My jaw was tense and I was sweating through my shirt. I wasn't in an argument. I wasn't working out. And I wasn't stuck in a desert.
I was just writing a post for you, dear reader, here on Hive.
So why does writing a post send my body into fight or flight mode? Well, it probably shouldn't technically, but I pour a lot of heart into my posts, and sometimes I let it get pretty intense. I won't explain my whole process here though, because today we're discussing only one aspect of my writing.
"Post length."
Now, I've written some of the longest content on Hive in the month-and-half since I joined. 4 of my guides exceeded Hive's max_block_size_limit of approximately 64,000 characters. (It's actually about five thousand less in my experience.) But I only write as much as I feel is necessary. Which brings us to point number one:
1. Aim for clarity, not length.
You may be surprised to know I don't actually want to write long posts. Or at least length isn't really on my mind when I start writing.
Instead, my focus is to teach clearly on a topic that matters, to people who may benefit. Whatever length I choose is based on those criteria.
Content-length is a factor of clarity & audience-knowledge.
For example, if I was teaching crypto-lovers about a generic new token, I probably wouldn't need to write very much, because they all know what a token is. They're even familiar with a variety of tokens, and it may only take a single paragraph or image to explain things clearly to them. My gaming posts were short, because all I had to do was review a game in order to make my point. Gamers have lots of background-knowledge on games, so they got what I was saying quickly. I prefer writing less. Writing isn't my favorite art form or method of expression, it's just a tool life has given me, so I use it as best as I'm able.
Part of my view on writing well is summed up by this quote:
Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light. - Joseph Pulitzer
The funny thing is, I felt his quote didn't obey his own teachings enough for my liking, so I shrank it to this for my own memory:
Good writing is brief, clear, beautiful, accurate.
And despite my massive articles, this is what I aim for in my writing: brevity, clarity, beauty, and accuracy.
But since most people have given very little thought to topics like censorship or the complex nuances of Hive onboarding, when I tackle those subjects, I end up having to explain many sub-points and side-topics, just to get readers on the same page as me regarding the main point. Which brings me to our next insight:
2. Less is often more.
Or, smaller is often better. What would you rather have for your portable music device, beautiful wireless Bose earbuds or giant, wired, Walmart headphones? Would you rather spend time eating huge portions just to feel full, or be able to eat a gourmet-plated meal and feel satisfied? Which would you rather read through, a giant library or a Kindle full of ebooks?
There's no right or wrong answer to these, but many people have a strong preference for the 'smaller' version of things. And the smaller version often takes more skill to create. Plus, many people will pay a premium to get the small version. If a creator can deliver a similarly effective result in less time or space, they're highly sought after.
This is why it's a bit strange to me that some Hivers frown on something just because it's short, or praise something just because it's long. In the 'real market' there's an understanding that more results/impact in less space is valuable.
I believe that my guides deliver more wisdom in less space. My guides on Hive, Censorship, Intelligence, & Writing are each under 50 pages. Most 'expert books' on the same topics are 300+ pages. But anyone who reads my guides will learn faster than expert's books on the same topics.
Some hivers see my guides as long, but they could invest $20 in giant, convoluted books, then end up getting less value out of it.
The idea isn't to track your post-length, it's to write clearly and concisely, delivering as much value as possible, and only stopping when the 'job is complete'. When all is said and done, hopefully you've delivered the most value in the least space, 'beating' other writers, kind of like sleek Bose earbuds beat big Walmart headphones.
Interestingly, I’ve written almost a thousand posts on my Instagram...
...Where captions are limited to 2200 characters, so I have a lot of practice making my ideas concise and fitting them into a small space.
I say this because whether you choose to write short captions or long mega-guides, what really matters is that you...
3. Do whatever makes you happy.
I know some extremely successful models who spend insane amounts of time and energy on getting just the right photo. Hours in makeup. Hours spent selecting outfits. Hours in the baking sun or with sand in their shorts, or hours underdressed in the snow. Hours posing and moving and finding better lighting. Hours editing the image in post. They put so much effort into a single image for Instagram, about 1000 pixels by 1000 pixels. Then they write a one-sentence caption, and that's fine. They succeed at their own game, in their own way. I likely couldn't convince them to write long captions if I wanted to, nor would I bother trying. They provide value to their audience in their own way. I also know models who half-ass their selfies and write longer captions, and that can work too.
Or take a look at blogging. Seth Godin is a smart, accomplished man who's written many books of long-form content. But he's also famous for his short, daily blog posts on random topics. His short posts are widely shared and adored. They’re successful by most measures.
One of Seth’s posts (“But what will I tell the others?”) clocks in at just 57 words. But it got hundreds of likes, shares, retweets, etc. This is partly because he's built up brand authority, but it's also because he packs a lot of value into every sentence, and has since he began. He writes artfully and well, and people resonate with that.
