The Great March Slump

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...