I used to write for someone who based the success of each blog post on how many Diggs it received. The problem was, this led to spike and decline traffic patterns and a transient community. I’ve since come to learn that Diggs and Stumbles are fun, especially if other people submitted our posts, but it’s more rewarding to watch my blog achieve organic, rather than forced growth.
Linkbait v. Community
I don’t think “linkbait” is a dirty word as some of my peers do. All bloggers wants folks to link to their blogs or show love to something they wrote. However, I don’t write with links or Diggs in mind, I write for the people who come here every day to read and share. I don’t achieve the huge spikes traffic that Diggbaits receive, but my traffic is showing a steady increase each day. I’m also noticing a loyal community is beginning to evolve. This doesn’t happen with blog posts that are written to gain links and Diggs over appealing to the people in the community.
My stats are showing that this blog isn’t yet achieving huge traffic numbers, but rather, there is a slow, steady rise happening. The people who are visiting Kommein are coming back for more. The people who come from Diggs and Stumbles don’t necessarily return.
How Do You Measure Success?
To me, true success isn’t how many people voted on something I wrote. It’s the people who like what they see after reading one post, and come back for more.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy watching a blog post go viral, but after the smoke clears all I had was a one day spike in traffic. That’s why some of my clients at first hired the folks who can get them the votes with Digg or Sphinn. Then when they realize their wild traffic patterns aren’t doing anything to truly grow their traffic and community, they hire people like me to cultivate traffic and community the right way. When you pay for votes, that’s all you get. Votes.
What Does Your Experience Tell You?
How does it work for you with your blogs? Do you write to Digg or grow community by offering something useful? Is your blog filled with linkbait and if so, how is that working for you?
