s true that shallow posts get the most attention. I’m just writing a personal blog these days. Making the decision to drop my other blogs and concentrate on the one was more about what I thought was fun than anything else. There are no lists or bullet points on that blog. I just write about what I think is funny. It’s only read by my family and friends. As far as making money online goes, I’ve found other ways to do that.
Heather Villa responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 3:19 am →
It’s definitely more rewarding when a large number of people read something I’ve posted. However, I try not to write solely based on how many readers I want to attract. While I would LOVE to have 100,000 page views, that is not my end goal. My blog is an extension of my business. So the purpose is to share my knowledge with others in the hopes that my readers get something useful that helps them in their business.
Kelvin Kao responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 4:07 am →
Ideally, you should write something that works on all the different levels. The shallow people will laugh at the shallow joke. The deep people will consider the philosophical thoughts. The anthropologists will consider the impact on the society. The old will appreciate the wisdom, the young will love the new way of thinking, and everybody will be happy.
Yeah, easier said than done.
But if the wow stuff can get people to come, some of them might be also into the deeper stuff you write. Some of the people that only read shallow stuff might have a moment of weakness and accidentally start looking at the deeper posts and be converted into philosophers, so you never know. South Park has lots of fart jokes but there are also sharp social commentaries in many episodes. The wow might bring the crowd and attention, but maybe it will make some of them think. Then maybe, the shallow stuff has value that way.
However, to be honest, I have lots of blog posts in my RSS reader. If you weren’t a blogger that I’ve considered to produce interesting content consistently, I would’ve probably just scanned this post and think “This blogger is weighing two different approaches. It’s sort of a paradox. I get it. Next.”
Chase March responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 5:27 am →
I read all your words. I usually do. There are a handful of blogs that I have come to know over the years and I trust and respect the content those bloggers post.
I’d rather follow a blogger who posts thought-provoking content, stays true to themselves, and posts on a regular basis than someone who blatantly tries to attract more and more readers.
I also don’t like the bulleted or list posts. I am a text-based person and you can probably tell as much from my own blog. I don’t get a huge amount of traffic but I get enough to know that I am doing a good job. I enjoy it and some people seem to as well. That’s what is important to me.
Mike Goad responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 6:08 am →
I guess I go for more in-depth over the shallow pieces. If I click on a news article, for example, and it comes up with only a few lines without much information, I’m disappointed.
It’s the same with blogs to a certain degree.
The thing is, though, is that it has to be something that piques my interest. If the post doesn’t grab my interest in the first few sentences, — or even sometimes the first few words — I’m moving on to the next post in my feed reader.
So far as the value of Stumbleupon, most stumblers don’t stay on a blog for more than a few seconds. If you have something they like, they’ll give it a thumbs-up and then move on to the next stumble in short order. A few will stay on and read the whole thing. However, the more stumbles you get, the more likely it is that you’ll get even more and that more of them will stay on and read the whole thing — or even become a regular reader.
Dot responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 7:19 am →
I was just thinking the other day that the pro-bloggers have all been in a breathless rush — to where? Now one of them is recanting. I prefer a slow read of fewer blogs. I’ve never bought into the short and bulleted approach, though I’ve played with it a few times. It just isn’t me. As for those people with no attention spans who prefer to watch a video rather than read the written word, I’m not sure they’d make a good audience for me anyway.
Carla responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 8:53 am →
Wow! I don’t think I ever got 100,000 page views, period!
I guess it really depends on you reasons for blogging in the first place: Is it to earn a living, or fulfill a desire you have. In this world, it seems so black and white with very little shades of gray, but that’s at least how I view it.
Lori Hoeck responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 9:22 am →
I write for the scanners, but my posts often have enough to think about. Self defense is about application, so it’s what readers do afterward with the information that matters.
