Bloggers Are A Lazy Apathetic Bunch

Woo Hooo! What a title!

If I’d written nothing else but that title I’d still be pleased with myself. I’ve been wanting to say that for ages.

When you read the title did you feel your hackles go up?

I hope so.

What I really wanted as a title was “Bloggers Are A Lazy Apathetic Bunch Who Don’t Help Themselves Or Others.”

Double Wooo Hoooo!

How’s that for provocative?

And now you’re waiting for me to say that I’m only kidding and that I was just trying to grab your attention.

That’s partly true. I was trying to grab your attention.

But I’m not kidding. I guess I’m taking a risk here. I’m deliberately trying to rattle your cage and I accept that it could backfire – but know this… I’m doing it for your own good!

I didn’t come here just to insult you, especially after all the support I’ve been given so far (and I’m grateful), I did also want to make an important point.

Let me just go back about two years when I started my first blog, a daddy blog. Fairly early on I wrote a post about being a stay at home dad and how it was the hardest work I’ve ever done. A lovely professional blogger by the name of Vered, who incidentally shares some great blog tips, shared my article on Stumble. I watched on as more and more people Stumbled the article. Over the first two days 3000 unique visitors came to my site. When I looked at the stats I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I thought all my birthdays had come at once.

3000 unique visits in 2 days is pretty small fry but for a brand new daddy blogger it was amazing.

Unfortunately I wasn’t really set up to retain many of those readers as I had no idea what I was doing – but my eyes were opened to the power of the social media.

Now, I need to balance that and say that huge one-off spikes in social media traffic don’t necessarily convert to readers or adsense clicks but over time a sustained campaign can raise the profile of a site. The site becomes important because other people say it is.

Let me ask you this… how many times have you read a post of a friend and left a comment saying how great it was only then to click away to something else? I have. I’ve done it loads of times and what a shame that is.

If only half a dozen readers were to Stumble the post it stands a reasonable chance of getting some traction and drawing in more readers. Doesn’t the author (the author you probably know quite well) deserve that? Without a single Stumble it stands no chance at all. You have to be in it to win it, as they say.

Surely even the humblest of mommy bloggers, mummy bloggers and daddy bloggers could use more readers? I don’t see the point in doing it otherwise.

So why if you found a decent post or a decent site wouldn’t you take a few seconds to bookmark it on the social media? For the answer refer back to the title of the post!

Because Bloggers Are Lazy and Apathetic!

OMG! Just when you thought the insults were finished!

I’ve been and gone and slapped you in the face with a wet fish! Again!

I’m biting the hand that feeds me!

I must be crazy!?

Are you mad as hell with me now?

Possibly, but you need to remember that I have your best interests at heart.

Besides I’m no better than anyone else. For the last couple of weeks I’ve been asking for Stumbles and Diggs etc, etc. but I haven’t been in a position to do the same myself. Until yesterday I didn’t have a Digg account nor a Delicious account.

I used to have a Stumble account and was very generous with my Stumbling but inevitably apathy set in and I stopped doing it – especially as my efforts were rarely reciprocated.

Get To The Point!

The point is… please make the effort to get on a few of the key social media sites and help your fellow bloggers. Many of you have seemingly endless lists of blogs in your sidebar and massive networks. It seems to me that mommy, mummy and daddy bloggers could rule the world if only they promoted each other a bit more.

(On a side note, there’s also a massive flaw in the way bloggers link to each other, but that’s an insulting post I’ll save for another day.)

So am I just going to sit here and insult you or am I going to put my money where my mouth is?

A little of both actually! (And now I really am kidding. I’ve finished with the insults )

This is what I really wanted to tell you…

I’ve signed up again for Stumble and I’ve signed up for Digg and Delicious. I’m already on Twitter so I feel I’m all set on what I’m calling “The Big Four”. (There are plenty of other social media sites, but joining them all is madness.)

As I’m only linking to quality sites here on Mister Good Guy (and don’t I make a big fuss about it?) it dawned on me that I should also be sharing those sites on Stumble, so that’s what I’m going to do. So from today, if you’re on the Mona Lisa, you’ll also be on Stumble.

Seriously, how could I ask you to bookmark my site if I’m not prepared to do the same in return?

So go on then, what do you think? Don’t you wish your readers would retweet your posts, Digg or Stumble them?

Or answer this one if you dare… Are bloggers lazy and apathetic? (or am I so far out of line that I need a slap upside the head?)

Thanks for reading.

Dave

Picture: Ollie Crafoord

Tagged as: bloggers are lazy, daddy bloggers, lazy, mommy bloggers, mummy bloggers, social media, stumble upon