Geek Mom Mashup » internet marketing

Above the Fold, an EntreCard meme

GeekMom — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:08:45 +0000

I’ve been tagged again; this time by Tellin it like it is. This game is pretty easy, and rewards EntreCard users who place their widgets above the fold (visible without scrolling). I’m all for that! Let the love flow!

Entrecard Above The Fold Meme Rules:

Create a post on your blog that links back to this post, so people will know where the Meme came from and who tagged you.
Tag 8 bloggers not mentioned in this post, but only those that display their Entrecard widget above the fold.
Leave a comment on this post with a link to the post you created on your blog.

That’s it! Here are the eight blogs I’m tagging, with a big thanks to them for their great content, and for making their widgets easy to find.

Take a look at these nice sites and show them some love if you like them!

Does it have to be so big?

GeekMom — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:38:34 +0000

With the recent blog explosion, I’ve noticed a proliferation of extra-large RSS icons.

I certainly understand people’s desire to attract subscribers. I have my own RSS icons on my blog. See them over there on the right, near the top of the page? Nice little buttons with the familiar — even standard — little curvy line design. Nice, right? You know what they’re for, and you can use them if you want to.

I got them from feedicons.com, if you’re interested.

But what’s with the ginormous feed icons? They remind me of Flavor Flav‘s huge wall clock necklace pendant. Does it have to be so big? Does it tell time better than a normal wristwatch?

Now, it may be that the over-large RSS icon is being used as a design element, which is fine. But as far as function, I think these R.I.O.U.S.s (RSS Icons Of Unusual Size) are a bit excessive. Kind of like an unnecessary and too-long acronym.

I doubt there is a correlation between the size of an RSS icon and the number of subscribers it attracts. Also, there is probably no relationship between the size of the icon and anything else useful. Of course, people can do what they like with their own sites and icons. But isn’t there a size at which the RSS button becomes too big to do its job, and becomes an eyesore, a distraction, or even a deterrent, to would-be subscribers? How about the “World’s Biggest RSS Button“, which is so big, it leaves no room for anything else on the page?

I think the RSS icon should be big enough to be found easily by users who are looking for it, but small enough to be ignored by those who aren’t. That’s just my opinion.

Who Are You Calling “It?”

GeekMom — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:49:03 +0000

I was tagged by Peapod Squad Stuff, and although I don’t usually do these, I will this time. I’m a big fan of the aforementioned Squad, and I think this is a good way to share some early Valentine love with some of my bloggy friends.

Rule #1: Copy all the links below and replace a single link under the appropriate letter of the alphabet. If your domain name, or even the title of your blog, starts with an “A,” you’d replace the link under that letter and put the replaced link at the bottom. Also, don’t forget to credit the tagger, or where you got the list from, at the end of the list with a full URL of the post so that a pingback gets generated.

Replaced link: gothic-peach.net
Previous tagger: http://www.peapodsquadstuff.com/2008/01/tag-im-it.html

Rule #2: You now have to “tag” at least five people and encourage them to participate so that this thing spreads like a virus. Remember, though, that not everyone’s into these kinds of things, so don’t be upset if they don’t participate. Just simply replace your tag. Remember to tag blogs only and no pornographic ones as we do want to keep the integrity as a blogging community. TIP: Tag your frequent EntreCard droppers via its messaging system.

As for me, I will tag the following:

Rule #3: Just like any other “meme” out there, ask a question for your taggees to answer along with your own answer to the previous question. This is optional.

Here’s my question: What do you listen to in the car?

Fact: EntreCard Credits are like Schrute Bucks

GeekMom — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:34:13 +0000

Before I begin, let me say that I enjoy both Dwight Schrute and EntreCard. Now, let me explain my assertion.

On The Office (US version), Dwight Schrute creates Schrute Bucks as a way to motivate his coworkers to perform well. (If you’re not familiar with Dwight, you should know that he is an insufferable dweeb and suck-up, but he is also excellent at his job. That really has nothing to do with this analogy, but it is a big part of why The Office is so hilarious.) The Schrute Buck is a unit of currency in Dwight’s system, where he gets to decide what a person has to do to earn one.

EntreCard (EC) is a system of free internet advertising that rewards users with Credits, which they can use to purchase ad space on other users’ blogs. Credits are awarded for using the system by “card dropping,” or clicking on other people’s EC widgets.

A-ha! What else do Schrute Bucks and EC Credits have in common? Well, since I am a bit of an insufferable dweeb myself, here is a list …

Fact: Both Schrute Bucks and EC Credits are constructed units of currency.
Fact: Both Schrute Bucks and EC Credits can be earned only by exhibiting behaviors desired by their creators.
Fact: Neither Schrute Bucks nor EC Credits have any real value outside of their respective reward systems.*
Fact: Both Schrute Bucks and EC Credits have value only if there is demand for them among users.
Question: What is the exchange rate of Schrute Bucks to EC Credits?
Answer: It’s the same as the ratio of unicorns to leprechauns.

* I know there has been some talk of selling EC Credits for real money, so we’ll see where that ends up.

I hope you enjoyed this little exercise in silliness. If you’d like to add to the discussion, please do!

You Can’t Buy a Piece of My Heart, but…

GeekMom — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:37:21 +0000

You can buy a piece of my sidebar! Yes, you can now purchase a square (125 x 125) in my sidebar, under the clearly labeled “Paid Adverts” heading. Ads will be auctioned through Project Wonderful. We’ll see how it goes. If you’d like to share your experience with the Project Wonderful system, I’d love to hear your comments. Thanks!

Excellent Service Deserves a Shout Out

GeekMom — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:36:37 +0000

I have to give a short update to my previous post on the CommentLuv plugin. I installed CommentLuv to provide an automatic backlink to my commenters, and wanted to make sure it was working properly as a dofollow link.

