This week we’re going to discuss length... and no not that
length, get your mind out of the gutter. I’m talking about post-length.
Post-length can sometimes be like the story of Goldilocks and the
Three Bears; some posts seem two long, some posts seem too short and some posts
are juuust riight.
Check out this Facebook update:
Apart from some harebrained proposition about re-posting this status to create a “positive intention avalanche,” this post is far too long. The only avalanche I experienced when coming across it on my phone was an avalanche of bother.
But too short can also be equally frustrating at times. A tweet
or Facebook update that is one word or an acronym, can similarly annoy people:
...Tbh? Really? To be honest, I think it’s time to sever my
social media ties with you, because as social guru Jefferson Lebowski once put it, “the dude
does not abide.”
That being said, if your one word post is this:
...the one word is completely appropriate, because it is in the running for best word in the history of the English language.
The fact of the matter is, apart from Twitter, there are no hard
and fast rules for post-length on Facebook and other social media. Too long or too short? The matter will always be up for
debate.
At the very least, we all must be aware of the length of our
posts. No one would read this blog if each post was 1,500 words long. Nor would
they read it if each post was 15 words. Come to think of it, no one reads it anyway.
That’s
all folks!
Very insightful.....and accurate.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Hilarious end to this post. How ironic...
ReplyDeleteI read it, or I used to until the pity parade showed up... But seriously you referenced the Dude, and for that I'll always have a spot for you and your blog in my heart.
ReplyDeleteI may just need to share this blog post with all my Facebook friends. The amount of needlessly lengthy posts I see on my Facebook every day drives me insane. Thank you for eloquently explaining this issue.
ReplyDeleteFacebook should really have a character limit as well, one post shouldn't take up my entire news feed! Very appropriate considering we are all learning how to be "concise"
ReplyDeleteCool
ReplyDeleteJust kidding. I was trying to be funny and relate it to your post. You will probably get mad at me for that comment if you read it before I post this one.
ReplyDeleteBut I definitely agree with you on this one. I also hate the posts where they answer questions and then they ask their friends to comment and answer them too or repost it (I just saw one about Top 5 best TV show dads, which actually was pretty funny but that has been the only interesting one I've seen to date). I did a terrible job at explaining that but the moral of the story is I hate long posts that spam my newsfeed. God bless the "unsubscribe" button.
Annndd I was right.