It’s been extremely frustrating for me to see the rise and growing popularity of linkbait over the past two years. Only a small percentage of these exploitative or list-based posts contain content worth reading. But they strike a chord with the public. What do people really get out of reading linkbait?
Most often, they get a list of ways to improve their lives in some way, shape, or form. Everyone’s on the fast track to retirement and big money, and we’ve become addicted to lists and tips and tricks as we fantasize about reaching the American dream.
I’ve turned down several opportunities to make good money writing linkbait. Not all were based on my latent snobbery… but most were. In the end, I see fluff for what it is, and I despise myself for having participated in it at all. We’re building one big hype machine with all the linkbait floating around on Digg, Reddit, Propeller, Mixx, and Stumble Upon. We’re building something we can’t maintain forever. This too shall pass.
There are only so many ways you can give tips for marketing or blogging success. Eventually, you face the same problem every blog faces: repetition is the kiss of death. Once each blog has covered the quality content they envisioned, they move on to linkbait. Once the linkbait machine has given up the death gurgle, expect little more than repetitive news coverage. News is the one constant thing that will give us information we haven’t already covered. Of course, once we get to the point where most blogs are rehashed news reports, you’ll realize that you can get more professional coverage on CNN, ESPN, or somewhere that’s been doing this for a lot longer than you, and you’ll have to decide if continuing on is really worth it.
Every fad has a shelf life. Every fad reaches a tipping point, and eventually finds itself replaced by something more relevant, exciting, or hyperfocused. What will take the place of blogs? Who can say? Probably some sort of live vidcasting where you can see paparazzi literally chasing Britney Spears down the street. Why settle for a written account when you can hang out with the vermin who monetize celebrity mishaps? It’s coming. Just wait. You’ll probably think it normal by then, too.
Some of the hardest lessons to learn are the easiest to describe. I’ve returned to my “brain guy” to get my brain “zapped” a few more times this week. It’s been a year, and the initial sessions went so well that I thought I should see what a few more might do.
Brain zapping is an art form as well as a science. It’s technical term is “neurofeedback”, but that doesn’t sound nearly as dramatic and life altering as “brain zapping.”
No matter. The important thing is that my brain is being optimized. It is more efficient and effective in executing its processes than it was before the zapping began. The latest EEG test shows that I have a very active right hemisphere. There is an abundance of signals there, but I need to be able to resolve those thoughts and ideas rather than continually bounce them around inside my head.
Yay for the brain zapper! It sounds hokey or intimidating to some people I tell. That’s okay. The point is that I have many more opportunities available to me now because I am not getting in my own way like I used to. I am much better at finishing tasks than I used to, and I expect to be even better off after my next four sessions this week.
The goal is to resolve some of my creative ideas before hatching too many new ones. For example, I own somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 domain names. Of those 40, I have created some 10 or more blogs. The rest of the domains are just sitting there collecting dust. Rather than continue trying to blog on 10 websites sporadically, I am getting one website staffed with bloggers so that it virtually runs itself. Once that is accomplished, I will move on to blog #2 and repeat most of the same stages. Eventually, I will have 5-10 blog websites staffed with bloggers who love what they do. I will make a little bit of money from the ads on each site, and that will enable me to either sell them off for a profit or to enhance them even further to increase profit and pay my writers something for their time.
All the great ideas will have to wait, including the ever elusive novel. One thing at a time. Conquer one hill, then take the next. And in the end, you have conquered a countryside. And all because the brain zapping has enabled me to think clearly enough to see the benefit of seeing a project through to completion rather than flitting from excitement to excitement as I did for many years prior.
Yay, brain zapping!
Do you believe that faith is a personal thing? So personal that you can’t or won’t discuss it with other people? I don’t. I’m sorry, I just don’t.
My #1 concern with owning a blog under my own name is that it will likely be the first place someone looks to find out more about me. So what face should I put forward? The politically correct one that never says anything negative? Or the realistically human one that has both positive and negative opinions and is chalk full of bias?
