Stopping re-posting articles?
Categorised under: James' articles
For many, many years now I’ve used this blog to repost interesting and useful articles from across the web. 3,439 posts later, I’ve built up a large stock of valuable information. But the nature of the web is ever-changing, and so it’s time to revisit the purpose of the blog.
With the creation of sites such as Intranet Lounge, I’m thinking of stopping re-posting articles. Instead, I’ll move to a format of weekly or bi-weekly insight and commentary. Before I make this big change, however, I felt I should seek the input of you, the reader.
Please add your comments! What would you like me to be doing with this blog from now on?
James Robertson is the Managing Director of 
6 Comments:
There are four types of blog-related publishing genres: “blogs” that are essentially short-form journals, “notebooks” featuring longer pieces of focused content, “filters” that focus on links and republishing, and “microblogs”, which are the SMS of online.
Although republishing is a useful service, I don’t look to you for rehashed content, but for original ideas. Use Twitter to republish in microblogging fashion and reserve your blog for the stuff that YOU think.
I fully support Eric’s comment on the value of Twitter for republishing. Over the years I’ve certainly picked up many useful re-posts from you to third party content, but by far the most valuable posts are those where you bring the insights of you and your colleagues to bear on one of the huge number of intranet ‘issues’ that still challenge every intranet manager. It must take a significant amount of time to read through all the various sites you subscribe to, and then to choose just a few to comment on. In my view this time would better spent generating revenue for Step Two and continuing to challenge the conventional wisdom of the intranet world, something that you (along with Jane McConnell) are brilliant at.
Hi James
Your reasoning for ceasing reposting Intranet articles makes perfect sense.
I can’t say that I am not disappointed though. I will miss your article introductions and overviews and I have particularly enjoyed the occasions when you may not have completely agreed with the writer.
I just want to thank you for work you have put into keeping us all up to date with Intranet developments and trends across the globe over many years now. You subscribed to and read everything so that we did not have to. Your work has been valued and appreciated by Intranet managers world wide.
I certainly echo Peter’s thanks above. The links and context you provide have sometimes been quite valuable and often very interesting. I wonder if there’s another tool that may enable us to still tap into the interesting stuff you find. Something with RSS of course. Not Twitter since it’s too easy for your links to get carried away by the stream.
I’ve ofteb been dissappointed when I find a blog post of yours via your site’s search and it turns out to be mostly just a link to someone else’s article.
Like others, I look for your sage and pragmatic advice in your own words.
If you provide substantial commentary on another’s article in your post, I would deem it a good use of your blog.
Thanks for seeking our input.
I agree fully with EphraimJF. The “human aggregator” role is valuable only when (1) there is no other aggregator or (2) analysis and commentary are added.
That said, I have not followed IntranetLounge long enough to judge if what you’ve been doing for years is complementary or redundant with what they are doing. Their initiative is great; will it last? Only time will tell.
Just for fun, see what their search engine does when you search on “James Robertson”! Or try “Martin White”!