March Writing Blog Madness Explained
March 23, 2008
How the Tournament Works
The blogs will be seeded in four brackets with eight blogs in each bracket. The blogs will be judged in the categories below. The field of thirty-two will be narrowed to sixteen, then eight then four. In the end, two sites will go head to head to determine which site is the writing blog of 2007.
Judging Categories
- Archives: This is the heart of a site. Substance is the key to a good blog. What are the best articles and how good are they?
- Design: Substance is great, but flash does count for something. A site that is pleasant to look at makes a difference.
- Usability and Navigation: This is the second half of the design puzzle. How easy is it to move around the site and get to the best stuff? Can find the best articles?
- Purpose: What is the blog supposed to be about and what is the blog really about?
- Personality: Some sites thrive on the writer’s personality and others stick to the information without giving any hints about the writer.
- Five Most Recent Posts: This category is all about what the blogger has done lately. How good are the most recent articles and how often do they appear?
Moving Up
As the judge I will determine who moves on, but as fans it is perfectly acceptable for you to root for sites and complain bitterly if your favorite doesn’t win. Also remember that the judging will be reevaluated after reach round. If someone fixes a problem between rounds, more power to them.
[...] we’ve got to fight for our spot. It’s tough judging criteria, too. We need to stand out for the [...]
[...] Hosted at: The Writer’s Resource Center. [...]
[...] overview of the competition can be found here while the four brackets and their seedings—a la the NCAA basketball tournament—can be [...]