Or let’s review cinema. Peter Jackson, unlike many filmmakers, creates 4-hour long movies for the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Some YouTubers have long-form content too, while others create YouTube #shorts.
The point I’m getting at is this: you don't have to create content of any particular length. You can win with all content-lengths, as long as your content is backed by kind, loving, excellent intentions, using whatever length is truly necessary to create value for your audience.
And what is value? Well, I could write a whole book on it, but there’s no point.
Because value is an individual thing that every creator arrives at through practice, experimentation, and lots of audience feedback (including rejection.)
I hope these three insights on content-length are helpful to you, but part of giving value is ‘overdelivering’ on the promise in your headline. So here’s a 4th ‘bonus’ insight.
BONUS: Content requires context.
Some types of content perform better on certain platforms, or with certain audiences.
Twitter is founded on short content, so I probably wouldn't try posting my guides as a 'twitlonger' there and expect great results.
Blogs & media sites were founded on longer-form content, so I wouldn't make a habit of posting one-liners there.
Still, even these are just guidelines. You've still got to follow your gut and do what feels best. Who knows, maybe you'll be a disruptor and make something new work.
All this said, the main takeaway here is that we’re all guessing on content-length & value. Who knew ‘pet rocks’ were going to be seen as ‘valuable’ in the ‘70s? Who knew that watching people live their lives on ‘reality TV’ would take-off? Who knows whether their one-liner is going to be a viral hit or a dud? No one truly has a formula for this, not even Buzzfeed, the New York Times, or whatever other media you care to name.
You don't have to write book-length guides like me. You don't have to write 57-word blogs like Seth. Just do you, but inform yourself. Think things through. Apply wisdom. Experiment. Calmly absorb feedback. And most importantly, practice, practice, practice.
I’m doing it right now with this ~1,400 word post, and for a nice change... I'm not overheated and tense while writing it.
So, what content experiments are you going to try next?
P.S. This post was inspired by @ybanezkim26 (thanks!)
There’s a little more to it than that. Since I’ve been more focused on curation I understand this a little more now. It’s all about the intent and effort that goes into the post. I would give more attention to a one photo post that has an insightful line or two rather than a one photo post that has no wording, background, explanation or insightful message at all.
It’s kind of like you said,
Many people that came here were coming from Fakebook all fed up with the selfies, self glory, not being able to truly express themselves or share truths there etc. etc. This platform set a stage of more value and challenged us to post more than just a single photo without any words. It challenged us to really put out some unique blogs full of ideas, sharing our lives (the good and the bad), supporting other people and not just ourselves and being impactful. I understand that everyone is not a writer but if a curator sees more value in someone trying a little harder then those that do are the ones that get supported more here.
I just wanted to touch on that point of why you see people more enthused or more supportive of content that has more value, effort and care (whether short or long) other than those that post just for the sake of posting. Believe me you can easily tell the difference.
But all in all everyone has a right to choose and post what they want to. When it comes down to complaints about why they aren’t getting the support they want, then these are some of the reasons why. It can be a short post but how much effort was really put into it? How impactful was it? That’s what people on this platform look for ;)
This is always my focus as well. When I’m not teaching but instead just sharing apart of my life, my focus is on how I can inspire someone else with my experiences (which turns into some sort of teaching sometimes). I want to be an impactful influence that encourages others and brightens their day ~
Oh, I totally get you, and I agree with you.
Effort, intention, energy, etc. all vital parts of communication and heavily determine whether it does well or not... regardless of platform :) I hope my post didn't suggest that I believe otherwise.
And that may be what you and your amazing curator friends look for, but there are definitely some who aren't as... discerning. I've had a number of people show displeasure at my 'walls of text' posts. I've also seen people dismiss short posts without analyzing their value well (evidenced by some of the sentiments covered here: https://peakd.com/short/@rishi556/short-form-content-is-contnet ) Regardless, I'm happy to learn about the history of Hive, people's attitude towards content, and more. You rock!
I love it. And it seems like we have similar intentions when we post, and whatever length you or I choose, is likely in service to those intentions. :)
Thanks for the insightful comment, it's full of helpful perspective and I can see other readers benefitting from it too.
As always, appreciated, thank you! 🙏
It was the comment you made that I quoted above that urged me to explain that. I read that section again and now realize you weren't excluding the fact that even a shorter passage should include effort and quality but more so if the deliverer of a message can deliver it in the same way but just in a smaller version ;)
Yes it is true that everyone doesn’t curate in the same way or agree about what should be considered quality.
Always. It’s good for my brain to read, analyze, and respond to posts like these as I appreciate these types of dialogues :)
lol, all good, I was fairly sure we both had a similar perspective on the topic, as we do on so many others.
