How Did I Kill My Blog?

from JoeUser Forums

I'm wondering how I did it.

At one time, my blog being in the top ten was almost a given. In fact, the only time it fell below was when I was offline due to having no access to the computer.

Now, however, I'm at 14 and falling. Our favorite anti-Catholic blogger is about to leap on top of me. Most of the bloggers above me are worthy, don't get me wrong, but it's pretty embarassing to be on the brink of being passed by Jerry Falwell's retarded stepbrother!

I know some of my articles have been stretching a bit, but I think I'm back after my "slump". Article views and replies would seem to disagree, however.

I'm going to solicit a little constructive criticism (rare for me): How did my blog die SO badly, and how can I get some momentum back?

 

 

blogging
4,592 views 25 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
I can only speak for myself Gideon, so I wouldn't dare to presume this is what others encounter.

It is a matter of being too proficient. In the time I have to read blogs each day most of the folks I regularly try to read have one or two new blogs a day. They probably average out to one a day if you take into account the days they don't post anything. That is manageable. I can read one article a day (from each of the bloggers I regularly read) and comment on the ones I find worth commenting on.

Lately, though, I just can't keep up with your amazing ability. I really do admire your writing, but just don't have the time to read 5+ articles some days. I also understand that you don't publish every day, but I still find myself having a hard time keeping up, and so my readership has declined.

Just my personal experience.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top

...unfortunately, my time is limited, with library access and all and so all my articles get published in the "push" of the time I'm online.

Maybe that will change once I get internet access at home again (I'm hoping ad banners on the sister site will help with the financial end of that deal), and my articles are a little more "spread out". Until then, I guess I'm gonna hafta play second fiddle to Cooley

Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
Yeah, I understand the difficulties of when and where you can post.

Also worth mentioning is that there has been some extreme 'wonkiness' for lack of a better word, in the points that some sites are getting. Things appear to be okay on the surface right now, but rankings have been acting up a bit.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
I think there is something hokey with the points system. But it seems random. I first noticed it when my blog went from top 20ish to 3rd in a span of 3-4 days despite few weekly contributions, let alone daily additions. I was getting tons of page views out of nowhere and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. It stayed there for a month and then plummeted. Also during this time frame, I saw a few new bloggers, with no more than a dozen articles at the time, rocket into top positions. It's still going on. There are blogs with little to no new activity (just like mine was at the time of my rise in the rankings) holding high positions. greywar actually posted an article about it a while back and I commented that all my extra traffic/points was very odd, since I hadn't really been doing much at the time to maintain my blog. I was mostly posting articles for the JU fantasy leagues and the occasional rant.

So, to answer your question - I dunno. But, I'm thinking maybe you didn't really kill it.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
Also worth mentioning is that there has been some extreme 'wonkiness' for lack of a better word, in the points that some sites are getting. Things appear to be okay on the surface right now, but rankings have been acting up a bit.


I was writing my comment when you wrote this, but that sums up what I'm thinking...
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
My site was #1 for awhile (though I don't really know why). Then this past Friday, under Blog Navigator, it said Score 0, Articles 0. Now it says Score 475, Articles 16. At least the number of articles is correct now. I sent emails to both Brad and KarmaGirl, but still no replies.
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
wish I knew mine has fallen from the top 10 to the top 15 to off the map somewhere in the 30;'s if you find out will you tell me?
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
You're all just jealous. hahaha jk
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top

wish I knew mine has fallen from the top 10 to the top 15 to off the map somewhere in the 30;'s if you find out will you tell me?

Mine went from 4, down to 19 last I checked.  That was when Icon had like 150k points!  I gave up trying to figure it out.

 

Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top

You're all just jealous. hahaha jk

hey! if I had that many points, you would be jealous too!  I dont begrudge you your day (or week) in the sun. You earned it!  But I doubt even Danny can unravel this enigma!

Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
i'm not sure if you're just referring to your readership, your # of replies, your overall blog rating or all of the above, but I can tell you that I can relate to some extent.

I was once the #2 blogger here on the top ten (for a short period of time), and was in the top ten for a long time. I know why i dropped off... I stopped blogging for a long time.

but lately I've been trying to make a bit of a comeback (no worries about getting back into the top ten), but I barely get any replies to my new stuff. I don't know why that is, and i refuse to write an article whining about it... DOh!!! hehehe... but i'm all about hopping on your thread and whining all i want.

tell you what, you read my blog once in a while, (and comment), and i'll read yours. tit for tat, quid pro quo, you scratch my back and i'll...

well, you get the idear
Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
I dont begrudge you your day (or week) in the sun. You earned it!


I did?
Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top
I dont begrudge you your day (or week) in the sun. You earned it!


