Yesterday I wrote about how being part of the Ultimate Technorati Favorites Exchange was a waste of my time. I saw it a few weeks back, tried it and found it to have little, if any, benefit for me. I may have gained a couple of readers, but nothing more. And certainly no massive wave of traffic.
Yesterday I also got a caring phone call from my dear friend (who I remain nameless only because I don’t have her permission to bring her into any debate around this topic). A prominent blogger herself, she asked me a very important question, “What if you would have gotten a huge wave of traffic from the meme?”
I thought for a moment…and answered her honestly, “For a week or so I would loved getting all this new traffic. I would have thought getting into Technorati’s Top 100 Favorites was a great thing and I like would have spent a whole bunch more time on it. But like with all traffic-driven memes, it wouldn’t take long until I saw that my concern with Technorati’s Top 100 Favorites was taking me away from writing for the people who read my blog. Then I would have stopped it.”
Honest answer. I, too get hung up on stats. For instance, I like to see my daily/weekly/monthly visits increase – and the faster the better. So if this meme would have brought me great waves of traffic, I would have loved it…for a while. Then the reality of why I’m blogging would have settled me back to earth.
I’m not blogging just to create massive traffic to my website. I’m blogging for four main reasons.
- To share what I know about life, personal growth, and business development with everyone and anyone who finds value in what I write about
- To create a space for us, you and I, to have a conversation, even debate, around topics that benefit both of our growth.
- That with some of you, the conversation will turn into a relationship, where we become colleagues, partners and friends.
- That some of you will find that I can help you with your web-based business and website and blogging needs and want to hire me as a developer, consultant and/or coach.
The core reason I’m blogging is to create engaging conversation that leads to dynamic and lasting relationships. Sure, that requires getting people to my blog. But I don’t want to sacrifice conversation and relationships for increasing my traffic.
Personally, that’s what I felt the Technorati Favorites meme did – it sacrificed my blogging goals for the hopes of a quick traffic fix. read: MISTAKE!
So just as I said in yesterday’s post, I’m finished with traffic-driving memes like this one, 2000 Bloggers the Z-list, etc. I don’t see how they add value to you as a reader. And I don’t want to waste your time. So if I have, I apologize for doing so.
Now I don’t want to get into a debate or heated discussion about whether the Technorati Favorites Exchange was good or not. Darren Rowse did a great job at expressing how I personally feel about it. There are a number of bloggers who have an opinion on the topic – some of who have joined in the Faves Exchange:
- Dealing with Some Criticisms on the Technorati Favorites Exchange Experiment
- My Real Favorite Blogs
- Responding to Technorati Faves Criticism
- Blogging Productivity and Criticizing Goals
- Reciprocal Favoriting Gives Benefits and Adds Value
- Ruffled Feathers on the Top 100
- What I accidentally learnt about Programming
- Favourites Exchange, my Thoughts!
- Are Bloggers Being Gamed?
- Problogger Agrees – Technorati Gaming is Bad
- The Technorati 100 Not So Hot?
- The Technorati top 100 superficial list
- Technorati Favorites and The Cheaters Who are Cheating the System
- The Sad State of Technorati's Top Favorited Blogs
- Elaine Vigneault Thinks I’m a Whiner
Personallyl, I don’t have any problems with other bloggers trying out different things. So I’m not judging these memes for anyone else. It may work for others and it may be something that helps other bloggers. That’s great. I just don’t feel it fits with the purpose of my blog.
Now, I’m not swearing off memes all together. I will continue to participate in highly useful ones like Ben Yoskovitz's Ultimate Guide to Productivity. As a matter of fact, my contribution on focus for greater productivity has created a nice bit of conversation. I see these type of memes, like Darren’s monthly writing project, not merely for traffic building. I see them as a community effort to share interesting information and perspectives on a topic. To me, they add valuable and interesting content to my blog. And that can lead to conversation.
On that note, I’m cleaning out my Technorati Faves back to the original 12 blogs that I enjoyed watching. I still see benefit in Technorati’s Favorites as a way to track other blogs. If you feel the same and enjoy my blogging, please feel free to add me to your Technorati Faves. But if you’re only looking for a Faves exchange, I’m no longer reciprocating.
This topic seems to be hotly debated. So, what are your thoughts? Technorati Faves Exchange, good/bad? Traffic-generating-specific memes, good/bad? Have you had any success with traffic memes?
Dawud, I think that’s admirable that you can take a step back and remind yourself of you over-arching core goals and objectives.
I think most bloggers don’t have such goals so to aim for quick hits and big superficial numbers is an easy thing to do.
Like you say, it’s not necessarily the wrong thing to do, but if it’s getting in the way of the your real goals then stepping away from the scheme is entirely the right thing to do.
