Pundit vs. Instructional

Look at many of the technical blogs out there, and you’ll quickly feel daunted by what looks like a bewildering range of approaches. But they really boil down to providing commentary, giving actual technical instructions, or a mix of both.

A pundit blog showcases an author’s insights into an industry or a particular niche. It’s typically filled with essays on relevant topics or quotes from other interesting blogs and news stories to which an opinion is added. The perfect example of a pundit who mostly blogs about Apple is John Gruber and his popular blog, Daring Fireball.^[9]

An instructional blog focuses on HOWTOs. The aim of this type of blog is to provide tutorials or reference material for readers. There may be an opinion here and there, but these are mostly a collection of factual posts. For an example, check out the excellent John D. Cook’s Blog.^[10]

Which should you choose—pundit or instructional? In my experience, this is a false dichotomy and you should opt for both styles—at least in the beginning. Offer variety to your readers by including a mix of pundit-style commentary and tutorials.

Depending on how your readership responds to either type of post, you’ll be able to focus more on one or the other. Consider your readers’ feedback before cornering yourself into a specific blogging style. You’ll also quickly discover which of the two you enjoy writing the most, and that’s just as important. You can always evolve and change your blog style at a later stage.