While I was in the Detroit airport earlier this week, I picked up a copy of the current issue of Wired. August's issue focused on a series of "How To's", one of them being "How to Rule the Blogosphere." I was interested in reading what tips they had to offer, only to find out that their
"Get a Boost in the Blogosphere" advice pertained to getting a popular comment on Digg or Slashdot. Wired's advice consisted of the following:
- Be the first to comment. I can't argue with this one. I don't even know why people bother commenting on Digg stories if there are already over 50 comments--I don't know about you, but I never bother to click through to read "51 of XX" comments. I'd go further and say you want to try and make comments rather than replies on Digg, seeing as how their new stupid comment system hides responses and requires you to click in order to display them. Before the new comment system was enabled, responses to comments typically got the most thumbs because they weren't threaded; however, now that responses aren't nearly as visible, original comments are more popular because they're more visible.
- Be clever/witty/funny. I'm not sure how well this advice helps people. You're either a clever, witty, funny person or you're not. I've seen plenty of comments by people who were the first to comment, but they got buried because they lack a funny bone.
- Understand your audience. I read this blurb and chuckled: "Digg and Slashdot readers fancy themselves more sophisticated than the meatheads who tormented them in high school." This may be true, but it's like saying you'd rather eat a turd sandwich than a snot popsicle. Just because they're more "sophisticated" than jocks, bullies, and lunkheads doesn't mean they'll be sitting down to polish their monocles and enjoy afternoon tea any time soon (as indicated by the rampant "I'd do Jessica Alba" and "Women belong in the kitchen" comments that get upmodded like crazy). Don't get too clever here; after all, you are dealing with adolescent young males.
- Provide more information about the topic. I've seen this work well in comments, but as Matt mentioned in a Whiteboard Friday Video about Digg tips, you don't want to just drop a link to your site, even if it may be relevant. Include a few links that provide more information, and be careful not to cross-link to a similar story in the Upcoming section.
I did come across a Wired How To that actually did pertain to blogging:
How to Make Your Blog Popular. Technorati's David L. Sifry provided a list of five tips to help your blog crack the
Technorati Top 100:
- React quickly. I'd argue that this isn't necessarily crucial. You don't have to be the one to provide breaking news all the time if your coverage is unique and has an original angle/spin to it.
- Make your posts readable. This is basic (but good) advice. Wired goes on to add that putting your key points in boldface (hey, like I'm doing) is helpful. We've discussed plenty of times in previous blog posts that it's a good idea to break up text by using images, bullet points, numbered lists, concise paragraphs, charts, graphs, etc.
- Link out. I can't argue with this one. Links help your readers, fluff other bloggers' egos, and attract traffic. Good times for all!
- Keep SEO in mind. This point surprised me. David recommends putting your blog's name in the URL and in the title tag, and to tag your blog with appropriate keywords in Technorati. Basic advice, I know, but I suppose it's a start.
- Post often. Again, basic advice, but it's good advice nonetheless. Obviously, you can't expect to have a kick-ass blog if you only post once in a blue moon.
Overall, I thought Wired's blogging how to's weren't really that in-depth, which was disappointing. What kind of a How To has five one-sentence tips? I know I'm giving them a hard time, but although their advice was incredibly brief and very 101, I suppose it's still nice to see Wired offer any sort of advice/coverage about how to be a better blogger, especially if it mentions optimizing your blog for search engines. Of course, if you really want a more in-depth How To for bad-assing your blog, might I recommend a certain stellar blog's
21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic post? I hear the author of this piece knows a thing or two about blogging...
Nah. Forget Wired's advice, just go to slashdot's comments FAQ. For example:
In addition to their karma system, I love slashdot's simple but effective comment descriptions. Each comment can be categorized into 1 of 11 types: normal, insightful, informative, interesting, funny, redundant, overrated, underrated, offtopic, flamebait, troll.
Imagine a system like that on Sphinn or SEOmoz (we might have to add a linkbait category).
My commenting pet hate is people writing "first post" in the first post. Marking down these comments isn't enough - the somethingawful forums ban these users immediately (resulting in a $10 fee to re-register)!
However, it's highly amusing when people post the "FIRST!!!" comments, only to be usurped by someone who posted a legitimate comment nine seconds earlier. That never gets old.
