Rant Warning: This post shares one of my opinions in it. Sometimes I get worked up, so if you are easily offended skip this one, Nancy.

My wife calls me old fashioned. I think that’s because I open doors for her, say “please” and “thank you” in normal conversation, and always address her father as “Sir”. My old fashioned views on the world continue into the world of blogging too- I hate what I like to call “non-traditional blogging”.

First, you are probably asking what Traditional Blogging is. Being the blogging purist that I am from way back in ‘99, I tend to think of blogs as a chronological series of textual posts that are also sometimes listed by category. These are awesome- they are unobtrusive, require no plug-ins or annoying media downloads / lag, and are eminently readable by just about everyone who speaks the language.

What is Non-Traditional Blogging then? That’s easy- Anything that is not text and pictures on a web page. No video blogs, pod casts, or any other rich media tripe. I know many people will say there is no such thing as “traditional blogging”, or that text and static picture only posts are boring and don’t engage the reader as much as YouTube videos or snazzy downloadable podcasts, but hear me out.

Why all the hate for rich media non-traditional blogging? Here are my main reasons:

Text Is Easy For Reference

Traditional (Text):
I can skim the post to see if its relevant to me and only after I have assessed its worth decide to read it or not. I can read a text post on a given subject, go use the information in the post, and come right back to the paragraph with the extra information I need to overcome a hitch I may be having.

Non-Traditional (Video or Audio):
With video or podcasts I have to wait for it to buffer, skip around for 5 minutes listening for the sentence that speaks out the information I am looking for, and listen again. I am forced to listen at the speakers pace while they stammer and wheeze through the information (which trust me is WAY slower and much more grating on my soul than just reading it).

Noise / Audio Requirement

Traditional:
I can read a text blog post or look at pictures with a variety of things going on around me- I can listen to my favorite music on my computer, pause to answer the phone without looking for a stop button on some random media player, or listen to and respond to my wife when she wants some attention.

Non-Traditional:
The main problem is I have to listen. I have to stop other audio. I have to turn on my headphones or speakers if I am working quietly. I have to effectively zone out the rest of the world (including my wife- she doesn’t like that) if I want to hear every bit of information in an audio or video post. This is a big problem. Why? I don’t like any blogger enough to let them monopolize my time like listening intently to audio does.

Portability

Traditional:
This almost goes without saying- I can print text posts out. This may come as a shock to some, but a guy that does contract work all day and then comes home to work on his own web service at night does not want to spend his meager “free” time sitting at a computer with his headphones on listening to you breathe into the microphone.

I want to print your post out, read it over lunch, on the john, or just sitting on my comfy living room couch… anything but that office chair at my desk that I am sure is molding its print into my ass. Furthermore when it comes to how-to posts or other instructional material I want to be able to print out a paper copy and take it to the workshop, server room, or just to keep for easy reference on my desk while I perform other computing tasks in other windows without keeping your blog open.

Non-Traditional:
I can’t print you out. I might be able to download your podcast and put it on my mp3 player, but sadly I just missed the generation where I walk around with a pair of white ear buds in my ear 24/7. Therefore I have to sit there and listen to you… Given the above reasons, I just don’t like you that much. Sorry.

The Bottom Line for Me:

Most of the blogs I read are related to a specific topic, specifically how to do something or someones experience at trying something their own way. I do read some opinion blogs every now and then, but the posts that really grab my interest are how-to posts, tutorials, “this is what I did and it worked great / worked horrible” type posts, whatever. I am willing to bet my left hand that post for post your well written how-to posts are your best performers on your site too, so I’m not alone.

How-to posts are nothing more than instructions how to do something, right? Now imagine this:

You buy a really cool widget that you have to put together. You can insert your favorite million piece item here- a kids toy, a new iPhone, or a new surround sound DVD doodad. Anyway, imagine you open the box and there are 300 pieces in one big bag.

Now imagine the instructions that came with it were not a printed manual with illustrations and text, but instead an audio tape or video you had to play. Could you imagine putting together a 300 piece widget with a recording you had to constantly rewind, fast forward, pause and start while you did each individual task?

That would suck. So does using your rich media blogs. The bottom line here is all about usability. If I can’t use your information in a method that easy for me, I won’t use it at all. After all, there are plenty more blogs out there I can read, print, reference, and share easily with the touch of a button- why do I need yours?

Of course this is only my opinion, and I might see it all the wrong way. What do you think about rich-media video and audio blogs? Do you like the better or worse than text? Why?