Game 14: #4 Seed Writing on the Web Versus #5 Seed Men with Pens

The Matchup

The three previous matchups between #4 and #5 seeds have been, to say the least, disappointing. This time, however, we have two very worthy competitors. Both Men with Pens and Writing on the Web are run by people who represent themselves to be web professionals who offer web content and design related services. On both the design end and the content end we are looking at two competitors who take pride in their abilities.

Introductions

Men with Pens

Men with Pens has been around a scant three months, but miraculously they have archives dating back a year! When I first saw the name of the site I assumed it was a blog about the world’s greatest sport, curling, but no such luck. Randy Furby will have to look for press elsewhere. The MWP blog is focused on “Web business tips for writers, freelancers and web entrepreneurs.” The overall site is also there to hawk the services of James Chartrand and Harry McLeod. Harry is the more prolific writer of the two, and also guest blogs frequently for other sites such as Copyblogger. Both are also more than happy to consult with you about your web site or do a little writing for you — for a fee.

Writing on the Web

WOTW has been around since September of 2004. It used to be called Coaches Ezine, and that is still the domain, but as the focus has moved more toward blogging, the name was changed. The site is run by Patsi Krakoff. She spent several years as a newsletter and e-zine writer before embracing blogging in 2004.

Archives

Men with Pens

The MWP archives aren’t as vast as some other sites, but they are easy to navigate. The archives page gives you a number of options, including just scrolling down a list of their past articles. The archives reveal a slightly more rounded site than the business focus would indicate. There are a number of articles about fiction writing, for example. The MWP team is also prolific. With Chartrand posting virtually every day and McLeod adding his posts at a slightly lighter pace, there is always new material around the corner.

Result: MWP scores a slam dunk. A little more time and they will be ready for the three-pointer.

Writing on the Web

The archives at WOTW stretch back to September of 2004. Krakoff tends to post about 15 times a month, which is a good pace. The topics include blogging, grammar, professional writing, content acquisition and a substantial amount of self promotion. A “best-of” archive would be a nice touch, especially one focused on the writing process and the blogging advice.

Result: WOTW shoots an easy layup for two.

The two teams start out even at 2-2.

Design

Men with Pens

The MWP design takes a little getting used to. It was clearly done by someone with an eye for design, but they are trying to stuff so many different items in the front page that it can be hard to know where to look. At several points there are four columns to choose from. The latest blog post is limited to the first column of the page, and because the posts are mostly text (though they all come with an image), the posts are frequently the least visually interesting part of the page. The main page also limits you to reading a single blog post, although recent posts are featured in the second column. There’s a lot to like about the page too though. The graphics are generally crisp and interesting (I assume most are designed by McLeod) so the visuals are attractive, just cluttered.

Result: MWP scores flashy slam dunk for two-points.

Writing on the Web

The overall design of WOTW is quite good, but I do find the bright green color a little hard on the eyes. The site shows several touches of professional design, especially when it comes to graphics. As with many three-column designs, especially for sites with something to sell, clutter becomes a problem. The text and graphics for the advertising tend to drown out the text and graphics in the blog entries. This sends the message that self-promotion is the true emphasis.

Result: WOTW sinks a six-foot jumper for two.

The score remains tied at 4-4.

Usability and Navigation

Men with Pens

There are some great features at MWP, but there are some genuine annoyances too. You cannot view the blog entries in the traditional format (chronological order with several entries per page). They run the blog more like a magazine, with featured articles that you have to click on to view. I think, in the long run, they might be on to something with this change, but it would be nice if they offered a more traditional option as well. This, coupled with the cluttered pages, is enough to make me prefer to read this blog in my feed reader rather than on the site. Fortunately, they make that part of the process very easy. They have a very large feed button that actually lights up when you mouse over it. In the category of wacky feed buttons, this may well be my favorite one yet. They also have my favorite new feature, which I need to add to my site, CommentLuv. This handy little plug-in goes out and finds the latest post from the commenter’s blog and sticks it in their message. I’ll bet that is one of the reasons they get such a nice number of comments. Of course, maintaining a list of top commenters and recent commenters doesn’t hurt either.

Result: MWP misses the first shot when they choose not to give their blog a traditional page, but then scores two from short range after a CommentLuv rebound.

Writing on the Web

There are plenty of good user options at WOTW, but they are often hard to find. Kakoff tends to intersperse features and ads, which might be good for sales but isn’t a plus for usability. Among the features are several feed subscription options, a recent posts list, a recent comments list, archive and category listings.

Result: WOTW pulls up and shoots a two in off the glass.

The game remains even at 6-6.

Purpose

Men with Pens

The stated purpose of MWP is, “Web business tips for writers, freelancers and web entrepreneurs.” To that end they have categories such as Better Blogging, Better Business and Better Design and Better Writing. They also have an off-topic section that discusses the occasional personal matter or odd entry. Finally, there are the Drive-By-Shooting Sundays, in which they provide entertaining critiques of blogs that are brave enough to pony up $25 to find out what they are doing wrong. It is both entertaining and informative. MWP is what it says it is and delivers valuable content in that arena.

