Long and the short of it
From PLN
Long and the short of it
Letter from the editor - August/September 2008
by Walt Crawford, published August 23, 2008
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- This is the first Letter from the editor to be labeled as such--an editorial about PLN and ways to make it better.
What's the right length for a PLN article?
Stupid question, I know. There is a right length for a newspaper or magazine column, which varies by publication but is most commonly in the 650-800 word range (single-page magazine columns, typical newspaper columns). So, for example, if you look at LaRue's Views, you'll find that most of them are 650 to 750 words long, because most of them are newspaper columns. (In a few cases, I've combined columns or supplemented them with other material.)
A decade ago, I'd have suggested that articles much more than 800 words are too long to be read and comprehended comfortably on screen. Times (and screen quality and typography) have changed...but there still may be limits on what feels right for on-screen reading. At the other extreme, very short articles may be unsatisfying--they may feel like a waste of time.
Articles currently in PLN run anywhere from 90 words (Unions and library workers) to 6,400 words (From awareness to funding) and 5,000 words (Innovation notes). (Actually, one article is even longer--nearly 14,000 words--but it's one of the "protected" essays and, for various reasons, isn't really part of this discussion.)
Excluding older protected essays for now, there are more "longer" articles than "shorter" articles in PLN. Some 40 articles are longer than 2,000 words (at least three times as long as a typical newspaper column); only 24 are shorter than 500 words.
I can control the length of articles to a considerable extent, at least in cases where an article is something other than one essay by one person. Several related shorter pieces can be combined into a longer piece--I've done a lot of that already. On the other hand, very long pieces can be split into more shorter pieces, using Related articles links. So it's reasonable to ask for feedback.
Pageview numbers
One form of feedback is what you actually read. We can't determine that--but we can see the number of pageviews, showing how often people reached given pages, whether or not they read the articles in full.
Those numbers are interesting. Looking at the 25 longest and 25 shortest articles (excluding protected essays, Leader's Digest and purely functional pages), here's what I find:
Longer articles show high readership
Looking at pageviews since PLN began:
- Nineteen of the 25 longest articles are among the 68 most frequently viewed articles. (32 of the top 100 are pages that aren't really articles.) Three more are within the top 150.
Looking at pageviews for July 8-August 7, 2008:
- Twenty-four of the 25 longest articles are among the 72 most frequently viewed. The other one is also within the top 150.
- Most of the articles that didn't make it to the top 150 overall were added recently. Two of them are in the top 31 for July 8-August 7; the third came in at #100 for July 8-August 7.
Shorter articles don't do so well
Looking at pageviews since PLN began:
- None of the 25 shortest articles are among the 68 most frequently viewed articles, and only nine are in the top 150.
Looking at July 8-Augst 7, 2008:
- Two of the 25 shortest articles are in the top 72; in all, ten are within the top 150.
How long is too long?
But those numbers could be misleading. Maybe you're getting to the articles but find them too long to read in full. That's why I'm asking for feedback. It's unlikely that many articles will grow much beyond 6,000-7,000 words--for one thing, MediaWiki complains when a page being edited is that large.
Consider the sample articles noted here. At what level do they feel too long--either to read on screen or, if you must, to print out for offline reading?
- 4,500 words and up: Articles such as Are we doing enough to create the next generation of leaders? and Looking in the mirror
- 3,500 to 4,500 words: Articles such as Google Book Search, Open Content Alliance and Live Search Books notes and Leaders and followers
- 2,500 to 3,500 words: Articles such as Wikipedia notes and Brands
How short is too short?
- Update October 17, 2008: In the absence of strong feedback to the contrary, I've been combining shorter articles either into new larger ones or into existing larger ones.
At what level do articles feel "too short"--where they might be more useful if I combined two or more related ones into a single larger piece?
- 250 words or less: Articles such as Coaching competence Note: Merged into longer article October 13, 2008 and Literacy in everyday life
- 250 to 350 words: Articles such as Courage as a skill and Making judgment calls Note: Both merged into longer articles]]
- 350 to 450 words: Articles such as If you love your information, set it free and Government as a business
- 450 to 550 words: Articles such as Using data to make decisions and Leading with authenticity Note: Both merged into longer articles
Open feedback
Maybe it's not length at all. If you find other characteristics that make certain articles satisfying (and useful) and others less satisfactory, we'd love to know. Feel free to add comments below, on the talk page, or via email.
As for the direct questions above, here's an easy way to respond--via polls.
PLN articles feel too long when they're over: (1 vote)
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100% PLN articles feel too short when they're under: (1 vote)
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