Thursday, August 7, 2008

What I've learned

Yep. I'm officially a blogging whiz kid.

That's right. I've got, like, one loyal reader and get tens of hits. Daily. Ah, yeah!

That all makes me perfectly qualified to carp about things. Well, not carp. Advise. That's what I mean. I'm perfectly qualified to advise. I've noticed a few things after blogging away for the past few weeks, too.

Digg it!

People who visit blogs love convenience, see, and they may even stop to Digg your article provided you have a nice, big Digg chicklet in an easy-to-see spot. I have so provided such a convenient chicklet and would suggest that all bloggers do the same thing. If I see one of those chicklets on a post, I'm inclined to hit it, thus adding my always valuable "this is cool!" endorsement to the article in question.

I've noticed that a lot of bloggers add those chicklets but don't bother to submit Diggs on their own posts. What gives? I've heard there's some kind of ethical argument against Digging your own stuff, but I say phooey to that. I hate being the first Digger because, hey, what if I don't hit the category the author believes is appropriate or write something stupid in the description for the thing?

Ethics? Feh! What are ethics on the Internet, anyway? It's a medium that allows us to steal music and one that is frequented by scam artists that promise they can make us rich for a small investment of $10 or so. What's wrong with a little self-promotion? Go ahead and Digg your own post.

Moderated comment sections are for sissies

My comment section is wide open, and why not? Open forums lead to a free exchange of ideas and that's dandy fun. Someone might write something nasty about The Hawg, but I'm a big boy and I can take it. I ain't scared.

And that "captcha" junk and all those other "verification" schemes need to go, too. I'm not worried about spam -- there are 6 billion people on this planet and very few of them visit here. This little blog isn't large enough to attract a bunch of spam. Besides, I'd rather keep things nice and convenient for the people who are kind enough to leave a comment.

If things get too spammy around here, then I'll try one of those verification whatsits. Until then, I'll just risk it.

Tread lightly around political blogs

Picking a fight with someone who owns a political blog is more trouble than it's worth. Think about it. If you've got someone who dedicates an entire blog to politics, you're dealing with someone who is pretty serious about it. Poking fun at the individual's views and/or that person's candidate of choice can be on par with insulting a man's wife if you're dealing with someone who is either insane or has no sense of humor (common conditions among the hardcore political types). Opposing views are rarely tolerated -- they're right, you're wrong and it's their forum. Keep that in mind.

An old adage comes into play here -- if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. That'll keep the political nuts from howling at you, at least. If you agree with the hyper serious political bloggers, comment away. Otherwise, just nod and flee.

By the way, Obama supporters seem to be the worst of the lot. No sense of humor at all when it comes to their golden boy. I'm not sure why that is.

That's about it. Y'all have fun!

31 comments:

Anna said...

A lot of good points! I completely agree about commenting on political blogs. It can be a frightening thing!

HawgWyld said...

Anna:

Yep. Some of those folks are too serious. Oh well...

The Mad Dog said...

Nifty ideas...I'll stick to what I'm doing...I'm a bit of a grump. I really enjoy your blog and your ideas, though. Peace and joy.

HawgWyld said...

I'm a bit of a grump, too. But only during the week -- such is the plight of us working slobs...

Ms. O. D. said...

Hawg! thought I posted... and I dont think I got censored from you. Hmm... I agree those political blogs are a bit scary.

HawgWyld said...

Ms. Orange:

Nope. No censoring from me unless a whim strikes (hasn't happened so far) or I get a request to remove a comment (that's happened once).

I reserve the right, of course, to be as arbitrary and capricious as I want to be, but I try to keep things very open.

Anonymous said...

10's of hits? 1 loyal reader? You're doing better than I am!

HawgWyld said...

Stefan:

Well, let that be a lesson to you. With persistence and enough cash on hand to bribe someone, you, too, could be posting such glowing stats.

Seriously, however, without Entrecard, those numbers would probably be close to the truth...

Anonymous said...

I don't think there's anything wrong with digging your own posts. From what I've read, for best results only Digg the best of the lot. That being said, I hate Digg. There are a lot of stupid articles that make the front page, but because they're submitted by the popular kids, they get thousands of Diggs.

I've pretty much given up on them.

Unknown said...

Who you callin' "loyal"???

Sara said...

Good advice! I turned off my verification just for you. Now if I start getting a bunch of spam, I'm coming to haunt you:)

Sara said...

Also, I really need to figure out this Digg thing. That is my weekend goal.

