Comments on: My 3 rules for Social Media voting http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html Tech' views that are 667% more interesting than the tech' news itself... Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:10:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Wayne Smallman http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-3390 Wayne Smallman Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:22:37 +0000 http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-3390 Hi Chris! As you get more and more into blogging and submitting stuff, you (quite inevitably) end up with less and less time. So you have to make the most of what time you have, which is partly the reasoning behind this article. Yes, there are times when I read off-topic stuff, but it's not often. BTW, you should post your stuff onto Plurk, which is a good place to get some exposure... Hi Chris!

As you get more and more into blogging and submitting stuff, you (quite inevitably) end up with less and less time.

So you have to make the most of what time you have, which is partly the reasoning behind this article.

Yes, there are times when I read off-topic stuff, but it’s not often.

BTW, you should post your stuff onto Plurk, which is a good place to get some exposure…

]]> By: Chris http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-3387 Chris Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:04:15 +0000 http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-3387 Thanks for this Wayne - you make some great points there. So far, most of the stuff I've been sent online is stuff I would actually read, but there are always those few duff articles that I wouldn't give screen-space to. I usually do the same as you: if I'm asking for a Digg or a Stumble I ask people to do it <em>if they like the article</em>. Otherwise I'm not getting real feedback on how I'm doing with my writing. If I hit social-media gold (and so far only one post on my site has done that... and it was written by someone else!) then I can be confident that it's because it's actually a good article and not just a bunch of my friends voting stuff up because they don't want to upset me :) Thanks for this Wayne - you make some great points there. So far, most of the stuff I’ve been sent online is stuff I would actually read, but there are always those few duff articles that I wouldn’t give screen-space to. I usually do the same as you: if I’m asking for a Digg or a Stumble I ask people to do it if they like the article. Otherwise I’m not getting real feedback on how I’m doing with my writing.

If I hit social-media gold (and so far only one post on my site has done that… and it was written by someone else!) then I can be confident that it’s because it’s actually a good article and not just a bunch of my friends voting stuff up because they don’t want to upset me :)

]]> By: Wayne Smallman http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2550 Wayne Smallman Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:33:14 +0000 http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2550 Yeah, thankfully, we're not that rare a breed, you & I! BTW, I've edited your URL to the article I commented on. That way, we've got a dialogue in place. Speak soon, fella! Yeah, thankfully, we’re not that rare a breed, you & I!

BTW, I’ve edited your URL to the article I commented on. That way, we’ve got a dialogue in place.

Speak soon, fella!

]]> By: James Duthie http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2548 James Duthie Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:41:10 +0000 http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2548 Nice article Wayne and I'm obviously with you on this one. Blind voting leads social media down a popularity contest path, and I believe detracts from its purpose of revealing great content. And of course, as you point out it just creates more noise. Nice article Wayne and I’m obviously with you on this one. Blind voting leads social media down a popularity contest path, and I believe detracts from its purpose of revealing great content. And of course, as you point out it just creates more noise.

]]> By: Wayne Smallman http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2489 Wayne Smallman Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:08:29 +0000 http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2489 Hi there Heidi! That's a good justification / explanation of what I'm trying to achieve. It's a shame that some people I've had friend me have done so thinking I'm just some kind of vote for hire. When I explain that's not how it works, they quickly unfriend me and then move on. Which is a shame. BTW, for some reason, your comment ended up being eaten by Akismet. I think the mention of Parsley tipped things... Hi there Heidi!

That’s a good justification / explanation of what I’m trying to achieve.

It’s a shame that some people I’ve had friend me have done so thinking I’m just some kind of vote for hire.

When I explain that’s not how it works, they quickly unfriend me and then move on.

Which is a shame.

