January 17, 2006
the two immutable laws of blogging:
Forget power laws, A-Lister oligarchies, The Long Tail, The Cluetrain, The Hughtrain, Citizen’s Media, or any ideas of meritocracy, fraternity, democracy, equality or fairness.
The Two Immutable Laws of Blogging:
1. “Nobody’s going to read your blog unless there’s something in it for them.” –Seth Godin.
2. “Nobody’s going to link to your blog unless there’s something in it for them.” –Hugh MacLeod
Any questions?
[NOTE TO SELF:] Diversity. Freedom of Choice. Equality. Pick Two.
[NOTE TO SELF:] Paraphrasing Ben Hammersley: “Though markets may be conversations, conversations are also markets.”
thanks, Hugh. You’re so cynical! which is why humans love you so.
Here’s the $5 I promised you…
ROTFLMAO
注意!! 金融日記はﾈﾀですので、真に受けないでください
こんにちは。
藤沢Kazuです。
また、月曜日になってしまいましたね。
僕は経済学が想定するようなタイプの合理的な人間なので、実利に直結しない文学作品はそれほど読んでいなかっ…
That’s the truth indeed.
So I should be linking to you in hope of getting some of your awesome traffic? Maybe I should start putting up ad
Excellent.
Didn’t you mean, “pile of shit” ?
Great drawing… I like the way you see the famous funking long tail!
+ a seth’s comment, what a big blog!
Fact, fiction and truth
Today was one of great clarity for me. Good ol’ Hugh came out with a couple of blinders:
The Two Immutable Laws of Blogging:
1. “Nobody’s going to read your blog unless there’s something in it for them.” –Seth Godin.
2. …
You make it sound so dirty! I’d put it this way:
When your blog is entertaining or informative, “something is in it” for the reader as well as the blogger. Your blog is an excellent example of that.
When people find a link on your blog to another blog that is entertaining or informative, “something is in it” for the reader as well as for both bloggers.
If you can’t produce content that other people find entertaining or informative on a consistent basis, you should give it up. Bloggers fail just like musicians fail and novelists fail and enterpreneurs fail and on and on. The risk of being in the “pile of bodies” is part of every endeavor we undertake.
Right Scott! If you have never been in the “pile of bodies” you aren’t aiming high enough.
You linked to my rubbish blog and there was nothing in it for you. Really. You could have just written the story without the link. Although my traffic did go up HUGELY and I am greatful, there was really nothing in it for you.
Or was there
Oh god my head hurts and I think I am going to be sick.
Um…If a blogger keeps linking to rubbish, people will stop following the links — right? And maybe, eventually, stop visiting the blog altogether? (Or maybe I’m just hopelessly naive…)
Winners and Whiners
There’s an interesting post and comments discussion over at gapingvoid about why a few weblogs seem to flourish whilst the majority seem to go nowhere and a good wake up call for those who like to blame others for their
Orginal content, who really has original content in their blogs? Leslie Savan
sweet. very sweet.
so sweet that some gag on it.
Can’t help but react — Your note to self regarding diversity, freedom, and equality glosses over the fact that most would be happier with diversity, freedom, and dignity. If we can’t aim for all three the whole concept of civilation seems pretty shallow.
Exploding Traffic
It has now been just over 2 months since I moved this blog from Blogger to TypePad. There was an immediate increase in traffic to this blog after the move. Also, I started posted more often (nearly every day). The
That something, however, may no longer be money.
I doesn’t matter how viral you are for however many products or websites or businesses, your, or anyone’s, chances of making a living out of it is minimal.
On the other hand, giving away all this neat thinking may very well lead a lot of people to your blog and some of them to pay for something you have to sell.
But mostly not. Now, what the hell is the something that keeps people doing all this stuff for nothing, paying nothing for it and getting nothing, except ideas most of us will never use, back again?
now where’s my $5?
The Two Immutable Laws of Blogging.…