I don't know. It definitely is over rated but it's still something important I reckon. It's a way to lend your voice to the wind.
But when I see journalists and the establishment blogging, it once makes the little guy redundant.
On the flip side, whenever you hear an idiot like Eleanor Clift at least you have an outlet with a blog as opposed to yelling on a street corner.
It's also a great way to store and organize your thoughts. I would never have reached this point of "enlightenment" without blogging.
The other thing I still don't get is the anatomy of a popular blog like, say, Daily Kos, Drudge and Instapundit. Maybe I'm slow or plain egotistical but I don't get how some blogs get so popular.
By the way, you're probably right about devoting so much time to blogging but I have to admit it hasn't cut too much into my time. I don't think I've ever taken myself so seriously.
Maybe I'm slow or plain egotistical but I don't get how some blogs get so popular.
Maybe we can put our heads together and figure it out over a couple beers.
I don't get it either. Even blogs that are not in the stratosphere like those you mention puzzle me.
There's this one blog with public stats that gets over 4,000 visits a day and the anonymous guy it belongs to only started it about a year and a half ago, and he doesn't even write original posts, not a damn word (or very few) it's all just cut and paste from other sources. WTF? I get a fraction of that kind of traffic and my blog is older and has more posts (and more than twice as many Google Followers).
I just don't get it. What the Hell am I doing wrong?
I know none of the blogs you are talking about Gentlemen. Since I began looking at McKentie's blog, then commenting on it I have met some very nice people and began a blog through wich I have met other nice people. I don't care much how many people read my postings; I do it for the fun of it and I still have lots of time for other things...but then I'm retired, it could make a difference.
Same here Paul. Same here. Without the retirement of course.
NJ, can you send me the link of the blog you speak of?
I really wish I knew the answer. I've asked so many questions to so many people but I never really truly got to the bottom of it.
I read all these experts and tips and do exactly what they ask but the traffic here is sparse - like when the cages in Deadliest Catch come up with a few crabs in them.
Oh, here's the kicker, I get a LOT of complements about my writing (in general) and "original" content. I mean A LOT. I mean like tons. Not kidding. Journalists, thinkers, friends, strangers you name it.
Commentator, sorry for not getting back to you sooner, but I've been busy (or apathetic) as you can see from my blog (what do you think?).
To answer your question, the blog I referred to is thecomingdepression.blogspot.com/.
I was a little off on a few things, like the number of posts, but not by much. I think the key with that blog is a niche (economic depression news), but even so, you and I should be getting a lot more traffic than we are.
The other thing is, how do you get a chance to build traffic? When my hits start to go up and it looks like I've reached the point where I'll see real growth, I suddenly drop way down in Google search results. My traffic is off over 50% the last few months. Google has done this to me before and I had to start from scratch to see traffic rise again to where it was, but there seems no way to get exponential growth, so how do these other bloggers do it?
The only post on my blog that still is getting a lot of Google results is an image of porn star Little Lupe. Hmmm, maybe I just answered my own question.
I live in the Southwestern United States, by the way, so we probably won't be getting together for that beer any time soon, unless you're planning a trip to these parts in the near future.
Oh, and I agree with the Chinese comment. Good comment Chinese guy!
Some of my favorite sites have modest or little traffic.
About that site, well, he uses a formula lots of "scammy" website use. Thick, colorful fonts. That attracts people. People are like flies and they may not necessarily be attracted to "original" content.
He does a little what Instapundit does. He's another one. Ok, it's good but all he does is link! I mean, I've found more interesting stuff!
Maybe I'm just bitter.
No really, I drink a lot of Campari.
Anyway. I'm convinced many are disinterested on finding good content; that's a small percentage of people who do so.
I've accepted my fate; notably the masses don't give a shit about this blog. So be it. I hate the masses anyway. As long as I can change ONE person that's all that matters.
*Insert laugh track here.*
I've consulted so many marketing guys (friends and strangers alike) and apparently I'm doing all the right things - although I avoid the social networking/donations route for a myriad of reasons. I don't think that will make or break me to be honest.
