Wednesday, February 23, 2005

The Blog Roadside

If you're like me you are probably wondering "What's up with the blogside 'signage?'"
I'm referring to the sidebar space on almost any blog in cyberspace. Many of these spaces are lined with squared-off icon-links, affectionately called "chicklets." They advertise and link to services bloggers frequently use. Services include blog directories, XML and RSS feeds (more about this later), and services like BlogExplosion and BlogCrowd that promise to deliver traffic if you log on and sprint-click willy-nilly through other people's weblogs clicking ratings radio buttons as fast as you can. I tried BlogExplosion on my other blog, http://strongcoffee.blogspot.com . It was NOT a pleasing experience-- something to be said for usability if you're beyond the age of 25. The user experience-- for me-- was much like a mosh pit of blogs.

But I'm like everyone else when it comes to learning something new. I subscribe to the practice of follow-the-leader. But which leader? Does every blogger know what she/he is doing? Clearly some do. They make it to the top of Google's search results. Any career coach worth their salt would recommend using the successful blogs as my blog role model. Anyhow my role model list is still fairly small and untried...

But, back to blog signage. I have begun to subscribe to the practice. I have seen some regulars posted on the roadside shoulder of quite a few blogs, so I went with those first. Like roadside bill-boards-- they are just there. I see them, some I like, some I don't.

Lemme run down the little ditties I have added and why.

  • The "I Power Blogger" is the proprietary icon of Blogger, the software interface. I din't add it, just comes with the package. It has a cool look, too.
  • FeedBurner. I love this one. This site powers my RSS feed. Their sign-up is easy to use. The code I copied into my template makes it possible for aggregators to subscribe to updates to my site. More on RSS later, but in the meantime Threadwatch.org has an article called "The 10 Minute RSS Primer," http://www.threadwatch.org/node/1340 although it pretty specifically applies to Bloglines' service.
  • Blogarama is a blog directory. Adding my blog's URL to their bloglist was easy. Their site is navigable and not mucked up with pop-up ads. Easy to paste the little chicklet banner. I had the choice to go more minimal with the sidebar banner or super-size it. I don't know how long it takes for their editors to approve the site, though.
  • Blogwise is a popular blogside attraction I've noted, so I'm giving it a whirl. Once again, rather easy sign up and they have a few different icon/banners to choose from. But, get this, 18 days before my site is approved for their directory, they have that many blogs in the pipeline. Is this king of popularity a good thing?
  • Technorati is a sleek-looking site, nice greens and grays along with plenty of whitespace. I feel like I'm joining a club for blogging professionals with this one. Sign-up is free and easy. The only confusing thing about it at this brief relationship juncture is that I either need to find a way to add a ping script to my template (not sure yet if that's possible with Blogger) or ping Technorati manually, by visiting their site, every time my blog is updated with a new post. I can create a "Watchlist" by choosing blogsites or keywords--their brand of RSS aggregator. Technorati also has rather extensive links for developers. I like that kind of open-source opportunity, too.
  • Blog Search Engine. Hmmmm. This was the first blog list I added my URL to. They claim that by linking back to them it will give me "higher rankings." Honestly, I'm not sure I care about their rankings. Blog Search Engine's site was so gummed up with pop-ups it made navigating frustrating and ultimately impossible. I finally closed the browser window altogether. So, if you are reading this, be warned.

This is what I've tried so far. There aren't many people who write about these curious phenomena, either. Comprehensive lists are hard to come by, but here's one that stands out-- Ari Paparo's "Big List of Blog Search Engines," http://www.aripaparo.com/archive/000632.html .

posted by jrotman @ 7:10 AM