The site isn’t coming up, so this is a test post.

Please don’t kick me, I know your widget might not be showing now.  The upgrade broke my theme, so I need to regroup.  I’ll have you back up soon.

And now I’m tired and am not able to upgrade… Will work on this tomorrow.

The news of the day for bloggers who use the Entrecard system for blog promotion is that Entrecard is going to start allowing advertisers to pay for ads on blogs in the network.  Even more to the point, it allows bloggers to cash out their credits.  The only stipulation that Entrecard puts on bloggers is that the Entrecard widget must be above the fold (although this standard might be relaxed).

This might just be a good move by Graham to get his lagging blog promotion system back up and going.  Or not.

Here are the pros and cons as I see them.

Pros for Entrecarders:

• You now have network to make money from their ads, and this one is one of the easiest to learn and manage.
• All Entrecard widgets will have to be displayed above the fold (although per the comments on the blog entry, EC management might relax this standard).
• Popularity on the Entrecard network might actually be worth something.

Cons for Entrecarders:

• This actually hurts those bloggers who are doing this solely to promote their own blogs.  They’ll only get a minimum of 50% of the impressions on the most popular sites.
• Having “paid ads” might be a violation of TOS with other networks that you belong to (i.e, blogher and today.com).
• To reject a paying ad, you’ll have to pay a credit fee.
• You have to give up some creative control over the look of your site to place the widget within the designated area.
• The price per credit will be adjustable based on a yet to be determined supply-demand curve.

Pros for Advertisers:

• If your product appeals to bloggers, you have an audience that is used to clicking through to get credits.  Your click through rate on Entrecard ads will be much higher than most networks.

Cons for Advertisers:

• For most Entrecard sites, Entrecard users make up 99% of their traffic.  As a result, the same users cycle through the same blogs (i.e., no new traffic after the first pass).
• Entrecard users are quite industrious when it comes to getting credits quickly.  It isn’t clear that the clickthrough you’re getting will actually get your landing page a good look.
• Most Entrecard users are more interested in earning credits than writing content.
• The demographics of Entrecard are at best “scattered”.  At first, it might be difficult to know exactly who these bloggers are and who their audience is.
• Entrecard is entering a new field.  Their management has had a lot of execution issues in the past.

Sometimes things go full circle and as a result you’re able to apply a higher level of thought to a subject.   This is one of those times for me.

I have been a frequent contributor to many discussions where the merits of Twitter have been discussed.  Even I have been struggling to wrap my mind around the higher values of this microblogging platform.  This is the first in a series of “Twitter Value” articles.

Perhaps it is counter-intuitive to post the most important value first, but I’m going to do it just that way.  Why?  Because this needs to stick with you and be at the forefront of your mind whenever you are evaluating new technologies and tools.

Through Twitter I met Stanley Bronstein.  I’m sure most of you have met people online.  It happens every day and for different reasons.  I use Twitter to meet influencers and early adopters.  I followed Stanley because he is a writer and a thinker.  I’ve now come to realize he is also a great teacher.

Stanley Bronstein teaches through his books and blog articles.  I just finished his third book, Achievement IQ Moments - 50 Extraordinary Stories About People Who Transformed Vision, Attraction, Readiness and Action Into Massive Success.  It is just a fabulous book!  I say this for three reasons:

1. It teaches through example, which is aways the best way to teach complex concepts.
2. It profiles many types of people, clearly demonstrating how Achievement IQ can be applied in many facets of life.
3. It covers an often overlooked aspect of success and shows you how to increase your opportunities to succeed.

In its broadest terms, Achievement IQ is about right place, right time.  Most people chalk that up to luck.  Successful people know better.  Stanley Bronstein has put together a program that teaches you how to position yourself in a position to attract and act on opportunities.

