This is the first paragraph of a 500 word blog post. It should have a explanation of the basic issue being discussed, which will be either: an original or semi-original thought not requiring links and/or attribution; or a reference to the thoughts of someone else (which will require links and/or attribution). This paragraph needs to be delicately balanced, as it simultaneously needs to both inform the reader about whatever got the author worked up that day, as well as be sufficiently entertaining to get the reader to keep reading.
‘Second’ paragraphs are often quoted text and/or videos. Whether or not to quote is an often vexing question with no official ‘right’ answer, complicated by the fact that a lot of people don’t really grasp fair use all that well (see here for more discussion on that). I use the rule of thumb of only quoting really, really good material. Sometimes somebody simply sums up things perfectly, after all. As for videos… if you use them, try to get the transcript whenever possible. If there is no transcript, then provide a summary for the benefit of readers who are reading your site on their cell phones. Continue reading The five hundred word blog post.