The Criteria Series: Currency

2010 Canadian Weblog AwardsThe Canadian Weblog Awards are juried awards in which the finalists and winners are chosen using a specific set of ten criteria. The seventh instalment of our ten-part Criteria Series is about currency.

What is currency? Currency relates to both the timeliness of a weblog's content and the regularity with which the content is updated.

The currency of a weblog is important, because if its content is based on old news, or if its latest content is growing stale with no new updates, a weblog's ability to generate interest from both its present audience and its new readers will diminish.

How Keep Your Weblog Current

1. If you write a weblog based on news — whether it be entertainment, sports, or the latest in politics — write about stories that are happening now rather than several days ago.
If the news is older than the last couple of days, it has likely been fairly fully covered elsewhere. Unless you have a truly fresh perspective, it is probably time to move on.

2. Update your weblog at least once a week, if not more.
Interest in your weblog wanes in direct proportion to the age of your latest content. If you want an audience that will keep coming back, create content regularly that will keep them coming back.

See? It's easy to keep your weblog current. Write about timely affairs if you write about current affairs, update regularly, and — BAM — you've got currency.

Are there any other things to take into account with weblog currency I might have missed out on?

Comment

Elan Morgan

Elan Morgan is a blogger, designer and consultant, and speaker who blogs and works from schmutzie.com, spreads gratitude through the graceinsmallthings.com social network, celebrates quality blogging with the canblogawards.com, and speaks all over. She has been seen in the Globe & Mail, Best Health and Woman's Day magazines, TEDxRegina, and on CBC News and Radio. She believes in and works to grow both personal and professional quality, genuine community, and meaningful content online.