How does this relate to Twitter?  I use Twitter as a means of positioning.  I see new ideas come together.  Learn what people are interested in and what they are doing.  That is powerful information!  By choosing the right people to follow, like Stanley Bronstein, I learn more every day.  The benefits are there if you just take the time to see them.  Even if you don’t, I do strongly recommend you visit Stanley Bronstein’s site and get his books.

Disclaimer:  This is not a paid post.  I don’t do pay for post articles.  Stanley Bronstein did send me a pre-release version of his new book for this review.  I have no other financial interest in Stanley Bronstein or Achievement IQ.  My comments in this article are my thoughts and feelings.

A month ago, I challenged myself to post one article per day for thirty days as a test.  I wanted to see if creating new content each day would generate traffic.  For this little experiment, I chose my blog, The Bullshit Stalker.  I figured it would be easy to find and write content on that topic and I was right.  I’ve completed my 30 days and here’s what I learned:

1. The more often you write, the more distributed your search traffic becomes.  Not many people are searching for “bullshit.”  But when you cover a story, a current event, or a certain topic, you’re likely to get a few hits on that from search engines.
2. The more often you write, the longer people stay on your site.  I have Entrecard on the site, so the drop rate is still very high.  But since I started this experiment, the time spent on is much improved.  Some of you guys actually do stop and read every now and then.
3. The more often you write, the more regulars you see in your comments.  I wouldn’t exactly call them an entourage, but there are some regular commenters on my blog now.
4. The more often you write, the more you touch on different nerves.  I found that certain topics elicited more response and higher readership than others.  So far, television, sex toys and bad parenting seem to be hot topics.  Go figure.
5. The more often you write, the harder it is to stay keyword dense.  That blog was a bit easier to stick with a keyword, as you can imagine.  But if you have a lot of varied content, it will break away some of the keyword density and, if SEO matters to you, you’ll want to focus on retaining that.
6. The more often you write, the more you’ll have opportunities to build backlinks.  I didn’t spend much time doing the whole routine of pinging, stumbling, digging, repeat.  If I had, I’m thinking I would have seen some cool referral bumps here and there.  More on this later.
7. The more often you write, the more likely you are to write shorter articles.  Time is a precious commodity.  I found that I had to really manage my time wisely to be able to keep up with my plan.
8. The more often you write, the more you appreciate Wordpress post scheduling.  There were times I would write several articles at once and then schedule them to hit over different days.  It also allowed me to post around the same time each day, which was a bonus.
9. The more often you write, the better you get at breaking things down into bite-sized pieces.  You’re still reading this article because you care about the content.  With the droppers, they are taking seconds to decide if they want to read your article.  A picture, the title, the first paragraph.  That is about all you have to snag them for a bit longer.  If the article is too long, they’ll bolt before the end.  A short article will get more full reads than a long one.
10. The more often you write, the more you appreciate writing.  I had a topic area that I could be passionate about on a daily basis.  Therefore I was thinking about things more and researching more.  I received daily feedback from the comments (even though I didn’t spend a lot of time responding to them).  It felt good to go through the moderation for first time commenters and see the comments from people who were becoming regulars.  It was a fun month!

I hope this post helps some of you decide how to approach your blogging.  A daily blog posting might seem too daunting to you.  I understand.  I felt that way when I first took this on myself.  My girlfriend isn’t all that happy with me right now.  So, I still have some time management issues to work through.

What’s next?  I think I’m going to keep that blog going on a daily post.  I’ll hit this one about every two weeks with lessons and commentary on blogging.  Since football season is coming up, I’ll be more active on Whodowethinkweare.net (along with continuing to build that blog network) and I need to get back on target with my weight loss journal at FatBastard.org.  And there is always Ed Dale’s Thirty Day Challenge, where I’ve created yet another blog that I’m using his techniques on (still a WIP, but I’m learning quite a bit).

