On a recent visit to the National Archives, I was engrossed with a broadside display.
Broadsides are the blogs of their day, a blend of art and news.
Both have a lower barrier to entry compared to other respective contemporary formats (e.g., treatises or whitepapers). Both are designed to be ephemera. However, an individual exemplar sometimes resonants beyond its intended lifespan and audience. That long-term impact potential is greater for blogs. Since blogs are digital, they are searchable and sharable without limits. Since broadsides are printed, they are static and nonscabable. Their size and content is limited by the properties of the physical press, printing press of the broadside heyday most cheaply produced a single page.
The illusion of being ephemera makes both more accessible, thus encouraging writing (and publication). Even if the writing is intended to be disposable, more writing makes better writers.
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