2,000 Bloggers and MyBlogLog: Traffic ain’t readers
If you don’t blog I’m pretty sure this will be of no interest to you. Stop reading now.
I joined the 2000 Bloggers just because it looked like a fun project to be a part of. Fun, as in, let’s all go to the beach for the day! But like ordering a third vodka, I didn’t take the time to think about the implications. I don’t think I could have even guessed the implications: my Technorati links have jumped from about 8 to 66 (as of today), and my rank moved into the 50,000s (if you are not a blogger, this may seem really high — wait a minute, why are you still reading? — but I started out ranked in the 7 digits).
But the numbers really don’t mean anything, because no one new is reading Two Knives. Sure, some may visit, and even skim, but not really read it. And I want my links to mean something. I want people to visit because they want to read what I’m writing. And maybe laugh. Or think about something in a new way.
Like Jeremiah Owyang says in his post I don’t deserve this Technorati rank (and the other 1,999 of you don’t either),
I want to earn every link because of the stupid/brilliant (more stupid than brilliant) things I write, not just from mass pyramid linking structure.
And what’s really freaking me out is that many of the links are coming from marketing blogs of one sort or another. SeoPedia (TM): The Internet Marketing and Search Industry Blog? MediaBlog: Media, Society, Brands, and lots of Ideas!? 365 Days of Advertising!? All fine sites (yes, I read them). Probably wouldn’t otherwise link to Two Knives, unless they wanted to make fun of me. (Note to self: look up SEO in Wikipedia.)
Because, if you haven’t noticed, I’m not a big fan of marketers.
I also recently joined the social networking site MyBlogLog. Zero Boss talked me into it. I was intrigued by all the photos of people smiling at me as I read his site, and other sites as well. It seemed like the right thing to do, even though the “social networking” has me a bit confused. So is Liz Strauss:
At every Social Networking Site, I’ve ended up with a “network” that came to be despite — not because — of me, and I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with or for or about each of them.
Emphasis mine. Now, after being with MBL for awhile, I’ll have to disagree with Jay, who says that MBL is “more about networking with readers who have common interests. They’re about building your own communities, centered around your ideas and perspective.”
That iswhat I wanted. But the thing is, MBL has not connected me with the kind of community I expected. I was hoping to find new like-minded blogs to read and enjoy. Hasn’t really happened (with one notable exception). Most of the MBL visitors that I’ve run across are either a) trying to help me make more money one way or another; or b) trying to get me to join their community. But do any of the community members actually read all the blogs they join?
Another thought on MBL from Trichotillomania:
. . . from the outside it looks like an ego inflating exercise. It resembles a lot with the numerous Orkut Communities. There are hoards and hoards of people joining them. I have never seen a single member ever engaging in a debate about the subject or having anything remotely interesting to say. . . . If you find it interested. Comment, Engage Why post a “I Read this” sign?
And from Dave Starr of GPS Tracking, commenting at John Chow Dot Com:
I suddenly became the “leader” of a “community” populated by obvious “script kiddes”, jerks who had no interest at all in my blog, just trying to connect to as many communities as possble to be noted, and many apparently underage folks and a couple older folks improperly interestd in the younger ones. Creepy. . . .Traffic is one thing, how you are portrayed and who that traffic is may, indeed, be another thing.
Online marketers are saying that social networking is an emerging marketing tactic, as email lists, pop-ups and banner ads are going by the wayside. I can’t even trust that my future visitors won’t just be trying to sell me something.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I haven’t given it enough time. But for now I think I’ll spend my time looking for new blogs by reading the comments on blogs I already like. And by commenting, perhaps I get some new folks to read Two Knives.
I guess if I’ve offended them, my readers from MyBlogLog will exit the Two Knives community like a burning building. If they read this.
February 6th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Hej,
Links doesn’t matter, this is not what blogging is about. Besides tehcnorati isn’t good at counting them all.
I think your blog is good enough, so you don’t have to worry about links. People will come by for reading sake not linking sake.
