The Great March Slump 01/04/2005 March was a terrible blogging month for me. The stats took a nosedive and hit their lowest point for over two months (for a previous discussion of blog traffic, see "Traffic Statistics"). It looked as though everything was going into reverse. There has been a recovery over the last week or so, however, partly thanks to desperate measures I took when I realized what was happening.Some time ago I discovered something called BlogCrowd. This is a blog directory that you can join and then earn visits to your blog from BlogCrowd members by clicking through their blogs. Every two blogs you look at earns you one visit. I tried this for a while but, as it did not seem to be bringing in noticeable numbers, I lost interest and forgot all about it.When the Great March Slump hit, I searched for ways to combat it and heard about BlogExplosion, a similar system to BlogCrowd. I tried it and found that it works very well, there being sufficient membership to increase traffic flow by a considerable amount. In a rush of enthusiasm, I joined two other systems, BlogClicker and Blogazoo. These proved to be helpful to the stats as well, although not as much as BlogExplosion.Now that the slump is over (hopefully), I have been able to sit back and take stock of my experience with these blogclickers, as I call them. And I have to say that they are immensely depressing. The standard of blogs out there is pretty low and this, coupled with the fact that one tends to get sent to the same blogs time and time again, makes me despair of the blogosphere ever amounting to anything.At first, I was annoyed by the frequent visits to the same old blogs but have since realized that, although there are thousands of blogs listed in the directories, they show only those that have enough "credits" to be shown. Once you have tried the systems, you soon understand how bloggers can tire of the thing and let their credits fall to zero. It's hard work, looking at an endless procession of blogs, very few of which interest you.Having an old machine, I have also found that many of the blogs take ages to load, being crammed with links to photo, animation and hit counter sites. There is a time counter on the page (one is supposed to look at each blog for a minimum of 20 or 30 seconds, depending on the system) and it really irritates me to sit with the blog in full view but the counter not ticking over because the blog is still loading some nonsense from another site. Fancy blogs like these get short shrift from me, although I do admit that I have found ways of getting that timer moving again (if you want to know, just ask - each system needs a different method).Then there is the pressure the blogclickers create. I find myself thinking several times a day about how my credits are doing. And I surf through them, checking on my score, determined that I remain in credit and so get maximum benefit out of the systems. This becomes obsessive, so much so that I begin to wonder whether all this time-wasting is beneficial at all. I marvel at the number of personal diary blogs that are using all the tricks in the book to achieve greater traffic. What motivates this drive to exposure? Are they the diaries of flagrant exhibitionists or the records of lonely lives that will accept affirmation from anywhere?Every so often one does come across an interesting blog, however. I am gradually building up a list of blogs that are good reads or have information of value to myself. Unfortunately, so much of my time is taken up with writing or blogclicking that I never seem to be able to go back and have a good look around these blogs. My To Do List gets longer, not shorter (help, Harvey!).So, are these blogclickers worthwhile? I suppose the answer must depend upon how important traffic figures are to you. If it really matters that those figures keep improving, the blogclickers do work but require quite a lot of input. The whole experience has made me re-examine my motives in seeking traffic and I have not reached a definite conclusion as yet. It is becoming apparent to me that my blog is intended to gain regular readers rather than those who click and go. Clickers help the stats but, in the long run, have no lasting effect on any popularity the blog might achieve. I am very tempted to give up on them altogether.But not right now. Excuse me, my credits must be getting low and I have to run...