Blogging is personal. Pure and simple. Making money off it is a pipe dream and restricted to those people who just - for whatever reasons - manage to tap into something.
I used to work for a bunch of smart-alec kids who discovered a way to make money (millions)off the internet. It was comical and grating to watch them try and pretend to be business people.
They were punks scamming people.
I tried the webcopy route with them and discovered though I can do it, I didn't like what they were up to at all. Not only that, they were annoying twirps; well, two of the three were. One in particular was too cool for the world and only said "wow" to everything - and he was the main guy!
All those sites, be it diet, live TV and all that are scams. All of them. It's an army of kids putting this crap up.
They would turn around and tell their team of programmers, GD's and web copy writer (moi) to copy the site in "our own words and design."
They fish in people by getting them to buy "memberships" into stuff you can get for free. I didn't realize just how big the number of naive and stupid people out there that bought the bit.
They position themselves as a "e-commerce management" company. Sorta like how the mob throws up fronts for their real activities.
They even have an affiliate program armed with hundreds of sites - and they make serious dough.
Dunno why I went this route.
I do plan to head to that part of the continent one day. I plan to buy an RV and do the continent in the next couple of years.
Yeah, it is, and I think I'm gonna go back to reading as my main hobby now that I've rediscovered Westerns.
ReplyDeleteI'm on my second one in two days and can't get enough. I even like those pulp series Westerns that the hack writers churn out one 'a month.
Yeah, no question, bloggin's on the way out, like the horse and buggy.
Least ways now I can relax without worrying about the damn blog all the time.
I'll still be a posting, of course, I just won't take it so damn serious no more.
I'll mail you a white flag.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. It definitely is over rated but it's still something important I reckon. It's a way to lend your voice to the wind.
But when I see journalists and the establishment blogging, it once makes the little guy redundant.
On the flip side, whenever you hear an idiot like Eleanor Clift at least you have an outlet with a blog as opposed to yelling on a street corner.
It's also a great way to store and organize your thoughts. I would never have reached this point of "enlightenment" without blogging.
The other thing I still don't get is the anatomy of a popular blog like, say, Daily Kos, Drudge and Instapundit. Maybe I'm slow or plain egotistical but I don't get how some blogs get so popular.
Meh.
By the way, you're probably right about devoting so much time to blogging but I have to admit it hasn't cut too much into my time. I don't think I've ever taken myself so seriously.
ReplyDeleteI am, after all, Les Nessman.
Maybe I'm slow or plain egotistical but I don't get how some blogs get so popular.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we can put our heads together and figure it out over a couple beers.
I don't get it either. Even blogs that are not in the stratosphere like those you mention puzzle me.
There's this one blog with public stats that gets over 4,000 visits a day and the anonymous guy it belongs to only started it about a year and a half ago, and he doesn't even write original posts, not a damn word (or very few) it's all just cut and paste from other sources. WTF? I get a fraction of that kind of traffic and my blog is older and has more posts (and more than twice as many Google Followers).
I just don't get it. What the Hell am I doing wrong?
I know none of the blogs you are talking about Gentlemen.
ReplyDeleteSince I began looking at McKentie's blog, then commenting on it I have met some very nice people and began a blog through wich I have met other nice people.
I don't care much how many people read my postings; I do it for the fun of it and I still have lots of time for other things...but then I'm retired, it could make a difference.
Same here Paul. Same here. Without the retirement of course.
ReplyDeleteNJ, can you send me the link of the blog you speak of?
I really wish I knew the answer. I've asked so many questions to so many people but I never really truly got to the bottom of it.
I read all these experts and tips and do exactly what they ask but the traffic here is sparse - like when the cages in Deadliest Catch come up with a few crabs in them.
Where do you live by the way?
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/05/how-to-make-money-from-your-blog/
Oh, here's the kicker, I get a LOT of complements about my writing (in general) and "original" content. I mean A LOT. I mean like tons. Not kidding. Journalists, thinkers, friends, strangers you name it.