For me 2000 bloggers project is about meeting other people, connecting with some people, like you. It is not about being lke-minded. It’s about diversity. I write marketing blog, but I am an sociologist and photgraph. I would have never found your blog if there was no 2000 Bloggers project.
Look at this as the chance to learn to know new people and new areas. Open your mind and don’t bother about links too much. Aren’t you curious?
MyBlogLog and people who try to make money and spam you with unrelevant messages. This is something we are exposed to every day! The best is to learn to ignore them and focus on the positive things happen to you online. :-)
Keep on good blogging
February 6th, 2007 at 10:38 am
New reader - and MBL member - here, just to let you know that I don’t have a single marketing tactic in mind, other than socializing with other bloggers who don’t necessarily travel in the same circles, as I do. Unless you’re stuck in traffic, trapped in a minivan along with four kids and tons of athletic equipment, or perhaps waiting in a very long line at the grocery store…well, then I’m the tall one weaqring the stupid grin and very bad shoes.
Nice to meet you ;o)
February 6th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Value… find the value in everything. Whether you agree or not, you can learn something from everyone. One of the best ways is perspective. I don’t always agree with you or like what you have to say, but I may learn something from it so it’s valuable to me. MBL has value to me, whether I build a community of like-minded people or not. I will not abandon your community on MBL, or stop reading your blog. And I just don’t get how what Tino did is a bad thing for the blogging community. It was an exercise that had some unexpected, but good, results. I hope you will reconsider your position and take it for what it is…
February 6th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Daria, Liz and Roy: Thanks for taking the time to comment! I guess this interaction is more what I was hoping for. Didn’t even know that you all were reading. Really reading.
Roy, I don’t think the 2,000 bloggers is a bad thing. I think it’s quite cool, which is why I wanted to be a part of it. The 50+ extra links just really took me by surprise.
And yes, there is value in diversity - absolutely. But I still maintain that I find comfort in reading blogs by people who think like me. Isn’t that what the parenting blogs are all about? Finding a community around shared experiences?
Thanks for all the advice. I certainly can use it.
February 6th, 2007 at 11:54 am
See what you started! ;)
If you get a chance, Jeremiah has an update to his original rant.
February 6th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
[…] Lisa of Two Knives has an excellent post up critiquing the value of MyBlogLog. She makes some good points, the best being that some marketers are abusing MBL the same way they abuse MySpace. I know I have a number of people in my “community” who are there, not because they read and enjoy me, but because I have a sizable community and it’s good advertising for them. But the same thing happens with blog comments: sometimes, people leave a comment not because they’re regular readers, but to deposit their calling card. Any tool used to build community and connect people can also be used for base self-promotion. Not that I’m opposed to base self-promotion, mind you; like crack, it’s one of those things that’s been done in moderation. […]
February 6th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Tino actually came up with an elegant solution to the entire situation: Make it one image.
And as far as your writing, you had me at the post on marketing to children (the one on the front page the first time I visited). :D
February 6th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Stealthbadger: thanks! You had me at “Glenlivet.”
February 6th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Thanks for this post. I was considering MyBlogLog for my own blog. Having read your post now, I think I will skip it.
February 6th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Hey Lisa…
I found your blog via the 2000 bloggers page. I’ve just been clicking on faces that catch my attention for whatever reason…
And I’m not selling anything ;-)
roy
February 6th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
hi, found you via ZB (who also got me to join MBL, although I’m not sure why.) At one time I was more into exchanging links and things like Blog Explosion, but I guess I got over it. Finding you the way I did- via a link at a blog I read regularly, is my favorite way to find new blogs, it may be a slower way to meet people but I think the quality is better!
February 6th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Hi, MBL staffer here — We do bring some good readers along with the others. We work hard to keep the quality high while still being broadly welcoming. If you can think of things we can do to make you happier, just let us know.
February 6th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
New reader here - came over by way of Liz’s Open Comment Night - adding you to my daily reads - I like your style!
February 6th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Every social network brings junk, it’s part of putting things out there. It’s just like silly/pointless comments (or worse: spam.)