I scan. I read. I do both. Depends on the article and the author. I don’t pay much attention to celebs. Working in a celeb’s resort town cured me of any “Wow!” when it comes to their lives and issues.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 9:24 am →
Interesting discussion in the comments – as usual – at least as interesting as the original post! So thank you. I’m thinking right now, after reading through the comments, that most of the people who regularly read this blog gravitate towards non-wow-type-content anyway, so we might all be just a tad biased.
I also acknowledge that one can use “wow” in order to entice people to pay attention to the deeper stuff.
Ruth responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 9:32 am →
I admit it, I like the wow factor. But one thing that makes me sad reading blogs is the lack of detail on most of them. Bullet points can be really helpful if I want quick info, but they often don’t provide insight. So if the article isn’t a rehash of something that’s been said a bajillion times already then I might enjoy it. But otherwise I’d rather have something with less information and more depth–or more detailed information in an instructional post.
RC responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 9:35 am →
You may be sharing why I sometime pull away from all forms of social media – twitter, facebook, blog, etc… It isn’t because I don’t enjoy them (although the blog is just too high-maintenance for my life at the moment), but because I find myself lost in a sea of people screaming for attention, using the “wow factor” to get it.
I like meaningful content, but sometimes I like the shallow stuff, too. My laughs frequently come from the shallow stuff that I have time to scan prior to getting back to what I need to be doing.
But then I worry that I can’t compete in these arenas, as when I share, I try to keep it more thoughtful.
So, I guess I value both – and need both to connect to someone. I need to know that the writer is intelligent, but at the same time not always dwelling on the serious. I want to know the writer is someone I could talk to at a cocktail party.
Tweets that mention Wow Factor | Blogger For Hire -- Topsy.com responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 9:46 am →
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vered DeLeeuw, DavinaH. DavinaH said: The Wow Factor: Is it Ruining our Culture? [...]
Kim Woodbridge responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 11:51 am →
I really haven’t figured it out. I tend to write articles based on things I’m working on and think other people will want to know how to do – or hire me to do for them, which works pretty well.
I’ve written some “throwaway” stuff like an article about sites to help you decided which book to read next that has been really popular – I was surprised. And then things that I think will be of more interest get buried.
I don’t think I could write just for the wow factor – unless I was set-up to earn money that way. I agree though that people are mostly focused on the trivial, fleeting and meaningless.
Charlotte (Life's a Charm!) responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 12:05 pm →
I also think that – Topics that are ‘deep and meaningful’ are usually more demanding of time, thinking and caring than the ‘wow factor’ shallow ones. I think this is one of the reasons why ‘wow factor’ topics gets more viral.
I could read about a shallow topic and move on with my life without a fuss. While if i read about deep and meaningful topics that struck a chord in me, I usually think about it for days.
So, I think, for a blog to be really successful, there should be balanced topics. Otherwise, thank goodness, there are so many other blogs and articles, books and magazines to read from about variety of topics.
Michelle @ Find Your Balance responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 12:43 pm →
Blogging is an interesting social experiment. I find that more people read my blog carefully than I’d ever imagined they would. I suppose I could get more readers if I promised 9 Ways to Lose Weight Fast! or something like that, but I *try* to keep things as authentic as possible. I’m not in it for quick money, I’m trying to build relationships and I see that it is working slowly but surely!
Patricia responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 1:37 pm →
People want to be told what to think too – sound bites are nice….many, many people vote on the last sound bite they remember! This means that the folks with the most money can purchase your mind and your vote…
When did thinking and depth get such a bad reputation? When did folks learn that what is served up on a platter is what they need to believe and respond to….? and then the troubling side effects…
A man threatened to kill our State Senator yesterday and was arrested for adding the President to his death threats and horrible voice mails. He believes the other candidate running for the Senator’s seat that he is now going to loose his Medicare and Medicaid. No matter who explains it to him that he is gaining greater benefits in 4 years…he just hangs on to what this other person said to him after a campaign speech….