I did?
Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top
That was when Icon had like 150k points


When and where did you see that? The most points I've seen for myself is 2959.
Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
To me the "top blogs" list is meaningless. That shows the activity in the last 30 days. I dunno about anyone else but the main reason I wander on and off that list several times a year is because I have a LIFE.

The other "top users" list is more important to me, because it shows your activity, how much you put into our little "community" here. Instead of your past input being washed out ever 30 days, your contribution adds up there.

So I wouldn't sweat it. I remember being #4 for months on the top blogs a long time ago. Then I slipped to about 16-20 and stayed there for at least a year.

I accept my varying status as a sign that I'm NOT a points whore, and I am proud of the fact. If I wanted to make 10,000 points by the end of the weekend, I'm pretty confident that I could do it. I don't have much interest in the kind of material it takes to do that, though, and I wouldn't feel I had really earned it.

Points whoring is kind of sad, imho. Blogging isn't a contest, I hope. And even if it is, there are bloggers that get featured on national TV that are far enough ahead of us to ever bother worrying with it.
Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top
BakerStreet, I only want the system to be fixed. When it said I had 0 articles, that was proof that something is wrong.
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top
When and where did you see that? The most points I've seen for myself is 2959.


You should have checked the top 10! You were king of the hill!
Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top
Oh, I agree, it needs to be fixed. I think it has less importance than stability and load times, etc., though. The point is people being able to browse and read.

Once they get all the "connection refused" stuff straightened out, then by all means it might be worth spending the time on.
Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top
To me the "top blogs" list is meaningless. That shows the activity in the last 30 days. I dunno about anyone else but the main reason I wander on and off that list several times a year is because I have a LIFE.


I agree that is why I quit worrying about it.
Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top
Gideon: You didn't kill your blog...Bush killed your blog...it's a conspiracy!
Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top
As I write this, our resident teen queen, carebear, is sitting at # 2.

wtf?
Reply #22 from JoeUser Forums Top
As I write this, our resident teen queen, carebear, is sitting at # 2.


I am wondering if this is the result of referrals...she has an article about cars that keeps popping up and getting anonymous comments, and I think that might have something to do with it.
Reply #23 from JoeUser Forums Top
I love it when people with four times my (30 days) points whine about how unread they are....

None-the-less, might I offer some possible reasons?

1) Too many articles. Actually, I think the number of articles is one of the things that propelled you up to begin with. The larger problem with it now may be something beyond your control, namely...
2) The shift to 5 articles on a page instead of 10. I usually don't click on articles by you when I see them on the sidebar because I figure I'll catch them later when I access your blog through its main page. The problem is, I now have to click twice as much to see the same number of articles. Needless to say, I don't do that, so more articles go unseen. I doubt I'm the only one so affected. Also, more articles would get more points from home page views when there are 10 on a page than when there are five simply because most people don't click over to a second page (let alone a third or fourth). The cutoff for "home page" points (and hence "page view" points from people commenting or reading comments) has been greatly lessened. I don't know, but it might pay to adjust your output slightly in consideration of that. It's worth experimenting with.
3) New and shiny has worn off. People like to chase after the new and exciting. You're now so well established that people might take you for granted. Oh yeah, there's Gid... I have to read him... later after I read that nutcase over there who just popped up. Apathy can set in. Is that happening? I don't know. Could be.
4) Can't maintain commenting habits. I don't think you've been able to keep up your high comment to article ratio. As you know from your original analysis of top JU bloggers, that is very important.
5) Can't stoke articles. As an adjunct to #4, you can't opportunely time your responses to comments to keep your articles bounced into view. There's a certain art to the management of comment response that can greatly prolong the life and points of an article, as I am sure you are well aware. Your current situation just hasn't afforded you the time to do it probably.

So, I think once your ISP situation is stabilized you'll be able to address most of the problems. Till then, you're still doing far better than most people around here.


(I'm hoping ad banners on the sister site will help with the financial end of that deal)


By the way, I have some ideas in that regard that might help you. Email me. (genenash AT gmail DOT com)



[Okay, I'm loopy on all the medicine they've given me to fight a serious infection. If this is total nonsense, I'll disavow any knowledge of it at a later date. I think I reworked it enough to make it legible, but then I'm no judge right now. You should have seen it before I ran it through all the "checkers" I have. If this made no sense to anyone but me, I apologize. I shouldn't even be out of bed....]
Reply #24 from JoeUser Forums Top
Oh hell guys. Just be glad you are in the top 100. I'm out there in OuterSpace at number 185.


{Hello, Can anyone here me up there? Talk about the nosebleed section.}
Reply #25 from JoeUser Forums Top
Good thoughts, all. Gene, yeah, those probably have a lot to do with it, and I don't mind the 13 people above me, but when (it seems inevitable) I drop below Cooley, I think I'm gonna cry! What's next? Tracy Givens and the Fred Harteis blogs overtaking me?