With my daily posts on The Bullshit Stalker, I’m going to do a bit more social network promotion.  As a result, I’ll likely drop off a bit on Entrecard dropping for that site.  I appreciate the traffic it provides, but I need to find a more time-effective route for traffic generation.  I’ll still drop for each of my blogs on the network, but I just can’t keep that volume up and do what I need to do to grow.  And that’s the name of the game, isn’t it?

Yes, this is another article about Entrecard. As you know, I’ve been using it extensively to generate traffic to my blogs. The reason I’ve found Entrecard effective for me is that I am directly rewarded for my actions and I don’t have to beg people to help me. I don’t mind asking for help, but I won’t resort to becoming a StumbleUpon or Digg whore.

A little over a week ago, I set a personal goal. I wanted to get my site, “The Bullshit Stalker” into the top spot for my Entrecard category. Based on where most of the top of category people were points-wise, I figured I’d need to be solidly into the 2000 point club to make it. Well, yesterday I made the top spot in the News and Media category and today I topped 2000 points (currently at 2130).

I will say, this took strategy and effort (and some money). I’m going to share my approach. While I did all of these, you could possibly make it there by picking and choosing. I didn’t want to leave it to chance and, quite frankly, I didn’t have the patience to just dabble here and dabble there. I dove in and the results speak for themselves.

Content, Content, Content
I cannot say it enough. If you don’t have good (and by good I mean relevant and well written) content and if you’re not posting regularly, you won’t make it into the 2000 club. For this little venture, I committed to post at least on article per day. This is no small task, but I wanted to build something here, and that takes effort. I can’t tell you what posting frequency you should have. Considering that you want readers to come back and drop every day, you should give them something for the trouble.

Drop The Limit
Quit whining. Yes, it takes a lot of effort and time to drop 300 each day. But if you’re not willing to commit to this simple task, you won’t make the 2000 club. The scoring system is based on the past five days. If you’re dropping 300 per day and your getting a solid return, you’ll see your score go up. Could you get there without dropping the full 300? Perhaps, but rest assured that the other top spots are taken by “addicted” droppers.

Drop Your Inbox
Yes, you may have a list of blogs you enjoy reading, but to get the volume of drop backs you need, you will want to drop on active droppers. That way, you get as close to a double bang for each of your drops as possible. Over time, you’ll begin to see a trend. The same Entrecarders will be dropping on you every day. These are your best friends in the Entrecard system. Reward them!

Are there cases where I drop on blogs that don’t always return the favor? Yes, I do. There are blogs that I enjoy reading and when I take the time to go there, I will drop. That is one of the advantages of having multiple blogs (see blow).

Use Your Entrecard Credits To Advertise
Just as the saying goes, you have to spend money to make money, with Entrecard, you have to spend credits to make credits, or in this case, drops. Get it in your head that you’ll seldom get a credit for credit benefit for this. I made this mistake when I first started, thinking like most businessmen, that I should get a solid ROI for my Entrecard investment. What I didn’t consider (initially) was the value of exposure. This unmeasurable return, makes advertising worthwhile.

Consider Buying Entrecard Credits
It takes quite a while to earn enough credits to get yourself over the hump. I’ve been a consistent member of Entrecard for well over a month, but I felt it would be best if I went ahead and bought some credits to supplement my campaign. I originally thought I’d use these credits for a contest (and I still might), but spending them to advertise gave me a huge boost. I was able to get upwards of 22 ads going at a time. That pushed me well over 500 unique visitors from Entrecard in a single day.

Have Multiple Blogs On Entrecard
This is good if you have the time and/or don’t want to pay for Entrecard credits. You can transfer credits earned from the other blogs to your primary blog. While I’ve made up to 900 drops in a day, it isn’t something I can do consistently. That is why I bought credits. But having multiple blogs is a good way to have more credits available to push your primary blog into the 2000 club.

Another reason I think multiple blogs are a good idea is that it allows you to really focus each blog on a different aspect of your life. As a result, you’re able to keep each blog on topic. The Bullshit Stalker has a very particular niche, and while this blog is a bit more open, I post my personal items in Fat Bastard. Having three blogs gives me that flexibility and, more Entrecard Credits.

