A closer look at those NYT blogs

I won't tell a lie and say that what follows is the result of a month long quantitative and qualitative survey and study of NYT's blogs - it isn't.

It's a snap shot of their blogs, taken at around 20.00 hrs CET Paris time on Sunday 12 October, 2008, the kind of time when people in Europe or in Manhattan before lunch might be taking a look at the web.

First off, the logos - I have to get this off my chest.

The design is what the Australians would call 'daggy' (a dag being a piece of shit stuck to the matted wollen rear end of a sheep). I get T magazine which is about as good as NYT design gets so I know they are capable of better, but the following reprentative example is an absolute embarrassment. If MSM wants to know why it can't connect with younger audiences, take a look at these bad boys.

Secondly, you can generally judge the health of a blog by the quality not just of its postings but also the quality and quantity of its comments. If people like your blog, they track it. If you don't get a comment in about 1 hour of a post you're not really in the game. Meislin says most (non-NYT) blogs don't moderate comments - true, but there are millions and millions of blogs so what does 'most' mean in this case. Absolutely nothing. All the ones I like and follow moderate, and have good quality comments.

Assuming comments are moderated in a timely manner - and if not, there again the NYT is missing the entire point of the immediacy of the blogosphere, then I'd say things are not looking too good for NYT blogs - single digit comments, or none at all, are frequent.

As to the postings these range from simple re-hashes of other NYT material or links to it, or (does Mr. Keller know this?!!) riffing off non-MSM i.e Internet sites and blogs. The shame of it when it's done the other way round!

I'd say only a couple of these blogs past muster and I guarantee you I can find you 10 blogs for each of the subjects covered (with the exception of the NYT's public editor whose last post was about a week ago and got just 4 comments) that have heaps more traffic, better content and a lot more reader interactivity.

So, what exactly is the NYT.com doing here apart from being able to say it has 'blogs' for which it does not even have a particular editorial policy.

In short: a mess. If Rich has got traffic data that proves me wrong, then I'm all ears.

I leave you to examine the below, explore further and draw your own conclusions.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/tanglewood-contemporary-festival-applause-beyond-the-polite/#comment-56007

July 24, 2008, 10:51 am
Tanglewood Contemporary Festival: Applause Beyond the Polite
10 comments

http://baghdadbureau.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 12, 2008, 7:35 am — Updated: 8:57 am

Dark Humor
By Qassem H.J.

No comments

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 12, 2008, 3:54 am
Mike Timlin’s Long Day
By Jack Curry

1 comment

http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 10:23 am — Updated: 10:23 am
Recipe of the Day: Free-Form Apple or Pear Tart

4 comments

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 3:55 pm — Updated: 11:39 pm
‘R.I.P. Good Times,’ Sequoia Capital Warns
By Claire Cain Miller

5 comments

http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/

February 28, 2008, 10:31 am
The Baggage Carousel Stops

20 comments

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/

The Sunday Word: A Race So Close and So Tense
By Kate Phillips and Michael Falcone

15 comments

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 12, 2008, 2:00 pm — Updated: 6:45 pm
A Phantom Bell Atlantic Phone Booth
By David W. Dunlap

No comments

http://blogs.iht.com/tribtalk/business/globalization/

October 10, 2008, 5:48am
The bottom, by any other name

10 comments

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/11/morgans-tight-bind-with-mitsubishi/#more-27256

Morgan Stanley’s Tight Bind With Mitsubishi

October 11, 2008, 9:21 pm

6 comments

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 1:12 pm — Updated: 1:35 pm -->
Ferran Adrià on Creativity
By The New York Times

4 comments

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 11:35 am — Updated: 12:08 pm -->
Green Inc. Roundup
By Andrew C. Revkin

19 comments

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 11, 2008, 9:00 am — Updated: 12:46 am -->
Which Generation Has It Worst?
By Catherine Rampell

13 comments

http://executivesuite.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 7:03 pm — Updated: 12:20 am -->
The Worst Week Ever for the Dow

