1. Express their own opinions
2. Use bold
3. Add whitespace for emphasis.
Like this.
4. Use numbered lists.
* Use bullet points.
6. Add stupid pictures.
7. Tell people to go fuck themselves.
8. Use words and phrases that sound cool when read aloud.
b) Add things later.
9. Reference memes.
10. Add YouTube videos and links to books on Amazon.
11. Write about ideas.
12. Link to other authors
13. Use long quotations.
14. Cite multiple people with the same opinion.
15. Spend more than a few hours working on their article.
16. Send it around to their friends to edit and suggest feedback.
17. Let people add unmoderated comments on the bottom.
18. Add a del.icio.us link.
19. Wait until they're ready to post.
20. Use literary devices from, say, epic poetry.
21. Go back later and fix mistaeks.
22. Admit when you're wrong.
23. Criticize a corporate sponsor.
Paul Graham says that if you've ever looked at sites that aggregate the best of what's on the web, you've probably noticed that stories from the NYT make up only a small fraction of the most interesting content each day. All of the above are reasons why the average NYT article is better than the average blog post. And, at the same time, they explain why the best NYT articles will never be nearly as good as the best blog posts.
No NYT article will ever be as good as this:
http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2006/03/math-for-programmers.html
Or this:
http://www.expatsoftware.com/articles/2008/05/laid-off-one-thing-you-absolutely-need.html
The NYT is really good at competing on access to famous people and grammar. You'll never beat them on their own terms, but as soon as you shift the frame it's virtually impossible to lose.
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