Three Things To Share
Posted by Mitch on Mar 27, 2009
Instead of a long post about one topic, today I have a 3-fer for you, if I may.
I want to start off talking about website structure, and what you’re hoping for with your sites. I’m not talking blogs now, because for the most part everyone who blogs has a theme of some sort, either a free one or a paid theme, and the rules are pretty much set. Instead, I’m talking about a regular website; what do you want it to look like, and what are you hoping to do with it.
When I gave a presentation back in February to my consultant’s group, based on my ebook Using Your Website As A Marketing Tool, I showed them some examples of bad business websites, and how they would drive traffic away rather than invite business in any fashion. A couple of days ago I shared some websites people probably don’t know, and one of them, Popurls.com, is kind of an aggregator of news, as is Alltop. Their layouts are different, yet aren’t all that bad to look at.
Well, I wanted to share this one as a bad idea on how to create a news aggregator. I’m not giving the name, because I’d rather not promote them any more than giving the link, but take look at this and tell me your thoughts on it. I can’t believe they’d be good. This person is definitely trying to capture news, of some sort, but is this something that actually pleases them, that they actually believe will please others? I’ll be interested in hearing your thoughts on it.
Next, I’ve talked about the website for Evan Carmichael before, especially in my article rant on massive traffic. Well, there’s a post on that site talking about the Top 50 Blogs For Startups In 2009, another list like the one I talked about in my post on the Nine Best Blogs. In this case, the writer lists 50 blogs that any new blogger should be following, saying that if those blogs are followed for a year that the new blogger will be much better off and have learned a lot about blogging within a year. I found the list to be interesting, moreso for the fact that I’d never heard of an overwhelming majority of them, which means I’m not following them. It gives me something to think about, as I look to continue to improve my blog and my standing in the blogosphere. So, it’s something else I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on after you’ve taken a look at the list. Once again, it’s American-centric, as Problogger isn’t on the list.
Finally, something “touching” and funny at the same time. As we’ve just passed St. Patrick’s Day, the spirit is still in some people, and it’s with that in mind that I share this little “tribute” to St. Patrick’s Day, courtesy of my favorites, The Muppets:
I'm Just Sharing is where I share my thoughts on internet marketing, writing, blogging and many other things. You never know what I'll be posting on. So keep coming back, read, enjoy, and buy! ;)
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Mitch Reply:
March 27th, 2009 at 8:35 AM
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Sire Reply:
March 28th, 2009 at 4:36 AM
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My opinion… I think that is the worse advice anybody could give to new bloggers, especially when looking at some of the blogs on that list, boy o boy this is a crazy world.
But then again, maybe it is geared towards people that want to blog as a fun pass time.
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My opinion is based on 2 things:
First there are a lot of really crap blogs on there from people that only talk the talk… they might have many followers and if that is the measurement for success or importance, so be it, fact remains that the stuff they dish out into the world is advice people should not be doing to actually build a business.
Second, following 50 blogs for 12 months, that will not only completely brainwash newbies with a wrong mindset, but it will also keep them away from actually working and having a chance of becoming remotely successful in terms of earning money.
A few more thoughts:
There are not just american blogs on there, but other nationalities are represented.
There are blogs of people in the MMO blogging industry on that list, that don´t even make a decent income themselves but yet tell others how to make money, and the money they do make is from selling their own crap stuff to their loyal (sheepish) followers.
There are blogs missing of people that don´t make money off of their own readers but actually go out of their way of teaching them how to make money for real, showing them the exact techniques they use themselves to make money with other sites (talking big bucks not just some small change).
But hey, if you want to learn just how messed up blogosphere can be, go for it and follow all 50 of them for a year, and let me know how it went 12 months from now
ps. sorry for the rant but you wanted to know the thoughts of your readers right?
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Mitch Reply:
March 27th, 2009 at 8:39 AM
You’re right in what you say, which is why I put a list like this one out there for people to look at and comment on. I looked at a couple of these that had nothing to do with anything I was interested in, just to see what they might contain, and, well, I think many folks who comment here write much more compelling articles than what some of these folks were writing. Maybe it’s about numbers, and if that’s the case, it begs the question as to what made them so popular, and maybe that’s why the person who put this together, strangely without attribution, did what they did. Still, so many top dogs aren’t on this list that it really makes you question what they were considering.
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Caleb (Market Secrets Blogger) Reply:
March 27th, 2009 at 2:04 PM
L.o.L.
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It really infuriates me to see such bad advice!
“Maybe it’s about numbers, and if that’s the case, it begs the question as to what made them so popular,”
Well I know for sure why one of the bloggers on that list has a few thousands followers although barely showing any decent income and I can ensure you it has absolutely nothing to do with the quality offered on the blog.
What they were considering? No idea… maybe a lot of plugging going on behind the scene?
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Mitch Reply:
March 27th, 2009 at 10:54 AM
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Mirjam Reply:
March 27th, 2009 at 2:07 PM
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Mitch Reply:
March 27th, 2009 at 2:17 PM
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I’m guessing it’s because they do have tons of content with perhaps a few good backlinks.
As for that list…it has to be some sort of link exchange thing going on. Besides, who’s going to follow 50 blogs consistently for a whole year? Your list -although much smaller- is far better.
BTW: Mitch, you might wanna check out my latest post, it mentions someone you know very well
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Mitch Reply:
March 27th, 2009 at 2:16 PM
Second, I actually follow almost 250 blogs, if you remember I mentioned that in my 9 blogs post, so I could do it easily enough. I might even go through the list more thoroughly and add some of them to my blog reading program if I find the content interesting. It will be for entertainment and to learn whatever I can, though, and not because of the recommendation of the story.
And that “bad” site,… it’s just a mess, and I’m betting the only person who likes it is the person who created it. And, oddly enough, there are lots of other bad sites like this one, so to speak.
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Now as far as the list. I think 50 is a bit much for a newbie. I think 10 or less is better for a newbie to get started with. It’s hard enough to get started blogging as a newbie, let alone reading other blogs. Just my two cents.
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Mitch Reply:
March 27th, 2009 at 8:54 PM
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