My experience with social networking sites like MyBlogLog is that you get what you give. If you connect with people, post messages, contact them directly, visit their blogs, etc. you’ll get positive returns.
I like MyBlogLog for the simple fact that I can *see* people who visit over and over. Those people pique my interest and I’m more inclined to check their stuff out. Those are people I want to connect with (most of the time.)
And I’ve also found people with complimentary skills to work with through MyBlogLog. But I spend a fair amount of time on it regularly - checking new contacts, posting messages, communicating…
February 6th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
How refreshing to see bloggers that think about these things. You’ll be fine whatever path you take!
February 6th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
I just joined MyBlogLog foremost because I got enticed seeing smiling faces on Tom Vander Well’s blog (www.QAQnA.com). And I love the concept of being in a community. It’s fun to be working and have friends at the same time. I think this what makes blogging a cool thing! :)
February 6th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Another great tool I use in addition to MBL is StumbleUpon. There you can define your interests fairly narrowly and “stumble” through the internet finding sites in that narrow interest range. I’ve found some top notch stuff through that too.
February 7th, 2007 at 9:41 am
I have to agree with Ben Y’s comment - it’s reciprocal, and for me the best thing about it is the little viewers’ icons. THAT’s what’s in it for me. (It’s how I knew you stopped by - and I recognized you from Liz’s open mic las night.) Thus, here I am!
Otherwise, I don’t interact via MBL all that much.
February 9th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
I don’t believe you *meant* to discourage people from visiting.
For what it’s worth, I checked out your blog from 2000Bs, probably because you had a nice smile, then I was intrigued by the blog’s name, then I found your writing interesting.
I think there are quite a few of us who joined 2000Bs for a bit of fun and similarly MBL. I have not tried to show you or anyone a way to make more money or get you to join my community (in fact I don’t know right know whether I even have a MBL community, as distinct from contacts). I have to say I winced at your quote from the person who evidently doesn’t like “older folks” being on the internet and attributes nasty motives to their being on a social networking site, but I guess there are people who don’t like lots of other categories of people being on the internet. Or visiting their blogs.
I might not be in the category of “like minded” but will happily keep your RSS link in my feed reader, if that’s ok :). Blog on.
February 15th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
MyBlogLog offers one thing that has been short in supply in the personal publishing world - exposure. There are a couple hundred million websites with 20-30 billion pages of content. I call it the ‘infinite content stream’. There isn’t enough time in your life to take in even a fraction of the interesting stuff. The problem is if you have some of this interesting content (which you do). MBL is one of the few tools around that can actually expose you to new visitors, instead of relying on the 2-3 random google’s a day that might land on your site searching for steak knives or some unique set of 2-3 words you managed to put together in the same article years ago.
The service will need to evolve to counteract abuse, but the necessity for a large community index to expose and highlight some of the hidden gems on the far reaches of the net will only increase.
As far as the boobs go, it’s the oldest marketing trick in the world. They get ten times as many clicks. It’s a sad fact of life. I put a cute girl on my splash image as an experiment and guess what? Ten times as many clicks as my other pages. Sometimes more. A couple of weeks ago I had my first million hit day; which can be attributed to another scandalous photo which landed on my site without my knowledge. But the point is, with that kind of response, what incentive is there to take it down? People are visiting my site. Many land there because they are mindless clicking machines, but a significant number stay and read the more thought provoking content. Sigh…
Of course we can all go back to the 2-3 random google’s a day. It wasn’t a bad life, but a bit lonely sometimes.
March 2nd, 2007 at 1:16 pm
I know it’s a little outdated for me to be commenting on this post, but I just found your site today via MBL, so this is my first chance to respond. I signed up for MBL a week ago today for the same reasons you did - I wanted to find some blogs with content similar to my own, and, hopefully, bring some of those people to my site. It only took me a few days to realize that the majority of the people viewing my profile were their only to further their own agendas and build a brand of sorts. I’m not planning on leaving MBL, but I will be careful about which communities I join and who I add as contacts.