Pay To Advertise On Entrecard Sites
Many Entrecard Sites offer ad space through Project Wonderful and others. This is especially good for Entrecarders when these ads are above the fold and next to the Entrecard widget. I chose to do this for a number of reasons. First, I wanted to test how cost effective advertising on these blogs would be. Secondly, I knew it would attract more Entrecard users to my site. And finally, it would get me noticed by more Entrecarders.

Be Active On The Forums
Networking with other Entrecard members is the best way to build loyalty. The forums are the best place to start. Then expand to other places. As noted above, I’ve begun advertising on various Entrecard sites. Also, I had an Entrecard user, DotComMogul, design me an Adwords background. This cross involvement helps solidify your position in the community. And that community pays you back!

Other Considerations
Take some time to look at the sites that are on the top spots in your category. Rest assured that they do most of the things I’ve mentioned above. Here are a few things that they don’t do:

• Have music play on their site. I am often listening to music or a podcast when I’m dropping. And my girlfriend is often asleep in the next room. The blaring music, regardless of whether I like it or not, is irritating and I often make a mental note to never return to that site.
• Have so many widgets that your blog takes forever to load. Did you know my computer comes with its own clock? Who’d have figured? So, that clock widget on your site is just wasted space (and time). There are many people who still log in through dial up or wireless broadband (mine crawls when I’m in two bar territory).
• Crash people’s system with their blog. No, you can’t test every type of browser on every type of operating system, but you should be reasonably sure that your site is clean and tight. This relates to the previous item as it is typically the abundance of widgets that cause this.
• Hide the Entrecard Widget. I probably should have put this first, but then it might be better to have you leave with this thought. The best place to put your Entrecard widget is by itself on a sidebar above the fold. I know this is prime real estate for a website, but if you’re committed to make the 2000 club, its well worth it. If you think hiding the widget gets users to read the articles, you’re sadly mistaken. Solid, compelling content gets them to read. Give them that, and make the Entrecard easy to find and you’ll have a winner.

So, now is time to get to work. If you haven’t dropped on me yet, please do. And while you’re here, here is the one I really want your drop on:

Doing and receiving blog reviews is a great way to generate traffic for your site.  One of my favorite bloggers (Make Money Online) has asked his readers to join him in a review swap.  The hope is that my readers become his readers and his readers mine.  Below is my review of his blog.  This is my first blog review, so bear with me.

He’ll be reviewing my other blog (The Bullshit Stalker).

Almost ever day, I see this little baby’s picture.  Yes, I found Make Money Online through Entrecard and I did begin frequenting his site because of it.  But there are two reasons that I have stuck with the Noob.  He posts regularly (practically every day) and he has very good content.  Okay, there is a third reason, he posts pictures of beautiful women, but the web is full of these.  I’m going to discuss each of these but in reverse order.

The Girl Pictures
Each post is accompanied by a picture of one or more beautiful women.  These are tasteful pictures.  A mix of famous and otherwise.  Yes, they are completely off topic, but this might just be an effective strategy for  the Entrecard bounce.  I’m not sure it would work for me, but he has nailed it.

The Content
While the topic of Make Money Online isn’t for everyone, I do have to say that the blog is much deeper than that.  Most of his posts are about blogging in general.  They are well written and come from his personal experience.

In a since, the Noob is a blogger that just finished the leg of the trip I’m attempting to take.  I’ve learned so much from him.  His comments are spot on and I value the opportunity to learn about blogging from him.

Posting Volume
I’ve been struggling with this topic for a while now.  There is a huge commitment involved in keeping a blog going.  When the initial rush of the new blog goes away, will you have the energy to carry it on?  What frequency of posting do your readers want.