Result: MWP sinks a three-pointer.

Writing on the Web

The stated purpose of WOTW is “how to use content marketing to attract, sell and profit online.” Topics include Content Marketing, Writing Better Ezines, Writing for Others, and Writing Great Blog Content. The content stays on topic and you can definitely learn a lot about writing, blogging and marketing from this site. The sales pitch for her services can intrude a little, but Krakoff does a good job of keeping the advice in front of the pitch.

Result: WOTW shoots a three pointer.

We are still all knotted up at 9-9.

Personality

Men with Pens

If there is one thing MWP does especially well, it is entertain. I enjoy reading their articles. I also can’t help but be jealous of the number of comments they receive. It isn’t uncommon for one of their posts to get 50 comments. That is a pretty nice accomplishment for a three-month old blog. There are plenty of ways to drive traffic to a blog, but getting people to comment is an art form unto itself and is a real testament to the personalities of these two bloggers, and to Chartrand’s relentless commenting at other people’s blogs (don’t think I hadn’t noticed).

Result: MWP shoots another three-pointer.

Writing on the Web

Krakoff does a good job of writing from a personal point of view. She writes in the first person much of the time and you get a pretty good idea of who she is. Krakoff’s style isn’t heavy on entertainment, and you can sometimes tell that she’s working hard to get in her sales pitch. That keeps this from being a personality-driven blog.

Result: Krakoff shoots a turnaround jump shot for two.

MWP manages to eke out a narrow lead, 12-11.

Last Five Posts

Men with Pens

Entrecard Showdown: The Beginning of the End

This is the best article in the most recent five. Entrecard is a new social networking tool, and MWP dissect it. Frankly, it sounds like another waste of time. The only tool that I’ve ever found useful is StumbleUpon. I’ve yet to find another service useful, and that includes Digg.

Should You Tell People Their Blog Design is Ugly?

MWP comes out in favor of blog critiques. This isn’t too surprising when you consider that they offer this as a service, but they make a valid point. Ugly designs hold a lot of blogs back. It has certainly kept some otherwise worthy blogs from moving forward in this competition.

Men with Pens Facing Off at March Blog Madness!

This is a discussion of my contest. it was nice of them to mention me. I’ll file it under link love.

More About the Men with Pens, Part Two

This is a little link love mixed with self love (platonic). They were interviewed over at Adversity University and this is their link to the interview.

Who Would You Thank for Helping You Get Where You Are?

They file this under off-topic. It is an article about Dan Savage, a columnist who recently had to take a break due to the death of his mother. McLeod uses this to reflect on the people he should thank.

MWP wandered a bit from their core posts over the past five. The Entrecard article is a very nice piece and the ugly design article has a lot of value. The other three articles aren’t quite three-point material. In the frequency column they show off how prolific they are. Three days earlier I would have been looking at five different articles, most of them three-pointers.

Result: MWP pulls up and shoots the two.

Writing on the Web

Blog Writing: What would you like to learn?

Krakoff is designing a blogging course and wants input.

Blog Contest: We face off against Men with Pens

A discussion of my event. Thanks for the mention!

Wishy-Washy Writing: Just delete these 5 words

This is a reference to an article by Daily Writing Tips. The five words are: just, really, quite, perhaps, and that. Krakoff adds maybe and very.

Reality-Web: Keeping it real for readers

Krakoff discusses a Copyblogger article and makes the point that it is time to stop trying to adapt other media to the web and time to start treating the web as its own media.

Suspense: Is this the missing ingredient in your ezines?

Krakoff discusses the idea of suspense as a tool for keeping business readers and then sends readers off to an article by Michael Katz.

You have to give Krakoff some credit for spreading the link love around. Four out of the five articles send you somewhere else. I do feel that I needed a little more depth from her articles to get me going though.

Result: WOTW score two with an assist from other blogs.

MWP wins by a score of 14-13.

Post Game Analysis

Men with Pens just managed to pull off a really narrow victory over Writing on the Web that moves them on to the next round. As I suspected, this was quite a close contest that featured two very evenly matched foes in maybe our toughest battle yet. For the most part, they shared each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The difference was in MWP’s community-building, personal approach.

What They Can Work On

To misquote Scotty, “This blog is at maximum capacity captain, she canna handle much more.” The everything but the kitchen sink approach to blog design puts a lot of pressure on the readers. As a sufferer of strabismus, there is only so much stimulation my eyes can take before I start seeing double. My advice to both blogs is to stop showing off. I know you’ve got design skills, but these designs are a little overwhelming. White space is not wasted space. Not every corner of the page needs to have something going on. I tell you this because I know you’ve both spent either time or money on your blog design, so I know it is important to you. Now come here and let me give you a hug.

Our next matchup will be between third-seeded Jane in Progress and sixth-seeded PODdy Mouth, These are two very different blogs so it should be an interesting contest to watch..