My attention has always been drawn to the blog strategy of the old-school trades. Variety and THR were so reluctant to move in an opinion-centric direction, so when the web-olution hit, they listened to the bosses and stuck mainly to their news strategies. That decision didn't serve them well in terms of traffic or mojo.
But THR's blogs show that they have done a very good job at evolving: They look good, are easy to read, and some of them are niche enough to really differentiate the site and therefore the writers. As a general suggestion, I would raise their profile -- although some of them show up on the top left rail and the top nav bar (very nondescript), the shout-out badges, which I really like, live more than half-way down on the homepage. And as you'll see, I have a lot of problem with many of the blogs' names..and names are everything. But making the good ones more prominent "above the fold" should be a no brainer both editorially and aesthetically. And let's see what the good ones are.
THR, Esq. -- Love everything about it. Great niche, great stories, informational and interesting. To me, a perfect blog and a terrific fit.
Fash Track -- A shitty name for a very good blog. Seriously knowledgeable fashion folks in Elizabeth Snead and Merle Ginsberg, but it feels like it belongs to another publication. I don't say that because of the coverage. I say it because I just wonder if the publishing side knows what they have.
Heat Vision -- Boring, confusing name. It's sci-fi and fanboy stuff, but many people in the industry think it's general film news. It's not. It's kind of their Hero Complex (from the L.A. Times). I like it, but it has a major identity crisis. Could be great with some tweaking...and meatier items.
Risky Business -- This one is their home for film and industry news, but there's something about it that's weak. Maybe it's because their other blogs have some wow factor to them, either in their mission or the opinions they generate. This one feels very basic trade-y. Nothing spectacular. I wouldn't go here for any major news of note. I would stick to the general homepage newsrole.
The Live Feed -- Again, I don't like the name, but it's good. Solid TV news, and they mix videos with news generously. A lot of fan stuff and interviews. Exactly what they need.
Bastard Machine -- Really silly name. And as it's TV-centric (it's "owned" by critic Tim Goodman), they probably could just combine it with The Live Feed and come up with one blog that has news, views and criticism...and knock that one out of the park instead.
The Race --I'll get to that one at awards time.
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