I suspect like me, the Noob gets a large percentage of his traffic from Entrecard.  Many of us on Entrecard hate the volume of dead blogs on the system.  We’re visiting many blogs on a daily basis and finding the same content that was there for weeks or months is very discouraging.  I’m on Entrecard not just to promote my blog, but to learn.  As a result, blogs like Make Money Online are my favorites.  I know he’ll have some new tidbit for me almost every day.  I really appreciate that.

As many of you may have heard, Randy Pausch has passed.  The best hour and twenty minutes you could spend would be to watch his “Last Lecture:

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

I will probably watch this several times.  There are so many great lessons in this lecture.

Enjoy!

I was reading some blogs as I bopped around doing some Entrecard dropping (yes, I do read the blogs that interest me).  And I came across a blog post by Alan LeStourgeon at Affiliate Confessions entited: Taking the 30 Day Blogging Challenge. There is nothing like a challenge to get my blood pumping (although I should be sleeping right now).

I’m going to do just that.  I’m comitting to post at least one entry per day for the next 30 days.  But I’ll be doing it on the new site/blog I’m doing, The Bullshit Awards Blog.  I will track the results as I go.

I should see a marked increase in traffic for a few reasons.  We’re in alpha testing of the site, and I should be ready to start beta testing in a couple of weeks.  I’ve set up a ton of ads through Entrecard that are starting to hit in the next few days.  Also, I’ll be going through the 30 day challenge, which I expect to improve my Internet marketing skills.  The culmination of all of these things should mean big things for the blog.

So, go on over and check it out!

I was watching a very young child and his father in a swimming pool today.  The child, with his water wings was being toted through the pool to the infinity edge.  Over the edge was a great view that I’d been enjoying myself.  The father held the child up, but instead of looking at the view we saw, the boy was fascinated with the water splashing down over the edge.  The father continued to enjoy his view and the child his.

Obviously, children have a very different view of the world than adults do.  Experts on childproofing houses/apartments encourage parents to get down low, crawl around and see what the child does.  As this child grows up, he’ll strive to see things from a different view.  Most children go from crawling to standing, going places they couldn’t when they were younger, and following the cycle of life to adulthood.

Why do we insist on stopping there?  Why don’t we continue that journey after we’ve grown up?

I’m also reminded of a time when I was a toddler (No, I don’t remember it, but I still have the scars from it).  I reached up for a pot and poured boiling water down on myself.  Since from my vantage point I didn’t know the pot was full of boiling water, I paid the consequences.  We also do this to ourselves as adults, doing and saying things that we don’t fully understand, but pretending or believing we do.

Do you take time out to look at things from other perspectives?  I mean, really stop.  And really try to break down all of your preconceptions?

Since most of my readers are fellow bloggers, I’ll move on in that direction with this.  If you’re blogging from one perspective all the time then you’re not giving the full picture, or getting it.  Your blogging is less for it.  As a blogger, a communicator, it is critical that you consider the opposing views and make your post relevant to all potential readers.

Yes, taking a hard stance, inciting a bit of controversy will sell a post, but at what cost?

The best blogs, the ones that grow to more than just a “personal weblog” are those that break out of the single mind perspective.  If you don’t take time (from time to time) to break down your own walls, how can you ever hope to do the same for someone else?

If you are an Entrecarder (and even if you’re not), you’re going to want to pay attention to this!

Firefox 3 Rocks!

It is way faster than its predecessor and IE. How much faster? In my nonscientific testing, it is performing 3 - 6 times faster. What does that mean for you? It means you’re loading sites faster, getting to the good stuff faster, and yes, dropping your Entrecards faster.

It also does a much better job of managing your browsing history. As you type in web addresses, it offers potential matches from your past viewing history. Sweet! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve struggled to find a site I visited earlier and forgot to bookmark. This is another huge timesaver!

All of the plugins I was using on the old Firefox appear to work on this one. So, now I have a faster, better Internet experience. All for a free download!

So, whether you’re an Entrecarder or not. You’re going to want Firefox 3.