First of all, the plugin author, Andy Bailey, showed up on his own to test the plugin, by leaving a comment on my blog, as soon as it was installed. And when I had a question about whether the nofollow tag had been removed, I sent him an e-mail. He replied within hours, and helped me figure it out. It turns out you have to install a plugin to turn off the nofollow tag. (I used NoFollow Free.)

Over the course of several e-mails and a couple of test comments, Andy made sure his plugin was working properly, on its own and with NoFollow Free. He was very friendly and good-humored. CommentLuv is a free plugin, and I did not pay for his service. Likewise, neither Andy nor anyone else has paid me for this post. Sadly, it’s becoming rare to receive excellent, personal, human service these days, and I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Andy. Keep up the great work!

By the way, everything is working perfectly now, and when you leave a comment, you will receive a nofollow-free link back to your latest blog post. Links for everyone! (Unless your comment is spam, in which case it will be deleted.) Cheers!

Five tips to make your blog load faster (and keep more visitors)

GeekMom — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:39:53 +0000

I have been looking at dozens of blogs lately, thanks to EntreCard and my obsessive-compulsive disorder. (That’s a whole other post.) I have found some really interesting sites, with great stories and helpful articles. I’m talking with people and making friends. I’m stumbling and subscribing. This is blogging at its best!

However, there are some sites that are so full of “stuff” that I can’t even stick around long enough to see how great the content might be, because I get annoyed waiting for all the widgets and ads to load. I just leave. Maybe I’m too impatient. Perhaps I’m being too critical. What can I say? I’m sorry.

I love a site that loads quickly and is not overburdened with junk! If you want to keep impatient clickers from leaving during loading, try these simple tips.

Keep images to a minimum. If you must include photos on your front page, display a thumbnail or low-resolution image with a link to the real thing.
Say no to auto-play audio/video files. Slow and annoying — not a good combination.
Place the most important widgets above the fold (the portion of the page visible without scrolling down) so people can get right to the good stuff.
Remember that savvy surfers are largely “banner blind.” Don’t fill your page with cumbersome ads that are just going to get ignored anyway.
Resist the temptation to fill every bit of space. Leaving some blank areas is easier on the eyes, and white space takes no time to load.

I’m sure there are many more tips I haven’t included, but those are the ones that came to me just now. Feel free to throw in your two cents!

I’m not sure what to think about pay-per-post

GeekMom — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:35:20 +0000

I don’t want to offend anyone here, but I guess I might. It seems that Pay-Per-Post (PPP) badges are popping up on blogs everywhere. I understand that most bloggers are hoping to make some money. I know what kind of time goes into writing posts and maintaining a site, not to mention that most bloggers have families, “real” jobs, and lots of other things going on in their lives. I’m right there with you! I get it!

But when I read a post on a blog that has a PPP badge, or maybe a disclosure statement (explaining that some posts may or may not be influenced by sponsors), I wonder whether I’m reading a genuine article or a paid advertisement. Is it just me, or does a blog that accepts PPP writing assignments lose some of its credibility? Maybe I should read the whole blog before I decide whether it’s too commercial for me, but how many of us have time for that? Is that how you surf blogs? Probably not.

I’m not trying to sound high and mighty. Pay-Per-Post bloggers aren’t bad people. I’ve considered getting in on PPP myself, but I’ve decided against it. I’ve decided this blog is going to be all mine. Now if somebody wants to hire me to write for a separate publication, that’s a different story. But like it or not, this one’s all me. There you have it.

GeekMom: Now With More Linky “Luv”

GeekMom — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:47:55 +0000

Yes, GeekMom now offers double the love to readers who leave comments, thanks to a nifty plugin called CommentLuv. I don’t know exactly how it works, but it’s easy to download and install on WordPress, and it was written by Andy Bailey.

Now when you post a comment, you can check a box to “enable CommentLuv,” which will display the title of your latest blog post as a link. That’s a free text link directly to your post — not just to the front page of your blog — and that’s in addition to the link you can include with your name. You get two links for the price of one comment! Isn’t that sweet?

It’s not supposed to slow down loading of the site at all, although it may take some number of seconds for the thing to hunt down your feed once you post your comment. Give it a try and let me know what you think! Thank you!

GeekMom’s Secret to Online Success is…

hmsweaver — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:20:18 +0000

The good old Golden Rule. Really, it works online just like it does in real life. Sounds too low-tech to work in the virtual world? Well, it’s not. I’ll prove it in five easy steps.

First, develop a nice, friendly, informative profile page on yourself. This can be your myspace page, your blog, your Squidoo lensmaster page, or whatever. You don’t have to give out your personal information. Include a link back to your blog, or whatever else you’d like visitors to click on.
Then do some surfing. Look for blogs or pages that are well-written and interesting. Find something you really like. Have fun!
Don’t just lurk. Participate in polls, give some stars, add some appreciative comments to the guestbooks. Be genuine. Be kind. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Remember the Golden Rule, and treat others the way you would like to be treated.
Usually, you can add a link to your comment. This is where you put the address to your profile page, or directly to your blog. Don’t use a spammy, junky link. People don’t like being tricked into clicking on spam!
If you’ve been kind, people will read your insightful comment and want to know more about you. They will click on your link, visit your page, and maybe even leave you a nice comment too. Perhaps they’ll check out your sidebars and ads. If your page is especially wonderful, you might even get a Digg or a bookmark, or even a regular subscriber. Who knows — you might even make a friend!

Give the Golden Rule a try, and see if you get good results. Even if you get one quality visitor for every ten quality visits you make, you will have made Cyberspace a friendlier place. And that’s good for everybody!