I would be very upset and was very upset when because of a pre-existing condition I would be dropped from my health ins. I think one has to practice reading and thinking skills and particularly problem solving skills to be able to cope and understand….what horrid side effects .
I noticed that SF Medical School has declared sugar as addictive as cocaine and meth…..we go from one sugar rush to another – instant pudding relief.
Stephanie - Home with the Kids responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 4:56 pm →
I’d have trouble doing a lot of wow factor; I don’t wow easily. I like details, and I like things to matter. In my niche I could no doubt easily focus on the latest “wow” product launch or whatever, but what would that get me? Money? Maybe, but I wouldn’t feel good about how it was earned.
There may be a lot of encouragement for people to write things that sound or look neat, but it’s fortunately not for all of us. Otherwise I would have had to give up ages ago.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 5:03 pm →
Thanks again for your comments!
It looks like we mostly agree that online content should be a mix of many types of articles and posts – with the occasional “wow” post a legitimate tool as long as it’s not all we produce – mixing it up is a good way to engage readers, and I’m thinking it’s also good for content producers – keeps us engaged too!
Daphne @ Joyful Days responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 8:59 pm →
Vered,
I like your thought process and your questions. After reading your post, I was thinking that sometimes the WOW comes from reading something authentic. like “Wow, she’s really courageous for sharing her personal history with heartbreak / disease / addiction etc” or “Wow, she’s so different from all the other wannabes” or “Wow, this is a REAL person I’m hearing, not just the public persona.”
Maybe I’m just trying to have the best of both worlds. I guess my inclination is let’s just create our own little WOWs in our own little niches.
Rowe responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2010 at 1:36 am →
Much prefer the quality over content factor, Vered. I also like a blogger who offers a variety of discussion topics over a particular theme and I gravitate to what feels like is authentic – whether it’s humorous, sad, political, etc.
Tess The Bold Life responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2010 at 3:01 am →
Hi,
I do a lot of lists. Yesterday I thought I’d get more personal and it began that way and then went to a list. I’m a genuine person so that’s how my posts come out no matter what. I’d lose my passion if I did other wise. I think it’s just a personal choice and maybe combing the two would make it seem less like “going after clients”
Cath Lawson responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2010 at 5:08 am →
Hi Vered – I used to be addicted to getting a whole heap of social networking traffic and I deliberately write the type of posts to attract it, every month or so. The posts were tedious and time consuming and I often wondered if anyone of the stumbleupon voters actually read the whole thing.
I think it’s more likely that folk voted them up because they knew they’d get a lot of votes. Apparently, if you discover a popular page, or vote early, your own webpages are shown on Stumbleupon more times.
But still, as you say, getting a lot of page views from those type of posts is addictive. Also, it increases your traffic rank on Alexa, so your website is automatically perceived as popular.
I don’t think I would stop writing those type of posts altogether but I get far more enjoyment out of writing something more meaningful.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2010 at 8:17 am →
I completely agree that “authentic” can have more than a single definition.
Dr. J responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2010 at 11:12 am →
I guess being old school, I look for quality over most any other factor. I have been amazed at faculty meetings and the like how some people can say so little and talk so much. I could say most of it in much fewer words. I still haven’t learned how to use so many, however, to say the same thing, maybe it comes with age
Lori Hoeck responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2010 at 11:49 am →
Found this today:
“If only the sun-drenched celebrities are being noticed and worshiped, then our children are going to have a tough time seeing the value in the shadows, where the thinkers, probers and scientists are keeping society together.” ~ Rita Dove
Tina Kubala responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2010 at 6:45 pm →
I’m not good at wow factor. I’ve tried. I’m better at being myself and letting readership be as it is for the kind of content I’m interested in writing.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2010 at 7:34 pm →
Dr. J, I know what you mean!
Lori, I love that quote. So true.
Tina, I think almost every blogger has tried – I know I did (still do once in a while).