ReplyDeleteSo, as you said, wtf?
Commentator, sorry for not getting back to you sooner, but I've been busy (or apathetic) as you can see from my blog (what do you think?).
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, the blog I referred to is thecomingdepression.blogspot.com/.
I was a little off on a few things, like the number of posts, but not by much. I think the key with that blog is a niche (economic depression news), but even so, you and I should be getting a lot more traffic than we are.
The other thing is, how do you get a chance to build traffic? When my hits start to go up and it looks like I've reached the point where I'll see real growth, I suddenly drop way down in Google search results. My traffic is off over 50% the last few months. Google has done this to me before and I had to start from scratch to see traffic rise again to where it was, but there seems no way to get exponential growth, so how do these other bloggers do it?
The only post on my blog that still is getting a lot of Google results is an image of porn star Little Lupe. Hmmm, maybe I just answered my own question.
I live in the Southwestern United States, by the way, so we probably won't be getting together for that beer any time soon, unless you're planning a trip to these parts in the near future.
Oh, and I agree with the Chinese comment. Good comment Chinese guy!
No troubles.
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite sites have modest or little traffic.
About that site, well, he uses a formula lots of "scammy" website use. Thick, colorful fonts. That attracts people. People are like flies and they may not necessarily be attracted to "original" content.
He does a little what Instapundit does. He's another one. Ok, it's good but all he does is link! I mean, I've found more interesting stuff!
Maybe I'm just bitter.
No really, I drink a lot of Campari.
Anyway. I'm convinced many are disinterested on finding good content; that's a small percentage of people who do so.
I've accepted my fate; notably the masses don't give a shit about this blog. So be it. I hate the masses anyway. As long as I can change ONE person that's all that matters.
*Insert laugh track here.*
I've consulted so many marketing guys (friends and strangers alike) and apparently I'm doing all the right things - although I avoid the social networking/donations route for a myriad of reasons. I don't think that will make or break me to be honest.
Blogging is personal. Pure and simple. Making money off it is a pipe dream and restricted to those people who just - for whatever reasons - manage to tap into something.
I used to work for a bunch of smart-alec kids who discovered a way to make money (millions)off the internet. It was comical and grating to watch them try and pretend to be business people.
They were punks scamming people.
I tried the webcopy route with them and discovered though I can do it, I didn't like what they were up to at all. Not only that, they were annoying twirps; well, two of the three were. One in particular was too cool for the world and only said "wow" to everything - and he was the main guy!
They basically did crap like this:
http://www.hybridwaterpower.com/?hop=lpipe
http://ca.search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oG73EXyElMZD8BkebrFAx.;_ylc=X1MDMjc2NjY3OQRfcgMyBGFvAzEEZnIDeWZwLXQtNzE1BGhvc3RwdmlkA0JJUXFlVW9HNzFSa3lZd2tTOERsSGc1ZlFvTXl1a3hKeUJjQUI3aHcEbl9ncHMDMTAEbl92cHMDMARvcmlnaW4Dc3JwBHF1ZXJ5A3J1biB5b3VyIGNhciBvbiB3YXRlcgRzYW8DMQR2dGVzdGlkA0JYWQ--?p=run+your+car+on+water&fr2=sb-top&fr=yfp-t-715&rd=r1
All those sites, be it diet, live TV and all that are scams. All of them. It's an army of kids putting this crap up.
They would turn around and tell their team of programmers, GD's and web copy writer (moi) to copy the site in "our own words and design."
They fish in people by getting them to buy "memberships" into stuff you can get for free. I didn't realize just how big the number of naive and stupid people out there that bought the bit.
They position themselves as a "e-commerce management" company. Sorta like how the mob throws up fronts for their real activities.
They even have an affiliate program armed with hundreds of sites - and they make serious dough.
Dunno why I went this route.
I do plan to head to that part of the continent one day. I plan to buy an RV and do the continent in the next couple of years.