I expected that much when I posted that “Bloggers are Big Cheaters”. I kinda knew i would be stepping on some toes, or tails if you like it phrased that way and I was surprised that it took so long for someone to come and contradict what I wrote. Maybe that’s because there isn’t many reading this blog or maybe bloggers have become so feeble that they don’t like opening up and sounding out their opinions anymore.
I was very happy that finally, Jenniffer Mattern took it upon herself to present her personal opinion on the issue of my views on “top ten list” and the abuse of good linkbaits and good copy writing. Now it is not my intention here to start a blog war, no matter how effective it is in garnering some publicity, but I think Jenn sort of took my post too personally to really ponder over what was written before she posted “More Bad News on Blog Stupidity“. Now, if i was to be petty, I would say Jennifer is calling me stupid, but like I say, let us not take posts too personally. She did not specifically called me stupid. She just implied that bloggers like me are stupid. 
Now let me clarify a few things. I did not say I was against Linkbaits and catchy titles. In fact I am all for them. Read paragraph two. I said I take baits willingly if I know there is something bigger at he end of the string. I go through all the links given out by Problogger. I lap up tips lists by Dosh Dosh and I religiously go through the whole “top ten list to blog the easy way” by Seth Godin. That’s just 3 of all the top blogs that I visits regularly. Why? That’s because I know the links provided by these people have a certain quality in them. I trust them to have gone over the links themselves, found it worthy, before presenting them to me or to us. If that is so, why then am I pissed about being baited?
The problem started when too many bloggers joined the bandwagon. They come up with lists after lists that they themselves have not gone through or maybe even visited, copying the list from someone else’s blog and dumping them into their blog before giving it the all visitor inducing title of “Top Ten Tips about XXX”. Now tell me, don’t you feel at least a little piss out if you come across post like this once too often? Don’t you feel cheated? Don’t you feel you were unfairly baited? And what do I do when I come across such posts? Like Jenn commented,
There’s a simple solution though… if you don’t like it, don’t click the link. Leave the blog. It takes less than a minute out of your life to just leave. And if the post really does lead you to something informative and worthwhile that you may otherwise have not found, then there’s really no reason to whine about it, now is there?
I leave, never to go back again.
I hope my short clarification here ends this controversy. I am not a very good blogger, maybe stupid even, but I try to learn along the way. One tip that I learned one day when I accidentally stumbled upon a blog with a domain that is almost identical as mine is sometimes a ” Contravercial Blog Posts are a good Thing” because the author said, among the 5 good things she listed,
Controversial blog posts often work well as pieces of link bait. They have a natural viral quality about them… if people hate what you say, they’ll link to you when they bitch about you on their own blog; if they love what you say, they’ll link to you to show support against all the naysayers.
I rest my case.
I certainly didn’t expect that you’d like my post, but I’m glad it at least got some discussion going for you, as it sounds like you were hoping for it.
I definitely didn’t take your post personally, so I’ll apologize if that’s how it sounded, and wasn’t necessarily calling you stupid directly, but rather referring to the constant stupid remarks put out on blogging by PR professionals, which I’ve been trying to bring some attention to lately. While your blog isn’t necessarily a PR blog, it was forwarded to me by someone in the industry, and put forth quite a few common issues I do hear about on that front. You just happened to be the example in front of me.
The big issue I was trying to point out is the very common assumption that if something has a catchy title, it’s linkbait, which is how your post came across in areas… and again, it was simply a catalyst b/c it happened to be the latest post brought to my attention. You did make a comment somewhere in there (regarding Copyblogger I believe) saying that linkbait should have quality information. I agree wholeheartedly, and spammy linkbait is something I find disgusting.
But writing a catchy title to link to a resource they feel is worth highlighting isn’t “jumping on the bandwagon” (at least in my opinion) - it’s just good blogging. As a blogger, it’s their job to get people to click on the titles, and it’s their job to pass along resources they think would benefit their readers.
As for bloggers who simply copy lists and call them their own (not what I gathered you were talking about exactly when I read your first post, thinking it was a more general complaint), there’s no excuse for them. I’d hardly even call them bloggers. But you’ve already got a nice system in place it seems… keep a list of trusted bloggers and walk away from the ones who post nothing but garbage.
Are those posts annoying? Sure. But I can’t imagine letting myself get too agitated by them… there’s just not enough time in the day to worry about people like that who don’t care enough about their own product to put real effort into it. I take solace in the fact that the vast majority of them will fall flat on their faces… it’s quite the comforting thought sometimes.
I’d ask how you’re coming across some of these kinds of blogs though, as they’re apparently much more common for you than some others. If through search engines, and they really bother you, maybe an idea would be to report them as a spam link to the Google Gods or whoever (assuming it’s just ripped content from someone else’s list).
lol Way to find that blog before it’s banished (merging it with another blog of mine next week actually). Controversial blog posts definitely have their benefits… like here, where we got a bit of discussion going on a valid issue. Most of my controversial posts are reserved for my PR blog, b/c half of the PR industry infuriates me when it comes to my specialty of online PR. It’s my little home where I can rant freely. And honestly, “free” is exactly how it can make you feel sometimes as a blogger. I’d consider it a very sad day when I decide to stop bitching on my blog just because I’m worried about what someone might think or say… or you for that matter. I’m certainly one to appreciate a different opinion, especially when someone’s ballsy enough to actually get into an issue rather than just letting it roll off their shoulders. There’s something to be said for good discussion in the blogosphere… what a boring place this would be without it!
Okay Jenn, let’s shake and be good friends from now on.
I guess catchy titles are OK as long as you have the contents to go with it. Many times I clicked on those PPS titles and at the end, it was just a 10 line post.
WTF? I do appreciate bloggers who dare to speak their mind. Too many bloggers dare not show their true self and that is a real shame.
lol Deal. I can be a real peach most of the time… promise.