Even Easier Ways To Repel Those Pesky Readers
You may have read "How To Make Readers Avoid Your Blog Like The Plague". While most of that (clearly excellent) advice was easy enough to integrate into your blogging habits, some of it required actual work. Do you need more work? Pshaw.Submitted For Your Approval
5 NEW items that:
- Will send readers running for the hills
- Require absolutely no effort!
There are still too many people who prefer to receive posts by email (as my email subscribers will attest). If you were to take the 10 to 30 minutes required to provide this option, you'd be running the substantial risk of increasing your readership. Ouch.
2. Avoid Research
Any amount of research will make your posts far too valuable. When I declared that "Winners Use StumbleUpon", for instance, it generated way too much interest. I could have repelled so many more readers just by changing the headline to "StumbleUpon: A Service" and following up with "I like it." Live and learn.
3. Discover Something Valuable? Take No Action
Anything that piques your interest, makes you think, or compels you to learn more has far too many good things going for it. Sharing it with your readers might require research and creative thinking when explaining how it applies to them. If you were to do that, people might start thinking of you as a resource for fresh and unique ideas. Not the best way to stunt your blog's growth.
4. Ix-nay On The Risk-Taking
Many readers like writers who have a clear voice. Luckily, most of us don't begin with such a voice. To find it, we'd have to take risks and get out of our comfort zone.
We all know where our comfort zone is because we know when we're leaving it. Are we uncomfortable because we're unsure of the outcome, or because we don't really believe in what we're doing? Too much thinking - too much work. Not only is it too much work, but it's work that leads to a clear and confident voice. Readers like that too much.
5. Do. Not. Network.
Just because I like reading Liz Strauss, Andy Beard and Chris Garrett doesn't mean I have to actually talk to them, does it? Talking is work, and it leads to learning, inspiration, linking back and forth, and so on. That way lies too many readers.
Just because I notice good things about Avinash, Sania Wyatt, Jon Phillips, or Two Knives doesn't mean I should link to them as a conversation-opener, does it? Conversations with new people leads to broader horizons and new ideas; making you just too damn appealing to avoid a larger readership.
That is all.
And A Question For You:
What drives you away from a blog?
You don't have to talk to me, but I'll talk to you anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. It's just what I needed tonight.
Liz
Liz!
ReplyDeleteYour comments at Performancing were part of the inspiration for this post. Thanks for raising the level wherever you go.:)
-j
Another interesting read! The nice thing is that each and every time, your articles teach me something unique that improves my quality pretty much, as I think!
ReplyDeleteLet's take "Email Subscription" option as an example. I've been using FeedBurner since I started blogging, I always kept planning to put the Email Subscription box in my sidebar, but never really did it.
I'm gonna add the email subscription option in my sidebar NOW.
And as far as your "Winners Use StubmleUpon" post is concerned, I think it changed my life!
Finally, thanks for mentioning me in this article!
hehe that was a good read John!
ReplyDeleteyour blog (and others, like Liz blog) is the reason why i have netvibe as my homepage! There's always useful stuff to read so!
Woah, I started blogging.. what? like less that 5 months ago! where was i hiding all those years? so much helpful infos!! :)
Hi Avinash(2.0),
ReplyDeleteWe're learning from each other, good sir. I thought I was pretty cool just for making my logo more 2.0-ish, and then look what you went and did.:)
-j
Yo Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel - if only we had started doing this 3-5 years ago (or earlier). Better late than never, eh?
-j
Thnx for mentioning me as a good thing! Basically I have to do the opposite of what you are mentioning to get more readers! ;)
ReplyDeleteHey Sania,
ReplyDeleteI'm always on the lookout for good things, and people. :)
-j
I liked the post. Popup Ads. Best way to repel pesky readers. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the new logo btw!
Yo Maki,
ReplyDeleteHaha, that's got to be near #1.
Good to hear positive feedback on the logo. Thank you, sir.
-j
lol, I love it!
ReplyDeleteLong, long posts.
ReplyDeleteCollis: Thanks! Glad to hear that.
ReplyDeleteTK: Yeah, that one is especially significant for me when checking a new blog out.
-j
Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeletePoor spelling and grammar do it for me every time.
Hi drsharna,
ReplyDeleteCan't disagree with that one. Functional language helps.
-j