Sharon has a good critique of web design guru Jakob Nielsen, who has deigned to tell us what all is wrong with weblogs. It's mainly a list of things he doesn't understand; I was very unimpressed. Here's his list of terrible mistakes we're making.

1. No Author Biographies

OK, kinda. I like seeing bios, but as everyone who reads weblogs knows, what we tune in for is the author's voice, not their CV. This is entirely optional.

2. No Author Photo

Another optional feature. You know, his first two items completely ignore the fact that many very good webloggers are anonymous, and that doesn't hamper their appeal. As you'll see below, though, this is apparently an important feature to Dr Nielsen.

3. Nondescript Posting Titles

That's actually useful. An article titled "Blog Post #217" is not informative, and he does offer good hints for titling stuff. I'll give that one a thumbs up.

4. Links Don't Say Where They Go

There is a grain of truth to his complaint that a link like this—"here"—isn't very enticing or informative. Weblogs tend to be link heavy, though, and context is important. I'll agree with him that links could be clearer.

5. Classic Hits are Buried

True enough. Entries are often ephemeral, and sometimes it's very hard to find a memorable post from the past. Google helps (I use the 'site:' modifier in google searches a fair amount), but it's often the case that much vanishes into voluminous archives. That is one reason I've got that "Taste of Pharyngula" block over to the left.

6. The Calendar is the Only Navigation

Hasn't he heard of categories?

7. Irregular Publishing Frequency

Here he starts wandering way off base. "pick a publication schedule and stick to it"…is he nuts? That's what RSS is for, to pick up articles as they are published.

8. Mixing Topics

We're supposed to specialize and stick to just one subject: "Specialized sites rule the Web." Malarkey. My favorite sites tend to have a general theme, but part of the pleasure of reading them is their discursive nature. When Neilsen sits down to have a conversation with someone, does he start yelling at them if they wander off the pre-arranged topic?

9. Forgetting That You Write for Your Future Boss

This is his worst suggestion of them all: muzzle yourself now in preparation for your future corporate overlords. Screw that, bozo.

10. Having a Domain Name Owned by a Weblog Service

More cluelessness: he's complaining that having a blogspot or typepad address is like having a geocities website, and that no one will take you seriously. Hmmm...Atrios, Majikthise, Ezra Klein, Hullabaloo, Lawyers, Guns, and Money, Lance Mannion. It's the voice not the vehicle. As long as the host is reliable, we don't care, and I attach no stigma to using even a lowest common denominator service like blogspot.

I give him a 3 out of 10. Not very good.

Need I mention that I find his site violates my personal usability guidelines? No RSS feed, no commenting, no trackbacks. He does have a biography page with a photo…and "Additional high-resolution photos are available for download." And here I thought weblogging was a vanity activity.