Your words will be used against you if you make them public. It is the inevitable downside to blogging and social networking. You can apologize for offending and explain yourself, but you can never retract your words. And whereas people are likely to forget your spoken words over time, your written words last forever for all to see.
So each of us has a decision to make. Do we compartmentalize ourselves and reveal only the parts that are hire worthy? Or do we go for the gusto? In my opinion, you should say what you want and accept the consequences of doing so. Then again, I say that but I’m not excited about having my opinions aired for everyone to see. It’s a catch-22. Maybe I should go back to keeping a journal.
Over the past three years, I’ve set up 15 blogs in addition to providing SEO, Reputation Management, and Copywriting. They go hand in hand most of the time, and blogs are something traditional business owners / managers aren’t very familiar with. Whether it’s adding a blog to an existing corporate site or creating a new domain, there are at least a few little things you need to know to set up a blog to get optimal results.
If you think your company or organization needs a blog, but you’re not sure where to start or how to make it happen, feel free to contact me. I love blogging, and it’s rewarding to help other people get the most out of blogging too.
Ask me about how a blog can increase traffic to your site and help establish you as a thought leader in your industry.
My wife piled some of my stuff in the guest bedroom and asked me to go through it. The goal being to reduce the amount of crap. After forgetting to comply for a week or two, I trudged through the door last night and grabbed two handfuls of stuff to sort through. Everything was trash except for some old writings, which I’d like to keep but not store in boxes to be lost and forgotten once again.
Why not post them online so they can be lost and forgotten there instead?!?!?! Brilliant! So that’s what I’m going to do. I’ll post something every now and then that I wrote in the past (most likely in my early 20s). Hope you’ll enjoy it. If not, feel free to skip over and only read my random updates.
There are days when I’m literally riding the high of owning and operating blogs. Then there are days like today when I look at the time I spend reading and writing blogs, and I regret missing out on more time spent journaling and writing that first book. The book has been on hold for a couple years now, and I routinely face the question: do I really even want to write a book?
It’s a question that must be asked, yet the answer ever changes. Do I really want to write a book? Or do I just want to be an author? One is a passion for writing; the other is a passion for identity. Following advice is rarely easy. “Write because you have to” sounds great, but almost all advice ends up sounding lame when you feel tired and used up.
Give me a tropical island and wireless internet, and I’ll probably still gravitate toward blogs and social networking. Social networking is both a drug and a micro-manager. It requires your time and attention constantly. It doesn’t take long to become forgotten and irrelevant. Immediacy. That’s what it’s all about these days.
Before you judge me a heretic, hear me out. Yes, it’s fun to think that all people everywhere are utter nincompoops, and many of us survive each day by pointing out the follies of others, but all people are not morons.
So why in God’s name do I continue to write to people like they’re morons? How many readers have I offended or simply bored to tears because I was too busy explaining basic concepts over and over again, giving the punchlines too early and never building suspense?
You see, I have this flaw. I think people are, at their core, fairly stupid. And even the ones who aren’t stupid can rarely convince me of this fact due to their inability to communicate, which is commonly assumed as a sign of intelligence. And since people are relatively stupid, I over-explain EVERYTHING. My writing has become a wretched and pitiful thing. The habit of dumbing down in an attempt to successfully communicate.
That being said, I wonder if I’ve lost the ability to write properly. Can I truly function in society, or have I caught the blogger’s disease? Am I just a walking, talking regurgitation of all news online? Perhaps. After all, I’ve spent two years reading other people’s opinions of what everyone wants to read and how to reach them. There are enough self-help bloggers out there to drown a behemoth dinosaur.
After said research and study, I’ve come to one simple conclusion: those who can, do; those who can’t teach. Look for someone focused on “how to’s” and lessons in blogging and you’re sure to find a genuine grade A gasbag. If you really want to learn how to blog, learn how to put the right words to the thoughts in your head. Start there, and practice. The rest will come.
*** warning: take everything written with a grain of salt. It’s meant to be humorous. So stop getting offended so easily.
