Tags: advice, blogcatalog, blogging, entrecard, mybloglog, network.
Categores: Blogging Advice.
Note: Double post today! Read my Shopping post below!
I’ve been seeing an increase in blogs on hiatus, and as a result, a decrease in the amount of quality visitors lately. In an effort to expand my blog circle, I gave blog networking a try. So, I thought I’d write a review for a few of the blogging networks I belong to, as well as some important tips to ensure blog networking success.
Entrecard vs. MyBlogLog vs. Blog Catalog
Entrecard is great for increasing hits, but not so great for increasing comments and blog buddies because of its inherent design. Entrecard users are supposed to ‘drop’ their card (their blog’s ad) on another Entrecard user’s blog. After it’s dropped, the owner of the blog will view card on their dashboard, and reciprocate, if they are interested. Dropping cards, among various other ways, will allow the user to gain Entrecard credits, to be used as currency to buy ads on other blogs. The more the user actively participates in Entrecard, the more expensive the ad space on his blog is, the more he will gain from ads. As such, not many will bother to comment. This also means that there are many low-quality blogs, who are out there just to generate hits for the sake of PayPerPost and other paid blogging programs. The search for high-quality blogs is a very arduous process. But if all you want is to increase hits, this may be one of the most efficient networks out there.
Honestly, I haven’t spent much time on MyBlogLog, mainly because I’m not a fan of its interface. However, I found it very useful for tracking visitors. I’ve been able to put names and faces on who visits my blog without looking through IP addresses on my hit counters. I’ve also been able to do the same to MyBlogLog friends, and have been able to find some real offline friends and their blogs in the process. I feel like a CIA agent when I’m on MyBlogLog. LOL! But then again, of course, the reverse also holds true. That means others are able to track my web surfing habits if they look around MyBlogLog.
Of all three, BlogCatalog is the best at doing what it’s supposed to i.e. network bloggers. I have met many of my subscribers and blog buddies from Blog Catalog. And I can vouch for the number of great blogs on the network. It’s one of the best places to check out blogs from every niche and meet people from every creed. And it is all thanks to the infrastructure of the network. On BlogCatalog, each blog page has a rating, a rank, a review section and a ‘Similar Blogs’ section. The owners’ page allows for a short biography, a ‘Shout’ section meant to be something like a Facebook Wall, amongst other network-friendly sections. There is also a discussion board and a groups section for users to hang out and mutually profit from. There’s no point system or crappy interface to misguide you. So, people who sincerely and actively participate earn their share of blog buddies and subscribers. The more you participate, the more often you blog, the higher-quality your blog is, the more your blog rank increases. Blog rank starts with 0 (worst) to 100 (best). FYI, Nanyate?! ranks a whopping 75.7! So, low-quality and spammers get weeded out in the process, and have their blogs stuffed right to the back of the directory.
The Key to Blog Networking Success
Whether you’d like to increase visits, comments or blog buddies, there is a recipe for being successful - and a very simple one at that. All you need is active participation. Search the directory. Seek out new blogs that you are genuinely interested in. Comment on them. Leave a shout. Add them as a friend. Subscribe to their entries. And I will guarantee an increase in your comments, visitors, rank and blog buddies. By becoming a member and simply listing your site, you gain absolutely nothing. Okay, maybe just a few visits.
The amount of effort you put in is directly proportional to your returns. Case in point: of all three networks, I spend the most time at BlogCatalog. That resulted in around 10 blog buddies, a handful subscribers and many links exchanged. I’ve also managed to expand my readership far beyond personal bloggers. MyBlogLog is where I spend the least amount of time at, I’ve only managed to find one long lost friend. As for Entrecard, I’m still quite new at it. So, there aren’t any notable returns as of yet.
What do you think of blog networking? Have you tried it? If so, what networks do you belong to? Which ones do you like best?
Tags: css, ie, japan, theme, updates, wordpress.
Categores: Blogging Advice, Culture, Opinion, Site Updates.
Nanyate?! has a new theme! This layout is titled “Yukata 浴衣 Summer”. For those who are unfamiliar with Japanese culture, yukata is the summer version of a kimono 着物. The flower in the background is inspired from a yukata featured in last year’s issue of JJ Magazine. Yes, I drew it. And yes, it took forever. I haven’t actually illustrated anything complicated for a while, so I was quite antsy when I drew the flower.
The layout is currently in beta mode. The background is incomplete. I wanted to add a couple more embellishments but I haven’t received my brushes from Seishido as of yet. And of course, there are bugs to kill and the layout doesn’t work on IE 6 at all. Most bugs will be fixed by tomorrow. IE6 compatibility will have to wait. Busting out my old Sony Vaio to re-code half the site is just…argh.
I’ve been at this for 2 days. 1 day for drawing the background. 1 day for designing + coding. I haven’t slept for 20 hours. So, pardon this rough post and rough layout.
I’m exhausted. Off to bed.
UPDATE!:I received my brushes! Here’s the new background! Most bugs for the Mac Firefox, Safari and Opera are squashed. I’d expect that their Windows would react the same way. Now all that’s left is that nasty IE6, which I don’t have access to - not even from my old Sony VAIO! IE NetEenderer isn’t powerful enough for me to refresh every 5 seconds, so coding for IE will have to wait until I go to my school’s library.
Sorry, IE6 users. On the other hand… you really shouldn’t be using IE6. Microsoft is already developing IE8 and even had a beta release! I can’t imagine what kinda security flaws you IE6 users have to deal with. 
The browser’s free for goodness’ sakes; all it takes to upgrade is some free time. Think about it this way: just 10 minutes less of porn, infinite increase in security. Time for a upgrade, people.