Dawud – I understand how you feel, but I think it would be fair to mention how many backlinks you have also received from this meme just to show that their have been some benefits ( i have a rough count of 9 backlinks on the first 3 pages of your technorati page already). Maybe a before and after comparison of RSS Subscribers and Alexa Ranking along with your Visitors count would help support your viewpoints more. At the end of the day, it really was just an experiment which works for some and doesn’t work for others . . . . I’m glad you participated and had an open mind to try new things! Good Luck with everything!
If the concept of a favorite exposes me to someone I otherwise would not have found, that is a good thing. While I may not post on my favorites, I do read them. Such as your post here. That is a good thing, no?
Aaron,
Thanks. I wrote about my Gotta Get Goals a couple of weeks back. And these traffic-generating memes just don’t fit into it.
Sure, you could make the argument that I can reach my goals more effectively by reaching more people, yada yada.
But the fact is I don’t see how these style of memes serve me, my readers and the conversation. It’s all about perspective and intention, for me.
Gary,
Yeah, I could spend more time on this subject, but I’d like to get back to writing about content that benefits the people who read my blog regularly. Topics like personal growth, business development and blogging as conversation.
I’m also wondering if we’re missing each other. I’m not disgruntled with the meme and I’m not in judgment of those who continue to gain from it. I’m sure I’ve had some gain. But that’s not the issue for me.
The issue is how I go about serving my readers through my blog. And these memes just don’t fit in with the goals and intentions I’ve set for my blog. It just took me trying this to find that out.
I trust people will find me because of good content and conversation – just as they have so far. So I don’t feel that there’s anything more for me to look at around the Faves meme. It’s done for me. It will go on for others – no worries, no judgment, no negativity.
I’m happy I tried it. I’m grateful for any benefits it’s given me. And I’m most appreciative of how this meme has reminded me of my own purpose.
Ari
First off, thanks for reading my blog. I’m here for the people who read my blog and I don’t take that lightly.
This is why I don’t want to continue with memes like this that are just about driving traffic. I trust that readers will find me in all the ways they have so far – which is through relationships, conversation and good content.
Really, I’m fine in however my readers come. But I’m not traffic-centric – I’m reader-centric. So I want my posts to be for my readers not just for the growth of my blog traffic.
Thanks for the link. This is one way to get new readers to your blog: link to theirs, especially if they’re in the same niche as you are.
I too prefer consistent traffic over superficial traffic. I do post my articles to reddit, stumbleupon, delicious etc, but I do that hoping that out of the 600 new visitors 10 would return to regularly read my blog. But to have them stick, your content should be of good quality, and that’s where I’d rather put my energy in.
Rehuel,
Sure, it’s the way I’ve build a good percentage of my traffic. And it’s a way I feel benefits everyone – you, me and both our readers. I like it when everyone wins.
I’m with you on where I going to put my energy. I really don’t want to spend time on crap shoots. I’d rather create great content, engaging conversations and mutually beneficial relationships.
Dawud,
Oh, I’m so sorry that I’ve not been around. But bravo for your choice in this. When the sun is fading into the horizon we should be able to say that we have chosen in service to those love what we do. They are the ones who drive 300 miles to see their favorite rock band play. They are the ones who stop by to read us every day and stretch our thinking when they do.
We learn from them and they from us. It’s a relationship worth sharing and worth protecting, worth building a business on some would say.
Liz,
Exactly. Thanks for posting this comment as you did.
What appears to me is that are two mindsets bloggers take. One is that you need to focus on stats and build those stats any way you can. The other is for those who want to use their blog for conversation and relationship building.
Now I don’t think the two are exclusive. What I do think is that bloggers who think traffic make choices about traffic first, then their current readers second. That’s not to say they don’t care about their readers. It just seems that they put getting new readers/traffic ahead of the needs and wants of their current readers.
What I’m learning is that I want to focus on my current readers and grow traffic by first taking care of their needs and wants. My traffic has steadily grown since I began by doing this very thing. I expect that to continue – even increase.
Neither, I feel, are wrong. It’s just more a point of your intentions. Sounds like this should become a post.
Dawud, if I understand the term “going viral”, you are there. But you are talking about living in your personal integrity and contributing to the good of the world from your deepest self. You do that very well.
Congratulations for giving yourself a gentle hit on the head with a foam rubber 2 x 4 to remind yourself what you are really about.
It is a pleasure to see you continue to emerge.
Thanks for all you do.
Stuart Baker
http://www.consciouscooperation.com
Well said Stuart! Well done Dawud.
Stuart,
Certainly, buddy. And thank you. I think my process just goes to show you how we all can unfold through our blogs.
Liz,
You already know how I feel. But for everyone else, thanks.