Interesting article. My blog is still pretty new (only a few months old) but I've been seeing a steady upwards trend in terms of page hits & reader comments. I hope to eventually grow the blog exponentially in that sense. However I am not interested in the money aspect at all. I want to increase readership so that my ideas can reach more people and I can interact with others. Even if I could make good money with my blog in the future, I really care about creating useful, good content for the enjoyment of others.
When you said, "I’m passionate about using the internet to redefine our world. That’s why I’m here," that really spoke to me. I feel the same way.
joshklein
· 11 months ago
Awesome. I think a blog, barring a direct commercial reason for existence, is an investment in yourself. I'm glad others feel the same way.
NigePresto
· 12 months ago
Hi Josh, An excellent post that seems to really capture the vibe that I am getting from a few different people at the moment - online and offline. When I read the post title, I was initially intrigued because I work for an aid organisation who is constantly grappling with creating and fostering ongoing relationships with people online, rather than just the 'big bang' of publicity or traffic. Keep up the good work...
joshklein
· 11 months ago
Thanks Nige. I'd love to hear more about the aid organization. There is a website I'm working on for a non-profit in the education and green sectors, and we're always curious about what other non-profs have found most successful.
Michael Wilkes
· 12 months ago
Your sentiments here seem to jive with much of the other input I have received on blogging... or having a web property up at all. The concept of being useful, contributing something of value, is what eventually brings a financial gain. Solomon said, "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings..." I think that is a key tenet of what we do on the web as well. Master a subject. Carve out a space. Be about something. And put yourself and your passion into the process.
joshklein
· 11 months ago
Smartly put, Michael. As you clearly believe, given your quote of Solomon, this almost has nothing to do with the web. This is a life lesson, a philosophy on work and success. What will our legacy be? You can "fake" pan flash success, but is their any other path to greatness but greatness?
Augie
· 11 months ago
So, I think there are a couple of different kinds of blogs out there: general (usually pop culture/news) blogs and niche blogs.
In my own experience, I have found blogs that surround a specific subjects (SEO, Marketing, Technology, and in my case Real Estate) to be more interesting and more worth while. While I think there is a place for sites that blog about 100,000 topics, my feeling is that's what the aggregators are for.
It's important to get your word out there by whatever means possible, but if your content is bad, you may get lots of traffic, but your bounce rate will be through the roof.
I have no proof of this, but I would anticipate that high bounce rate equals low conversion rate. Is there anyone with several web sites that may be able to attest to this?
joshklein
· 11 months ago
Thanks for the comment Augie. I think you're right, especially in that people focus too closely on "traffic" without a coherent strategy that answers the big question: "What's so great about traffic, anyway?"
Justin Hamlin
· 5 months ago
This was great information and the lead -in fom the other page was great too. I commented back on my blog.
All Comments
When you said, "I’m passionate about using the internet to redefine our world. That’s why I’m here," that really spoke to me. I feel the same way.
An excellent post that seems to really capture the vibe that I am getting from a few different people at the moment - online and offline.
When I read the post title, I was initially intrigued because I work for an aid organisation who is constantly grappling with creating and fostering ongoing relationships with people online, rather than just the 'big bang' of publicity or traffic.
Keep up the good work...
In my own experience, I have found blogs that surround a specific subjects (SEO, Marketing, Technology, and in my case Real Estate) to be more interesting and more worth while. While I think there is a place for sites that blog about 100,000 topics, my feeling is that's what the aggregators are for.
It's important to get your word out there by whatever means possible, but if your content is bad, you may get lots of traffic, but your bounce rate will be through the roof.
I have no proof of this, but I would anticipate that high bounce rate equals low conversion rate. Is there anyone with several web sites that may be able to attest to this?