Clive
kate perhaps you are blogging for the wrong reasons. or not blogging about the right things. Date Added: 02/04/2005
Gone Away Oh, definitely for the wrong reasons, Kate. But I let my commenters decide whether I blog about the right things or not. ;) Date Added: 02/04/2005
Ned I suppose my problem with blogclicking is that I actually stop and try to read the blogs I happen upon. I always read at least one post and generally like to read two back, as everyone has an off day. Unlike the hordes of blogclickers who are only trying to attract traffic to their site and therefore, click as soon as the clock is up, I often spend five or ten minutes on a blog if it is any good, then comment or blogmark for return. What I don't understand is why they think anyone pays any more attention to their blog than they do to the blogs of others. This thing only works if people put the effort in. I did try to read Kate's site but the type is so very small, and I am so very old. Perhaps she has the wrong template or chose her template for the wrong reasons. Date Added: 02/04/2005
Gone Away I agree, Ned, that the blogclickers work when people treat it with some responsibility. And I admit that I do give every blog a read although, once it's been rejected, it doesn't matter how many times it comes up, it doesn't get another chance. I accept that we're all looking for blogs that suit us and the blog for everyone hasn't been written so I see little wrong in deciding which you like and which you don't. And maybe Kate was just trying to be helpful. ;) Date Added: 02/04/2005
Ned Are you saying I wasn't helpful? I think a legible blog is a great first step to establishing a readership. Sheesh, try to help some people... Date Added: 02/04/2005
Gone Away Oh, I wasn't intimating that, Ned. I was just standing in the middle and getting clobbered from both sides... :D Date Added: 02/04/2005
josh BlogClickers? BlogFrog? BlogPleaseVisit? Is it possible for a subculture to have a nested subculture? I have been spending all (1) hours a day of my spare time developing an open-source, templated blogging system, yet I still maintain a substantial misalignment in my panties about the idea of "the blogosphere". I love personal blogs, as silly as they can be, but nowadays, CNN has these two hipster clowns perched in front of computer screens reading off the latest self-promoting and truth-muddling schlock from the blogs they have tapped as "worthy" ... I am thinking that when CNN gets in on the game, it is time to find a new hobby. Yet I still slog on with the coding. I must be somewhere close to insane. As far as Kate goes, pFFFt. Date Added: 02/04/2005
Rocky Moore Me just dropping in via Blogazoo, but my favorite is BlogExplosion. Has been a bit slow there for a coulple days now though. One of the things I like most about BE, is that they do not repeat sites as frequently as the others. I would like to see them all move to a one time per day cycle so that I do not see duplicates the same day on the same blog promotion site. Also, bloggers that are having their blogs viewed via these promotion sites that frame your site and their members browse past (like BlogExplosion, BlogClicker, Blogazoo) and happen to have Google AdSense ads on their sites, need to make sure their ads show based on the content of their sites and not the surf bar. I got caught on this one. For those experiencing this problem, there is a fix at: http://rockymoore.com/archive/2005/03/27/257.aspx I actually enjoy the surfing aspect of these blog promotion sites, but it would be better without the repeats. Date Added: 02/04/2005
Gone Away Are CNN actually doing that now, Josh? Well, at least it shows that the news blogs are making the world sit up and take notice. And who knows, they might be using your open source solution in the future. Date Added: 02/04/2005
Gone Away It seems to me that BE just has more bloggers, Rocky, and that's always going to be an advantage in this game. I think it's better developed as well, with its option to stop seeing sites that you don't want and detailed stats. BlogCrowd fdoesn't even have any way for me to see how many credits I have left; it shows me how many I've earned since I started which is irrelevant. That's the main reason I stopped using it. It seems there are a few problems with Google's Adsense ads (I've seen discussions on this in other blogs) and it's great that you have a solution. Thanks for the URL. Date Added: 02/04/2005
Robert I was the same way, Clive. For about a month I slogged through endless horrible sites on Blog Explosion. And my visits soared, but I wonder how worthwhile it all was. I found a couple of blogs that I still go back to and I believe a couple of my readers found my site that way, so maybe the exercise wasn't completely futile. But the ratio of junk to gems is, indeed, pretty dismal. Date Added: 02/04/2005
Gone Away In the end I suppose it depends on what we're looking for in the blogs, Robert. You and I would prefer a blog to be original and well written, I'm sure, but there are also many who want links to oddities or breaking news, detailed accounts of others' lives or amusing nonsense. Just no accounting for taste... ;) Date Added: 02/04/2005
Matthew I don't keep up with these sort of things, I write for myself, for my family, and for my friends - both offline and online. I keep up with yours because you are an interesting person and a good writer. I suppose it doesn't hurt that you're an Okie. :) Date Added: 02/04/2005