Note: I personally enjoy your particular curation approach. :)
I'm so glad there was some 'food for thought' for your brain here, and I enjoy our dialogues very much! 🙏
Lol! Yep you're right, we do have similar perspectives :)
Thanks, that’s cool to know ~
(grin) 😀👍🙏
A vast wasteland is still a wasteland; and a small oasis is still an oasis.
Beautifully put. What a powerful, compelling, 'short' summary of my post. Thank you sir :) 🙏
That's lovely. ❤️
I feel sometimes I write too much but once I get started there is no shutting me up but, my project, of documenting my work needs me to exhaust the idea fully. This will be the first and probably the last time I do this so I want it to be a complete as possible.
Writing never came easy for me but since starting this project on Hive I have discovered writing to be a great creative outlet. There may not be many readers at the moment but I looked on each post as something to be archived away on the blockchain and hopefully one day be rediscovered.
I experiment with sytle like I am dancing without anyone watching and that can be very freeing.
My posts are as long as they are and although I try to be concise as I can the writing sometimes opens a steam of consciousness that I find, at times difficult to stop.
I understand the feeling. I really enjoyed your post about the talent show, and the length felt appropriate for the subject to me. So based off that, I'd say keep up whatever you're doing :)
(I'm grateful my posts are discovered by anyone, and appreciative the blockchain archives them.)
Your approach of 'dancing with style' is a big part of what I was suggesting in this post, so I'm thrilled you do so. I hope you #KeepExperimenting and follow your heart! 🙏 Thanks again!
So you are like the "I envy silence, because I must be loud" type guy. 😂
I also dance alone, but most people probably like to dance with someone. Either with anyone watching it, or without anyone watching it.
Sometimes we write "whole book" posts, sometimes we write only a few hundred words (or even smaller) posts.
Have some !PIZZA.
@ammonite! I sent you a slice of $PIZZA on behalf of @xplosive.
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or shorter: Length doesn´t matter :)
Sure! Try posting it, maybe you'll earn ;)
Relevance is vital
Agreed! 🙏
I tend to say... "do you" Do what feels right to you.
However, if an audience and building it is a concern then it takes a little less freedom unless "doing you" is sufficient to attract an audience.
I do what feels right to me because trying to plan and aim for audience growth tends to take away from the things I want to say, want to think, and want to do.
Again as with so many things it comes down to time. What do I want to do with my time?
I say "do you". In my opinion you are doing great. Yet I am likely biased as we think similarly on a great number of things from my observation and have quite a number of overlapping interests.
Though we definitely differ in some areas as well. :) In a good way.
Indeed, I have a similar approach. 'Do you' is wonderful in my experience, that was what I aimed to cover with point #3:
And I'm glad you've added extra emphasis to this key point here in the comments.
I also appreciate the encouragement (whether we think similarly, different, or both. :D) It's surely in a good way, I'd agree.
Wishing you a great day, keep doin' you! 🙏
Thanks for the shoutout! This is another insightful post! I completely agree on the two points: (1) aim for clarity, not length, and (3) do whatever makes you happy. People often just blurt out anything without thinking of their audience. You must think of your audience at all times if you want to get the message of your post across. If you don't want to think about your audience, the second point "do whatever makes you happy" is a good reference. Just don't expect anything in return.
Now, on the other point you mentioned, (2) "less is often more" depends on context. We could tie that up to your bonus point. Context is king. Less is more when all efforts are directed towards making it clear and concise. When someone posts a very crisp and thought-provoking photo, even if there's no caption on it, as a curator I would always think of the process of how the photographer has arrived at that photo. If it's his original shot, we can deduce a lot of effort in there and I will most likely curate that post. Now compare that to a bunch of blurred photos with captions indicating what happened on that day, even if the length is substantial, I will most likely skip it.
As a curator, the author should keep me hooked to his post until the end, or else, I might as well take my time checking other's posts. "Less is more" if the information is clearly conveyed to me as the reader of the post.
My pleasure, thanks for suggesting the topic. I aimed to make it insightful, and I love your additions and clarifications to all 3 points, thank you!
Yes, I added the word 'often' because there are definitely cases where less isn't more, it's just... well... less. Your example of the crisp beautifully shot photo and the blurry half-a$$ed photo is a great illustration.
Hopefully I covered that here:
If one cares about their audience or platform, results and feedback matter, so there's no point trying to 'get by' with a blurry low-effort photo.
I aim to keep people 'hooked til the end' in my posts, and hopefully others have similar aims.
Anyway, wonderful comment, and I love your great points, thanks for sharing! 🙏
Hey Ryze.
Firstly, I would like to thank you for the wonderful piece you have written for Hive beginners. I was thrown into abyss when I first got on Hive last month and since then have been struggling to find my way. I see you haven't been here for too long yourself and I must give you all the credit for decoding it in such a short time. I have recently taken to writing finally overcoming procrastination. However, I haven't been able to find some answers and hoping if you could help.
