Are We Facing A Rumble Over BlogRush?

Some stats are trickling in if you log into your BlogRush account to check what are showing on the Dashboard. Over at Problogger, Darren Rowse had indicated that he had gotten some good and bad things about his initial BR results.

But if you checked the comments coming in response to his post, the early impression is that most of those who are using the BR widgets are expressing some disappointments with their results.

Early indications are not encouraging from the majority of comments although a few have expressed some satisfaction with their results so far. I wouldn't jump the gun right now until we get a clearer picture of this so-called web traffic generator from Income.com.

In my previous post, I did mention that compelling post titles are the key to attract clicks. Up till now, I have seen widgets with post headlines that are mostly a run-of-the-mill affair. How to get people to click on them when they don't have the "Wow" factor?

However, in response to the negative vibes, the BlogRush people have shot off an email to users to explain why many members are reporting low click-through rates on the impressions for their blog post titles. Redwall_hp over at Webmaster-Source had posted some of the excerpts from the BR email.

This is a small-time blog if you want to compare it with the likes of Problogger, Shoemoney, or John Chow, but I guess, at this point in time, I can feel satisfied with the BlogRush results. And not just because of the widget. I think it also comes down to the content you write that helps to keep the interest intact.

Here's a couple of stats from my account dashboard that just came in:





















Of related interest:
BR rushed and slam- dunked within one week

Squeeze More Juice Out Of BlogRush

BlogRush is being written all over the Blogosphere. From what I have observed, there are more pros than cons with this blog syndicaton network system that's supposed to get you more traffic which is what every blog needs.

Having installed the widget on this blog since last Saturday, I feel a need to write about BR again. I'm beginning to get this idea about what the free BlogRush service is really all about. You can take my word for it or leave it.

#1 - You have to understand that it's all about web traffic generation (as obviously stated by John Reese of Income.com, the man behind the launch of BR). But you must have a strategy to drive that traffic.

#2 - Optimize your blog once you have the BR widget installed.
What does that mean? Basically, it's all about getting the attention of bloggers who are looking at the five post headlines on their widgets.

If you're looking at the widget, which headline would you click on first? Your right, it's the most compelling headline as related to your interest that gets the first click...and off you go to visit Blog X.

Assuming you're not the only person who's attracted by that headline, then there'll be more visitors to Blog X - just because of that compelling headline. So we must give credit to Blog X for being so clever with catchy headlines.

This is the advice given by BlogRush: "You can dramatically increase your click-rate (visitors sent to your blog) by learning to create more effective blog post titles."

Yes, that's your strategy. Write compelling headlines for your posts. Write headlines that sell and you'll see the "rush" to your blog. Personally, I think this is the most important aspect of BlogRush.

One more thing to remember...

Look at the headlines in the widget and you'll notice that you should not write long titles - about 7 to 8 snappy words at the most will be just right to show a complete headline in the widget. Avoid words with too many syllabus like "improvements," "conference," "implementation," etc. Most importantly, avoid the over-hyped phrase "How to make money online" or something to that effect in the post title. I guess most people are sick of it.

Also avoid label headlines because they look dull, boring and unimaginative. Do you ever see any label headlines in newspapers? Here are some examples of label headlines:

Google PageRank
Paid Reviews
SmortyMy Best Friend
PPP Conference
Wonderful Day

The art of writing compelling headlines is not everyone's cup of tea. But it can be learned once you have observed how others are writing their headlines, especially the ones that make you say "Wow!"

#3 - Get categorized in the right niche. When you sign up with BlogRush you need to place your blog in a certain category or topic, i.e. automotive, business, entertainment, computer & Internet, lifestyle, writing & literature, news & media, personal diary, etc.

The trick here is to place your blog under a topic which you think could create greater exposure. It need not be quite relevant to your blog. At this stage it's not easy to tell how this will work out but, I guess, you'll have to test it out. If one topic doesn't seem to generate much exposure, you can always try another one.

This is one area where BR could have a more comprehensive list of categories because some blogs could neither fit in here nor there if you get my drift.

#4 - Location of the widget is crucial. If the widget is "hidden" far down the page then it's not likely to get much notice from visitors. Ideally, it should be "above the fold" but some bloggers are so dead set against this idea. Like it or not, it has got to be up there.
One final thought

Following this optimization approach to get BR traffic is well and good, but if you don't post often enough the traffic may slow down until you start to post again with greater frequency. And remember, write compelling post titles and as always maintain quality content (Yeah, as if it hasn't been mentioned before!)

At this point, the BlogRush people are making efforts to deal with some early glitches in the system. I think it's fair to wait a while before jumping to conclusion.

Of related interests:
BlogRush making waves on the Internet

Grab It! Or Snap Out Of It!

One Man's Meat Is Another Man's Poison: Some people are snapping up Snap Preview Anywhere because they think this pop-up widget is cool and helpful. For others, they are snapping back because they think this gimmick is downright annoying or even a pain in the you-know-where.

Love It Or Hate It: Since it was made available to users sometime last year, Snap Preview Anywhere has, like PayPerPost, come under some heavy artillery fire. But not without some defensive manoeuvre by those who see some benefits coming from it.

What's The Intended User Benefit?: Erik Wingren, head of Snap UX Research says:

"In a nutshell, our product is intended to enable users to 'look before leaping', saving many people a wasted click. I will, however, be the first to admit that this is a product that some people don't like, and this is why we have made sure to include a simple method to opt-out for those who don't like it (click the 'options' menu in the upper right of the preview bubble)."

Here are some gathered views on the pros and cons. You come to your own conclusion.

Snap Pros:

• You can hover over links to make sure you type the URLs correctly.
  
  
• You can quickly test for link rot in your blogroll and other links.
  
  
• User can get a glimpse of where the link is at.
  
  
• Not a gimmick but a step forward to a new service dimension for blog readers.

Snap Cons:

• Annoying because when it hovers over a link its view is blocked by the pop-up.
  
  
• Previewing functionality is indiscriminate. Every single link on the page gets this preview.
  
  
• The technology loads more javascripts onto a page, affecting loading times.
  
  
• It draws the eye away from the task at hand, causes annoyance and loss of concentration.
  
  
• It's bling, a silly little shiney thing designed specifically to increase awareness of Snap.com.
  
  Well, to each his own. So where do you stand, folks?