Barbara Swafford responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2010 at 9:07 pm →
Hi Vered,
Your post reminds me of how my reading habits have changed since I started blogging. In the beginning, I wanted to see that wow factor. It intrigued me. But then as I got to know the blog authors, I wanted to read more about them, not “wow” stuff.
For me, the wow stuff has almost become predictable, much like a canned romance novel.
Kelly@SHE-POWER responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2010 at 9:20 pm →
I think this particular dilemma was a major contributor to me cutting back and almost stopping blogging. I’m a writer more than a blogger and I want to write articles and stories I am proud of. I also want my readers to come because they like my writing style and what I talk about. But at the same time it’s natural to want lots of readers, to feel like you have some weight in the blogasphere so you sit around wondering how you can be authentic and please yourself while pleasing others. I found it very easy to get sucked into the page views, the desire to go viral with a piece and the corresponding effect on your ALEXA ranking. Social media was very good to my blog and incidentally one of my deep pieces is actually my most popular article (25 Fast facts about Women Around the World). However, it is a list post and I rarely do those. All my articles that did well on StumbleUpon were list posts or shallow, fun pieces. Maybe this would have been incentive to keep going if the higher ALEXA rankings and page views corresponded with a growing subscriber base, but in my case they didn’t. I plateaued and then slowly lost motivation to keep blogging. I wonder how many other people experience the exact same blogging trajectory. Slow growth, then BOOM, then same, same, same and then slow decline.
Glad to see you’re still going strong Vered.
Kelly
MomGrind responds:
Posted: April 9th, 2010 at 2:32 pm →
Barbara, I feel the same. I often say “not another one of THOSE!”
Kelly, I thought for a while about changing the focus of this blog and writing exclusively about blogging and social media. But I enjoy personal blogging too much to do that, so decided to continue here and started a separate social media blog. I love what I do here – I love that I can create, express myself and interact. I don’t get the stumbleupon traffic that I used to get, but that traffic was meaningless anyway. So yes, there was a rush and then a decline in traffic, but I enjoy this blog much more now that I don’t feel pressured to produce yet another stumbleupon hit.
Jannie Funster responds:
Posted: April 10th, 2010 at 5:20 pm →
Hey Vered! I like Seth’s blog a lot, he’s always got some nugget of wisdom or other in succinct posts. In fact — in his curent post he writes “You can turn your reddit posts or your press releases or your Facebook updates or blog posts into urgent announcements that demand attention. And in the short run, it might work. But then you’ll exhaust your readers.” Bingo, as per this post! I think blogs like his that are helpful and / or inspiring, and written to engage, are what most people really crave. I think the newer voices just have to work really really hard to be heard. But they will if they go about it with the right attitude. And determination! There is ALWAYS more room for good stuff to get through.
Me? I guess my main thing is a creative outlet. I get these ideas I just HAVE to get out. Wacky, eh??
xo
janice responds:
Posted: April 11th, 2010 at 11:58 am →
My blog is small, doesn’t have a huge following, but oh my goodness how I value every single reader, subscriber and commenter, and the time that allows me to respond to everyone, at a pace that suits me. Many of the comments in my boxes are so meaningful and well written, they could be posts in their own right.
I got into blogging to create a home for the newsletter articles I wrote once a month; that’ll tell you the kind of pace I started out at!
J.D. Meier responds:
Posted: April 11th, 2010 at 11:31 pm →
I’m a fan of meaningful results and impact.
At the same time, I get how some things can be tougher to read than others, so I try to simplify my writing where I can, add easier to scan headings, and add bullets where appropriate. I don’t let the form get in the way of the function though.
At the end of the day, I try to share the insight as simply as possible and I try to make sure you don’t have to work to hard for it. I want to flow the info, not be the bottleneck or friction.
I do think that there’s an emerging pattern where people have hit a breaking point with info overload and are slowing down, and starting to look for more meaning. I think more people are realizing they don’t want to hurry up to get nowhere fast and life isn’t something you rush through.