By Joe Nocera

12 comments

http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 12, 2008, 12:47 pm
Live Updates, Week 6 of the N.F.L.
By Paul Myerberg

1 comment

http://gambit.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 11, 2008, 2:40 pm
Svidler Leads Russian Championship
By Dylan Loeb McClain

No comment

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 11, 2008, 9:36 pm
Player Ratings: U.S. vs. Cuba

4 comments

http://blogs.iht.com/tribtalk/travel/globespotters/index.php/

October 10, 2008 5:26pm
Art Galore in London

No comment

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 1:52 pm — Updated: 7:40 am -->
Cheap Green: Laundry Time

50 comments

http://ideas.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 12, 2008, 9:44 am — Updated: 9:44 am -->
God Is Watching; So Are Church Consultants

No comments

http://laughlines.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 12, 2008, 9:02 am
Video »
The Dogs of Warrior

No comments

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 9:04 pm
Starting a Lede, and Finishing It
By Mike Nizza

No comments

http://themedium.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 10:28 am
In This Week’s Magazine: Produce Yourself
By Virginia Heffernan

2 comments

http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10th, 2008 3:22 PM
The Digital Ramble Mountaineering
By Rosecrans Baldwin

No comments

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 2:04 pm — Updated: 2:04 pm -->
The Parenting Vote
By Lisa Belkin

16 comments

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 9, 2008, 8:52 am — Updated: 8:52 am -->
Reading the Family Narrative…Backwards
By Jane Gross

10 comments

http://norris.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 12, 2008, 3:26 am — Updated: 11:22 am -->
Got Any Capital Gains Left?

8 comments

http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 8:05 pm
Ground Alert
By Cathy Horyn

16 comments

http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/?8dpc

October 11, 2008, 5:39 pm — Updated: 5:42 pm -->
Book Review Podcast
By The New York Times

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 9, 2008, 12:57 pm
‘High-Performance Eyewear’? Guess Again

91 comments

No comments

http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 5:03 pm — Updated: 5:03 pm -->
“Put a Cork in It,” French Government Says

3 comments

http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 3, 2008, 5:29 pm — Updated: 5:15 pm -->
Article Comparison: Obama/Biden Vs. McCain/Palin
By Clark Hoyt

4 comments

http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 12, 2008, 1:14 am
Who’s No. 1? (The Sequel)
By Pete Thamel

8 comments

http://readingroom.blogs.nytimes.com/

May 13, 2008, 5:34 pm — Updated: 5:34 pm -->
Lighting Out for the Territories
By Gregory Cowles

10 comments

http://realestateqa.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 12:47 pm
Who Should Pay for a New Door Lock?
By Jay Romano

No comments

http://shiftingcareers.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 9, 2008, 9:46 pm — Updated: 9:46 pm -->
After Losing Jobs, More Workers Sue
By Marci Alboher

No comments

http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 12, 2008, 1:41 pm
Can the N.H.L. Deal With Captain Goalie?
By Jeff Hale

No comments

http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 5:01 pm — Updated: 5:01 pm -->
The Drug Czar’s Report Card: F
By John Tierney

14 comments

http://timestraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 12, 2008, 12:01 am — Updated: 4:54 pm -->
Monday, Oct. 12, 1908
By William S. Niederkorn

No comments

http://travelqa.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 9, 2008, 1:47 pm
How Much to Tip for Wheelchair Assistance in Airports

No comments

http://tvdecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 11:04 am — Updated: 11:04 am -->
Obama Buys Half Hour on CBS and NBC
By The New York Times

1 comment

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 10, 2008, 11:03 am — Updated: 10:02 pm -->
Ginkgo Holds Promise for Stroke Patients

11 comments

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/

October 9, 2008, 1:28 pm — Updated: 1:28 pm -->
Tax Credits for Plug-Ins Favor Big Batteries
By Jim Motavalli

16 comments

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