BTW, for some reason, your comment ended up being eaten by Akismet. I think the mention of Parsley tipped things…

]]> By: Heidi Cool http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2483 Heidi Cool Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:29:07 +0000 http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2483 All good points Wayne. I think you strike at the heart of two goals of recommendation sites. 1) For site owners/marketers: Promote quality sites to interested users to gain more traffic and sell product, services or whatever. 2) For readers: to share high quality sites with like-minded readers who would like to read the material. What many marketers forget is that this isn't just a numbers game. If I get 5,000 of my nearest and dearest to Stumble my site on organic farming it will probably bring more traffic, but it will be traffic with a high bounce rate. If I'm selling parsley seeds it doesn't matter if I get 5,000 or 5 million visitors. What matters is that I get enough visitors who want to buy parsley seeds for me to make a profit. We have to target our audience. Likewise our audience may go to the front page of Digg to see what's hot, but they'll only click on the things of interest. Similarly they'll follow your Diggs and Stumbles to find things on topics that they like that you have a habit of sharing. It's pretty basic marketing, but people seem to forget it. Sites like Digg and StumbleUpon are great for marketers and readers because they have the ability to serve both goals, to match people to the material they are interested in. But if we all Stumbled or Dugg everything that came our way, we'd be sifting through the same detritus we did before. The sorting mechanism would be gone, and from a marketing perspective it would be about as effective as me advertising my parsley seeds during a World Wide Wrestling Federation match-up. Lots of people would see the ad, but really how many would care? All good points Wayne. I think you strike at the heart of two goals of recommendation sites.

1) For site owners/marketers: Promote quality sites to interested users to gain more traffic and sell product, services or whatever.

2) For readers: to share high quality sites with like-minded readers who would like to read the material.

What many marketers forget is that this isn’t just a numbers game. If I get 5,000 of my nearest and dearest to Stumble my site on organic farming it will probably bring more traffic, but it will be traffic with a high bounce rate. If I’m selling parsley seeds it doesn’t matter if I get 5,000 or 5 million visitors. What matters is that I get enough visitors who want to buy parsley seeds for me to make a profit. We have to target our audience.

Likewise our audience may go to the front page of Digg to see what’s hot, but they’ll only click on the things of interest. Similarly they’ll follow your Diggs and Stumbles to find things on topics that they like that you have a habit of sharing.

It’s pretty basic marketing, but people seem to forget it. Sites like Digg and StumbleUpon are great for marketers and readers because they have the ability to serve both goals, to match people to the material they are interested in.

But if we all Stumbled or Dugg everything that came our way, we’d be sifting through the same detritus we did before. The sorting mechanism would be gone, and from a marketing perspective it would be about as effective as me advertising my parsley seeds during a World Wide Wrestling Federation match-up. Lots of people would see the ad, but really how many would care?

]]> By: Paula http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2481 Paula Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:56:56 +0000 http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2481 Crap was a strong word... not all that I get is crap, just that if I wouldn't read it on my own anyhow, I find that it is getting in my way! Crap was a strong word… not all that I get is crap, just that if I wouldn’t read it on my own anyhow, I find that it is getting in my way!

]]> By: Wayne Smallman http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2480 Wayne Smallman Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:31:21 +0000 http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2480 Hi Paula! In fairness, a lot of what gets sent to me isn't crap, but merely stuff that isn't core to what I write about, or what I'm interested in. We've only got so many hours in the day! So I have to be disciplined in my reading habits... Hi Paula! In fairness, a lot of what gets sent to me isn’t crap, but merely stuff that isn’t core to what I write about, or what I’m interested in.

We’ve only got so many hours in the day! So I have to be disciplined in my reading habits…

]]> By: Paula http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2479 Paula Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:05:33 +0000 http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/03/my-3-rules-for-social-media-voting.html#comment-2479 I like your rules. I have been ignoring requests for votes more and more.... hopefully one day I will be as strong as you and be able to say no to <em>all</em> the crap that is sent to me! :) I like your rules. I have been ignoring requests for votes more and more…. hopefully one day I will be as strong as you and be able to say no to all the crap that is sent to me! :)

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