HawgWyld said...

mikey777:

A lot of people hate Digg. However, I don't see anything else more effective out there.

If you've got a suggestion, though, I'd love to hear it!

HawgWyld said...

fishhawk:

Heh, heh!

HawgWyld said...

sara:

It took me quite some time to figure how to insert that little Digg chicklet on my site. There's some golden advice on how to do that, right here -- http://onlinebiz-my.blogspot.com/2008/07/blogging-tip-add-digg-button.html

Hope that helps!

And, I appreciate the free access to your comment section ;)

Da Old Man said...

I hate with a passion those stupid captcha things. I swear they use symbols not on my keyboard. Oh well, to each his or her own. Worse are the sites that require registration, two proofs of ID, and a urine test. At least they seem that way.

Unknown said...

I agree with you on moderated comments and word verifications whole heartedly....cannot stand that. You either want comments or you don't.

Anonymous said...

I don't Digg all my articles because I'm a bit concerned that Digg might just pick up the pattern StumbleUpon did and ban people who bookmark their own site. Its not ethics so much as just being aware of the risk.

The blogger comment form might have some spam protection built in, if not, you're probably in for a rude awakening. Spammers will find your blog regardless of the volume of traffic and since it costs them nothing to do so, you'll get your share. Every blog I've every done has, regardless of readership.

The bullsh*t stalker blog has some politics, but I'm an equal opportunity basher, so your comments are always welcome there!

Unknown said...

I'm with the "Da Old Man" in regards unto absolutely hating the Digg CAPTCHA thingy. For it is the reason for why I will not send shouts there unless I feel like it is absolutely necessary. In fact, I have been debating the leaving of Digg all together, but I am still there for some unknown reason.

Lyndon said...

Good advice for new and old bloggers alike! Although I avoid most blogs and posts on politics. Instead of being an open forum, they just turn into a shouting match between rival supporters.

Elle said...

Yeah, I only have one part-time reader (I think her mother lets her get on the computer on weekends...) and due to a whopping 16-cents of in-content ad revenue last month, and the scathing post by some crazed blog-guy, I've removed the offending double blue underlines. I don't really have to eat, I guess.

HawgWyld said...

da old man:

Yes, the captcha things drive me nuts. Should spam become a problem, I'll activate that service. Until then, I'll let it ride.

You're lucky they only wanted a urine sample. Some of us didn't get off so easy...

HawgWyld said...

sassy mama:

Agreed, and I love comments -- shows activity and all of us with a blog crave attention, right?

HawgWyld said...

bsawards:

Great stuff to keep in mind. The Digg comment intrigues me as I see a lot of people who Digg their own stuff. Hopefully, that practice is kosher for now.

And, I'll keep an eye out for the spam. Should it become a problem, then I'll act. Not before, however.

You're blog isn't strictly political. If I see a blog with, say, Obama with a halo over his head and the poster is serious, I make tracks. Someone that wrapped up in politics is just spoiling for a fight and ready to bicker. Phooey.

HawgWyld said...

lyndon:

Right you are! Debate is rapidly becoming a lost art in this country -- politicos seem to have adopted the tactic of screaming "I'm right!" very loudly. Apparently, the side with the requisite lung power wins the argument.

Odd. They called that gainsaying when I was growing up...

HawgWyld said...

elle:

I'm not a fan of those "double underlines," either. So, I don't stick them on my blog. However, it's really none of my business what anyone puts on their blogs so I try to stay out of such scraps.

I learned in a hurry that running a blog isn't exactly a way to financial freedom. My ad revenue stinks, but I'm not all that worried. It's pretty much what I've come to expect.

Speedcat Hollydale said...

Obama stinks!

... just thought I would throw that out there 8~)

SpeedyCat Hollywood

HawgWyld said...

speedcat:

No! Say it ain't so! Don't you know that Obama will have us all riding toward an energy-independent future? Yes, we'll be heading here on properly-inflated tires in vehicles powered powered by a radical new energy source that's so awesome that it hasn't even been conceived yet. Woah!

What's more, we'll take our manufacturing back from China, healthcare will be free (not that it matters because on one will ever get sick), all Americans will make at least $100,000 per year and it will be sunshine and lollipops all the time.

Oh, and the war will end, too. It will end favorably, even.

Yes, that Obama is just magical...

Willy said...

Willy says 10-4 to all of the comments.

10-4

HawgWyld said...

willy:

Ah, we've got the Willy Seal of Approval!

Techmaker said...

Nice post. Lot to learn.