One, Is it allowed to post the same article in different communities? If I post an article in LeoFinance, and then post it in some other community.
Second, I have two hive accounts and I post same articles from both the accounts. It was initially created in error but then I decided to keep going with both. I wanted to check if that's allowed because I do make it a point to mention that this article is posted from my other account too.
Would appreciate you helping out.
Hey @cyekmyster , thanks for the kind words and this wonderful comment. To answer your (great) questions:
I believe the correct etiquette is to post your article to one appropriate community, then click the "3 dots" underneath your published post and select the option to 'cross-post' it to any other communities you feel are appropriate. (There's an old article on cross-posting here: https://hive.blog/hive-175001/@steempeak/intro-to-crossposting if you want more on it.) - The main thing is to carefully read each communities rules and not to over do it. Some of them frown on cross-posting.
Many people have multiple accounts on Hive (these are generally called "alts" or "alt accounts"), but I've not seen many people post duplicate content from their alt. This may be because it 'spreads the rewards' across two articles, reducing the "big numbers" you could get from concentrating it onto one post. (People like big numbers, would you rather two post with 60 votes each, or one post with 110 upvotes?) Also, Hive is very 'anti-spam' culture, so that may be another reason I haven't seen duplicate content from alts. All that said, I honestly don't know the correct answer here, only that the feeling I get is that double-posting is not a great idea... but I have no solid data on this, you'd probably have to ask a long-time member of Hive, a witness or founder, or a whale. Hopefully I've at least given a bit of insight though, and at least you're upfront about what you're doing.
:) 🙏
Thank you for being kind enough to answer.
I did go through the article but it still doesn't answer it clearly. I really wish things could be clearer. What I understood is that you can cross post as long as its your work and after 7 days.
I also found this which I really can't make much sense of
"Only cross-post your own post
Never cross-post your own post"
As far as the other account goes, I might have to use them for different purposes.
It would need a lot more digging before I get somewhere on this platform.
Would be checking out your posts closely. You write beautifully.
And another informative and good post!
Thank you kindly, I really appreciate it! 🙏
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Thank you. This is very useful.
My pleasure, thank you as well! 🙏
Worship teachers. Cringe.
lol, you may have missed the point. It's not literal.
I didn't take it as such. It's your point that I found cringeworthy, not the words. Have a great day.
👍
Gut geschrieben, ich habe mir bisher nicht viel Gedanken drum gemacht und einfach geschrieben wie mir nach war.
Thank you! If you give it more thought in the future, I hope it's beneficial for you. Wishing you a great day! 🙏
Vielen Dank! Wenn Sie in Zukunft mehr darüber nachdenken, hoffe ich, dass es für Sie von Vorteil ist. Wünsche dir einen tollen Tag! 🙏
I would rather read physical books, but as long as I enjoy what I read, it does not really matter.
Sounds good, to each their own, enjoying is what matters :)
Your Instagram is epic. It was when I found it at 400 posts. It inspired me to reach out to You. You've said some pretty amazing things in one or two words and in giant guides that don't even fit on Hive lol
That's 100% true. You do do that. And it's taught me to do the same. I'm not as concise as You are but I'm getting there.
~love, Cyn
p.s.
I love when You're not tense 😉
Thank you, I appreciate it. Whether I write long or short, I'm aiming for quality, and I'm glad that comes through for most people. And yes, you are, thank you, #keepryzing :) 🙏
❤️❤️❤️
In short, quality matters more than quantity. As expected, everyone has different tastes, and that's good news, because you can find your special community for whatever you want to share. Very good post my friend I loved it very much.
Yes, that's a decent summary of it. Though many people don't understand the word 'quality', lol. And great point about different tastes and finding a special community that suits. Glad you liked the post, thanks for your comment! 🙏
Enjoyed the read and comments, depends on topic, day and mood in conveying message, short is sweet, long may carry ideas or learning.
Writers block trying to keep up with daily content creators may lead to your own demise, best to do what fits into your comfort zone, being you, and platform being shared into.
I'm glad you enjoyed the read/comments, and I agree, context (topic, day, mood, message, etc.) is very important. I touched on a bit with the points 'Do Whatever Makes You Happy' and 'Content Requires Context', but I love your additional clarity here, thank you for this!
Yes, everyone's personal comfort zone is a major factor as well. Great point! 🙏
Few accomplish authoring great content daily, putting pressure on oneself tends to lead to problems or simply not your best all of the time.
Good reminders here to bear in mind.
I totally agree, thanks again! 🙏
Well done! 😀Like a short sentence, it expresses so much✌️
Thank you! I aimed to express valuably, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. 🙏