Another way to "dominate the blogosphere" is with the use of trackbacks and "thank you" commenting. Whenever someone posts on your blog, show you've read their reply by replying to something on their blog.
Similarily, if you read something interesting on a blog, post a trackback from your own blog with either an expansion of the idea, or an explanation of why you like the idea. Blog owners always appreciate some free link love and traffic :)
On the "Post Often" advice...
How often is often? I mean, is a couple of posts a week often enough, or everyday...
Also... if you have a period where you don't post at all for say a month, what is the best route of recovering from that (other than just to keep posting)?
I have been really busy lately and haven't been able to post to our company blog lately. And not sure how to come back into it.
I'd say at least a few times a week. If you know you're not going to be able to post for a while, write a few in advance and then just log in to publish them quickly.
You should at least once a day. Most successful bloggers post several times a day. Reader's get used to a rhythm and if you post 1 a day for the first week,then none for 3 days and then 1 post every couple of days it will hurt your return visits.
I agree that it's important to post daily, but at least a few times a week as a bare minimum.
Great question! I was just wondering about long absenses myself.
Apologies for lame comment, but you can actually make the Digg comments appear all expanded. There's an option in your profile to change the hidden comments setting. Underneath where it says "Set Comment Thread Viewing", set the option to "Show all threads."
Still, who knows how many members actually know this and have expanded the comments. At least there aren't 197 useless replies to the first comment any longer.
UPDATE: Maybe I could have said "comment" one more time. Maybe.
I've switched it to that countless times, and yet Digg is still stupid enough to never remember my login, so it seems like every other visit I have to re-log in and re-edit my settings.
Also, the number of thumbs seems to support my stance--if your comment is way far down or a response to another comment, you'll get little to no thumbs up compared to if you were one of the first to comment or if you posted an original comment.
I really don't get the technorati thing. Sure David is selling his fish but in the past I've seen Rand argue for it (just looked around and can't see any tags. Did you guys change your mind?)
Is the traffic technorati can drive you high enough to entice bloggers to give a few links on every post to technorati, not to mention the attention of their readers - like you're vowing for the content of the search? Am I missing something, any obvious advantage?
Technorati is ony use by companies searching their names and bloggers tracking links and other than that is non-existent in my language, so perhaps there lies the reason. Still I read a lot in english and can't recall a decent explanation.
Yeah I read that issue too. Nice job pointing out the good points...
Martha in Wired? How strange was that.. A Wii cake? Come on...
Wouldn't Inlcuding tags (or in case of blogger - labels) under each post be equally impotant?
Great post Rebecca, but the turd sandwich / snot popsicle thing is so going to stay with me till lunchtime *yech*
Re. "What kind of a How To has five one-sentence tips?"
Perhaps, the kind that ended the section with a disclaimer seemingly for irony's sake: "Everyone appreciates a commenter who can point out the foibles of the mainstream media (like how they're always reducing complicated issues to short, bullet-pointed lists)."?
As they've explicitly owned up to being mainstream media, I wonder if we SEOs will have to find something else to playfully prod them over now...
And have a point system on your blog for people to earn both points when they post a comment and the resulting ego boost that comes from having a high rank on the leader board. +1 for me!
Seems like the kind of 'fluff' you see on a lot of blogs not named SEOmoz...maybe they should have started by saying that the biggest boost you can get is to write deeper content that people can really sink their teeth into!!
Guess i should make an attempt at the first comment then ;). A little slow, though. But I have to agree. The first comments, or the top rated comments (such as Digg, ordering by most diggs) are the only comments I read. Wouldn't have time to read even half of all comments on all stories on Digg I go through every day. I think the second most important thing on blogs is to post often. Pretty common sense really. But then people will remember you. Having a unique avatar (if that blog supports avatars in some form) helps a lot too.
Ahhh...so you now have the recipe for the Wii cake in writing ;)
It was pretty half-ass, though.
"Carve the rough shapes of the Wii, the base, and the remote, and stand the Wii piece upright."
Yeah, thanks.
This is true. Still worth a try methinks.
Maybe for tomorrow's party? :D
Im a newbie in SEO and i have read some of your funny posts rebecca though i have'nt commented coz you already have a tremendous comments :) just want to thank you for posting this is a good post im giving you a thumbs up! A big help for a newbie like me.
Is having a good smiling face avatar like rebecca's attracts blogger to comment?
Thanks
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