Gone Away I think you are wise, Matthew. There was a reason I became involved in the attempt to improve my blog's traffic but I seem to have forgotten it. Perhaps it wasn't that important after all... And I read yours because it's one of the best on the net. Plus you're also an Okie, of course. ;) Date Added: 02/04/2005
Boogie The thing I've noticed about people who host (is that the right word) blogging services is that when they choose a pick of the month or something they always choose blogs that have completely different uses for their blogs. Instead of picking blogs which are written well and interesting. There must loads of carefully thought out blogs that are proberly missed because they're quite traditional in how they use them. Although I can see why they do it, if they picked similar blogs each month people would really get bored. I liked this entry Dad it was interesting. Date Added: 02/04/2005
Gone Away Thanks, Boogie. The directories tend to go very much with how much traffic a blog has in their pick of the "best" ones. The blogs that consist of links to other sites have a huge advantage when it comes to this because they get a constant stream of people who don't stay but are re-distributed around the net. As a result, their traffic flow is looks impressive but their visitors are not there for the blog - they come to be directed to new oddities and funnies on the net. It will take time for the blogs that are offering genuinely original and good content to begin to compete with link blogs because they are trying to build up a dedicated readership and that isn't easy. Date Added: 02/04/2005
The Scribe I've never understood the necessity to have huge amount of people visiting a website. I'd prefer to have people who are interested in what I've got to say, rather than people who just want to build their credits (but don't read anything). Date Added: 03/04/2005
Gone Away I agree totally, Scribe. However, to find those people who might be interested, I find that it's necessary to drag the blog around a bit so that people can see it. And I must admit that I've found a few blogs worth keeping up to date with in the process. Including yours... ;) Date Added: 03/04/2005
bumpy_beth I dont see how your ratings could go down, you and Way have the most interesting blogs that I have found. I can never find interesting stuff to write about like yall do. But then again, I havent had as much experience as yall have yet either. Date Added: 03/04/2005
Gone Away There were reasons for the slump, Beth. For a start, the Blogger comment system stopped working which decreased the number of Blogger users wandering around (I presume they were all hammering on Blogger's door and demanding that their comments be restored). And then I went to Vicksburg for a week, which meant that I couldn't put a new post up for several days. Even so, there seemed to be a dramatic slowing of traffic throughout the blogosphere in March. Date Added: 03/04/2005
Way Thick as a brick here, even on good days. Coats and pennies, indeed. Dunno how I missed this one post, but I did. So what's all the excitement over dragging blogs around, and attracting readers who comment, which in turn, obligates one to stop what they are doing (you know -- important stuff like taking naps, staring out windows or practicing semaphore skills with ants), and then comment back? That leaves so little time for writing. In the meantime, I keep learning the most wonderful and portentous things like...well, try typing the words "stewardesses" and "lollipops" and see if you, er, get it. Date Added: 04/04/2005
Gone Away Ah Way, I envy your detachment from the frenetic concerns of the blogosphere. Us lesser mortals worry about things like traffic flow and statistics, whereas you are right - in the long view, there are much more important things to amuse and involve us. In a way, this article was a step to sorting out my thoughts on where the blog is going and what I want from it. And I begin to doubt that all this blog clicking achieves anything at all... Date Added: 04/04/2005
Way I have that lil counting Malay still going hard at her duties, and thas it. All I do is check her numbers first thing in the morning, note them at the top of my Word page, and thus get the idea that I average about 100 hits a day. Big whoop. No one throws cash or bringsabeeralong. :D Date Added: 04/04/2005
Gone Away If you could see all my fancy spreadsheets and statistics, all to do with traffic on the blog, Way, you'd wonder where I get the time to write. Come to think of it, I don't have time to write... Date Added: 04/04/2005
Way heh...I found me a better way...I just cruise thru yer blog to find a few new ones. Date Added: 04/04/2005
Gone Away Fair enough, Way. I've had my share off yours too... ;) Date Added: 04/04/2005
Jodie Gone, I've been busy -- I bet it's that whole Spring thing for everyone. :) Date Added: 07/04/2005
Gone Away I think so, Jodie; everyone seems to have had a slow time of late. As you say, it's probably a seasonal thing. Date Added: 07/04/2005
Karen Lee Field I've found that most of the people I know on the internet is busy at the moment. So that seasonal comment is probably "right on the mark". Date Added: 09/04/2005
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