What do you think of this blog post about saving money by making smarter automotive decisions?
http://blog.usedcargenius.com/?p=178
Thanks!
Jeff
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M$3 Answers
I think that it would be a good small town, local newspaper article but that it is not positioned well for a blog. Here's why:
1) Your points are clouded with words.
Cut down on the number of words you use and prove your points in other ways.
2) You have an interesting title, but I don't feel like the article gave me an answer.
Trust is a funny thing online and if you're trying to build readership, honest, well proven / supported posts are key. I like that you made that post and mentioned that you own a dealership, but I don't like generalities that made up the proof.
3) I Would Like More Information
In your 4th paragraph, you outline the meat and potatoes of the solution. This is where I want more information that is easy to find. I didn't feel the desire to click through to any other articles on your blog because they weren't avaliable to me where and when I needed them.
You might have some other great articles about "researching a puchrase", finding "a great deal from a motivated seller", "finding a great repair shop based on trusted recommendations", etc. But, how would I know? When I've scrolled down to that section of the page, all I see are random tags and categories.
Contentiously think about where people are looking when they read your articles. Provide links (images work best) to alternate articles, advertising, or off-site information. This is referred to as contextually generated content and is most effective on small growing blogs manually.
I hope that these few points help Used Car Genius!
I'm a professional webmaster with a few blogs and freelance writing under my belt. I've authored successful articles across many forms of written media and continue to "learn as I go".
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M$
The article seems to give a rundown of a lot of ideal circumstances. Finding reliable repair shop recommendations, maintaining a car in pristine condition over the time you own it, getting a super deal on a car at the outset, and getting a car that has reliability and mileage according to the manufacturer claims throughout its lifetime.
I'd temper these with reality. For example, my car uses a particular kind of alternator which costs around 2x more to replace than the "average" full size car's does. If a car shopper has some means to judge a car's value based on repair costs in a meaningful, quantifiable way, that would help narrow the range of cars they'd consider purchasing. I guess although suggestions are presented in the article, what's missing are specifics about how to actually go about applying them.
Bullet points might help, everything kind of jam-packed into two paragraphs has a bit less appeal by itself.
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M$
This isn't an answer to your question, but a comment (note to mahalo answers programming - you need an alternative "post a comment" in addition to the single option of "Answer this Question")
The blog post about electric cars caught my eye and I thought it was better than the post you asked about.
May I suggest you also create a post on new alternatives to buying a car. For example, buy an electric bicycle instead. There are a few out there now that have excellent power and range. They're a viable alternative to owning a car, and they're available to buy TODAY. I've been riding an older model myself for a few years.
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M$
Very good answer.
Can't comment on Used Car Genius myself, having no interest in the subject matter, but the points here reflect how I feel about a lot of online material.
A lot of web material is too sketchy to be useful, and points me to other sites without even explaining why I should go and look there, so wasting my time.
But there's also plenty that is too verbose, and it's hard to find out the answer to my question, or even tell if the answer is to be found somewhere on that page.
Also trust is critical. The web is depressingly full of people either promoting themselves or pretending to be experts on a subject they know nothing about, or both. If other people are like me - and I think they probably are - you can assume that a new visitor will be approaching your site with a lot of scepticism, on the lookout for potential scams, hidden or dishonest sales pitches and general BS. The slightest hint of anything like that, and it's goodbye to your site, never to visit again.
Btw Robb, assume "contentiously" was a typo for "consciously". :)
Thanks Jpod! I appreciate the feedback.
I've noticed that sometimes the best blog topics are incredibly broad. They often draw the most interaction when done properly.
In my answer, I quickly outlined 3 other posts that you could make based on your article. Using your broad article and breaking it down into smaller, more specific articles results in a series of connected articles.
This is the foundation to productive blogging.
@robbrown
I think your answer is good and I agree with all of your points.
Thanks for the feedback, robbrown... It may have been too broad of a topic to try to squeeze into a single blog post. My goal was to let the reader know that it is possible and get them thinking about their automotive expenses in a different way, but maybe it falls short of that goal without enough specifics to back it up.
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment...
Jeff