Blogging and Marketing Resources for the Average Blogger and Business
Posts tagged Commentary
Entrecard Blog Review
May 16th
One of the many benefits of a blogging community like Entrecard is the opportunity to interact with many fellow bloggers in many different topic areas. That interaction can take on a number of forms, with this example being a plea for a blog template evaluation. When I happened to discover this request, I immediately decided to get on board with a review – I have some requests up my sleeve for fellow Entrecard members as well.
Trader’s Hub is the name of the site being reviewed here. This is based on the Blogger platform and I have to admit, it is a very unique template. With the essence of a wirebound personal planner, it combines the modern on-line world of blogging with the somewhat “dated” world of Franklin-Covey and Day Runner planning systems; a combination that works nicely. Without some sort of a tag line further describing what the Trader’s Hub is all about, I am struggling (even after reviewing a number of posts) to really gain a sense of this blog’s purpose. Something like “Random Perspectives from Palo Alto” or any such description of the purpose, focus, or lenses through which posts are made would be helpful.
One aspect of the planner layout that is a bit uncomfortable for me is the fact that on a 17″ screen at 1024×768 resolution, there is only 2 inches of the top of the ”planner” showing at the bottom due to a very large header area. Nice picture of a well crafted cup of coffee and a clever search box in the barrel of a fountain pen, but unfortunatly, a lot of space wasted. The title of the top blog post is all that shows – scrolling is necessary to read the post.
As an Entrecard member, I frequent member blogs for two reasons:
- To read and comment (and drop a card)
- Just drop, glance and run when trolling for new blogs with which to interact
My recommendation to any Entrecard member: place your widget near the top of the page. If I have to scroll more than one mouse trackwheel spin, I loose interest quickly. Note that on the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit, the widget is near the top and “above the fold” not requiring any scrolling.
Hats off the the Trader’s Hub for their “Bloggers Unite” section. I do a lot of work with schools, summer camps and our local food bank and appreciate the effort to bring attention to important causes.
The advertising widget from Slide.com is distracting. Widgets like these that scroll the ad blocks when visible on the screen takes my eye away from reading the post. Yes, I know they are supposed to do that, but my belief is that if I want to view the ad and click through, I will when I’m ready – and not pulled to it in an A.D.D. sort of way. My recommendation: no scrolling ads.
The ongoing “planner” motif provides for a long runway for ads. There seem to be so many, that I wonder if the author gets any traction on many of them. In addition, it seems to take several moments for the page to fully load – and I have a good, high-speed connection. A few key ads, places at high visibility areas (top header, top right panel, between posts, etc.) might do a lot better than trying to blanket the site. Take this with a grain of salt, though. While I am a student of blog monetization, I am just starting to get into that arena myself. My comments do not come from direct experience, only what I’ve read.
Since Entrecard is the underlying theme in the blog review it would seem appropriate to assess a releated post about the “Daily Drop List.” Not uncommon – many Entrecard members publish their top card exchange “droppers” as a way to collectively help each other identify bloggers most willing to return to your site and review, engage and drop cards. A good feature, but I have a question.
The drop list starts with:
My Entrecard Drop List
(Start, copy the code and embed this droplist in your blog! It will build up your links, improve your page rank and bounce rate, and increase your blog authority!)
What “code” should be copied? It’s not clear to me what should be copied and where it should be pasted. It then ends with:
Add your site here. Benefit everyone on this list including yourself. Join Today!
Again, not sure what to add and where.
A lot of effort has been put into The Trader’s Hub. In my opinion, if some of the clutter was removed and more emphasis was placed into defining the blog’s purpose and point of view, it could be vastly improved.
Dave
H1N1 Is Everybody’s Business
May 1st
2009 Flu Widget
On the surface, the H1N1 Virus doesn’t have anything to do with advancing the art of blogging. But as an issue that does potentially affect every person on this planet, it does by default, affect us bloggers. I don’t normally react in “knee-jerk” fashion to issues. My responses are usually calculated and logical (although not always!). My hope that in this case, logic continues to prevail.
Notice the new widget I just placed on the right panel. With links to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), PandemicFlu.gov and the World Health Organization, this is an easy way for me to do my part to keep this serious issue at the top of mind for all of us. It is important for all of us to be vigilant in our efforts to stem the spread of this disease. Like Mom said, “wash your hands, cover your mouth and go to the doctor if you’re sick.”
Dave
Go With What Got You There
Apr 26th
Somewhat of an off-topic post this time, but one that provides some balancing perspectives about yours truly. The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit is my way of sharing what I’m learning, as an average blogger, with other average bloggers. Usually, the topics are somewhat serious and an honest attempt is made at exploring them. Often, there’s a bit of humor that is enjoyed along the way.
Call it an alter ego, but more precisely, The New Blogged Word is a place on Google’s Blogger where this all began. Technically, there was a slightly different starting point, but I recently exported and imported that information into The NEW Blogged Word to align Google accounts.
Why am I sharing this? It’s important to remember that all our experiences adds to the body of blogging work that we develop. Blogger was a fine starting point for me and in fact, is a very lucrative and successful environment for many people. The seemless integration with Adsense (which has been enhanced recently) makes that a very nice one-two punch. My move to the WordPress platform was not a slight toward Blogger, but simply my way of experiencing a greater body of work – and learn more along the way.
Another reason for mentioning it is that it allows a reminder about staying true to your blog. Interjecting occasional humor in The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit is an extension of how I operate in business: serious about what I do, but have fun doing it. It would not be respectful to my readers if I strayed too far from that posture.
However, The New Blogged Word is just the opposite. That was the beginning. It has pictures of our Bathroom Remodel. It has my thoughts on my Countdown to Retirement. It even has my local area’s Memorable Merchants who have gone above and beyond in their operations. Just I would no sooner show a picture of my bathroom remodel on The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit, I will do everything I can to not get too serious on The New Blogged Word. To butcher an old saying, “There’s a topic for each blog, and each blog should stay on topic.”
Although I’ve added a tag for The New Blogged Word, this may be one of very few times where I pitch it’s merits. However, you never know when something there relates here and here there.
Dave
Step By Step is Here! (Sort of)
Apr 15th
Alright, it’s just the page with some introductory comments, accessible from the Step by Step tab in the header, but it is a start. One of the Getting Started topics that I will explore in more depth than some of my earlier posts will speak directly to this Step by Step start.
My world won’t let me devote long blocks of dedicated time to growing the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit. It is however, important to me to keep the process moving. For now, I’m relegated to a step by step approach.
Dave
Entrecard Paid Ads Confusion
May 22nd
Posted by Dave in Uncategorized
7 comments
Is This Sustainable?
As I continue to use Entrecard to further develop my network of fellow bloggers, I continue to see many forms of resistence to “Paid Ads.” There are many people who feel this is a “sell-out” but I hold a slightly different view. Let’s look at the economics.
First, understand I’m relatively new to Entrecard, so I may be holding somewhat of a naive viewpoint. With that said, I see the “No Paid Ads” movement as a somewhat self-defeating move. Dropping cards on each other as a way to track the touch points in buiding relationships is fine – we all benefit with Entrecard Credits (ECs) when dropping or being dropped. But where’s the financial source for those of us who want to monetize our blogs?
Without the paid ads, I’m not quite following how members can earn any income whatsoever. Granted, the potential is small to moderate, but it’s a start for many of us, speaking for myself.
If everyone boycotted paid ads, where is the incentive for Entrecard to continue, grow, flourish and benefit all its members? The perspectives of long-time members are welcomed and appreciated.
Dave