Game 27: #1 Seed John August Versus #6 Seed Write From Home

The Matchup

John August is one of the two remaining top-seeded blogs in the tournament. The other top-seed, Daily Writing Tips, has already moved on to the next round. John August will have to overcome sixth-seeded Cinderella Write From Home, which has performed very well in the first two rounds.

Best Headlines

Based on the last ten postings, August doesn’t seem to put much thought into his headlines. Although he occasionally comes up with something clever such as, Were I to seek examples of the subjunctive…, for the most part he uses short descriptors such as Uggh and Grand Theft Auto. Amy Derby at WFH writes longer and more descriptive titles for the most part, such as Freelance Writing Standards: Who’s Setting Yours?, and When Good Clients Ask for Bad Stuff (or, Why I’m at the Poop Conference). She also puts in the occasional short descriptor though, such as Make a Wish.

WFH steals the ball from August and races up the court to put in 2. It is now 2-0 in favor of WFH.

Best User Experience

John August has a clean and attractive two-column format. He uses graphics sparingly and doesn’t include too many bells and whistles but has all of the essential features. Derby’s three-column theme is attractive and relatively uncluttered. There aren’t too many bells and whistles here, but all of the essential items are there and near the top of the page. It helps that she does not run advertisements so her look and feel stay very unified. Another nice touch is Derby’s use of graphics in her postings. While they sometimes seem slightly off-topic, they are always attractive and fit the size of the postings perfectly.

WFH gets the ball back and scores from the paint. Two points. WFH now leads 4-0.

Best Community Experience

Both of these blogs have active, thriving communities. Both get intelligent comments that add to the discussion. Both bloggers respond frequently to the comments that they get.

Jump ball. WFH continues to lead 4-0.

Best Branding

These two blogs have authors who discuss both professional issues as well as their personal lives and opinions. These are clearly blogs driven by personality. Both blogs provide helpful information, although I have to give the edge to John August’s screenwriting advice over Amy Derby’s advice on freelancing and working from home, just because it is harder to find good information on his topic elsewhere on the web. Also, by using his name as his domain, John August does an excellent job of promoting himself as a brand. I will go see a John August penned movie even if the previews aren’t great just because I want to see what he has done. Derby promotes herself, but not as seamlessly as August.

JA works its way to the basket and puts the ball in off the glass for two. WFH continues to lead, 4-2.

Best Archives

John August has an extensive list of past categories at the bottom of his pages. Clicking on any topic brings up a list of articles about that topic. I don’t like the location, but I do appreciate the thoroughness. Derby doesn’t really have an archive page. Both sites do have their own form of a best of list. WFH has a list of ten popular posts. JA has two lists of five posts, featured articles and screenwriting basics.

JA pulls up and hits a three pointer. The score is now 5-4 with JA in the lead. It looks like the last topic will decide it.

Best Post

Out of the past ten articles at JA, I believe How to Meet was the best and most informative article. August gives the rundown of a typical Hollywood meeting and tells you what you should and should not do. While there are a couple of funny lines in the article, it is a serious discussion of exactly what goes on and what to expect. On the WFH side my favorite of the last ten is When Good Clients Ask for Bad Stuff (or, Why I’m at the Poop Conference) . I like this article because it tells a professional story from a very personal angle. She tells the story of her building a website for an important cause while she was at a convention. She describes how the people gathered around her and the amazement that they seemed to have when they realized this could be done on their behalf quickly and easily.

 WFH tries to steal the ball with an interesting, personal article but JA holds on by having information you can’t find elsewhere. Neither team manages to score as the clock runs out. JA wins 5-4.

Post Game Analysis

This is a match that could have gone either way. It was close all the way to the end. John August has the benefit of being a major player in his niche though, and that’s what put him over the top. WFH fought a good fight, and had a great run in the tournament.

The Articles

So people can compare for themselves, here are the past 10 articles from each site:

John August

1. Off-topic tweaks
2. Screenwriting 101
3. Time spent thinking
4. The six-hour scene
5. Grand Theft Auto
6. Uggh
7. When friends read your script
8. Were I to seek examples of the subjunctive…
9. How to Meet
10. Return to Spectre

Write From Home

1. The Birds, The Birds
2. Make a Wish
3. Mental Health Break: Coming To A Blogger Near You
4. The Best Laid Plans
5. HELP: an Acronym, a Tall Order
6. Freelance Writing Standards: Who’s Setting Yours?
7. Confessions of a Closet Slob
8. Freelance Mentality: Do You Have What It Takes?
9. Perfectionism and Me: My Own Worst Enemy
10. When Good Clients Ask for Bad Stuff (or, Why I’m at the Poop Conference)

Related links

• March Writing Blog Madness (0.500)
• March Writing Blog Madness Explained (0.500)
• March Writing Blog Madness Seedings (0.500)
• Game 1: #1 Seed Copyblogger Versus #8 Seed The Struggling Writer (0.500)
• Game 2: #4 Seed Confident Writing Versus #5 Seed Renegade Writer Blog (0.500)