What I’m reading: The Maytrees by Annie Dillard
What’s on the iPod: Restless by Chris Bathgate
Another slow day yesterday, but I’m making hay with it. I met another freelancer for lunch and we enjoyed swapping not so much work stories, but life stories. Those are infinitely more interesting, and you get to see the layers of a person. How very cool.
Later, I worked on my website. I have an awesome Web designer who had given me an updated site. A year ago. I know, I know. Get on it. But I was so busy with client projects that I didn’t have the spare hours to put it up, for I knew I’d find a way to break it.
It wasn’t a critical break – just images. One word from my Web guru and I was back on track. Except I couldn’t possibly put that same tired copy back on that site, and didn’t I want to add something else? And so it snowballed….
I’m still tweaking it, but I’m going to devote today to marketing first. I have one client project, a few invoices to get out, then the free time is mine.
At lunch yesterday, my freelancer friend and I talked a little about honor. Actually, we wondered out loud about the lack of commitment some freelancers have to their own word. In a few cases in recent months, a few freelance writers have acted directly against everything they’d been saying and in a few cases, against their own advice. These weren’t cases of someone realizing the error of their ways – these were people who one week were pro-this or anti-that and the next week they’d change their tune entirely with no warning.
In at least two cases, the money talked. In another, the motive wasn’t clear. Then it dawned on me – someone was saying outrageous things in order to drive blog traffic. Did the writer mean all those reversals? From this chair, I have my doubts.
It’s true controversy drives blog traffic to your site. I saw a huge spike in visitors during the Demand Studios debate. However, it spent me. I don’t enjoy firestorms, and I didn’t like the atmosphere that came with it. For me, it’s just not worth it to incite mini riots just to prove to myself I’m popular. I don’t care about popularity. I care about building something useful and true.
I suppose it’s about what you’re trying to accomplish with your blog. If you enjoy flip-flopping on critical issues just to get the numbers up on your site, go for it. Just count me out of the readership. Like reality tv, it’s artificial.
But it’s easier to market an argument, isn’t it? There’s no legwork involved, no need to spread the word about your efforts (the arguers do that for you), and no real reason to offer anything beyond controversy. The question is how much do you want the traffic and how much do you want the integrity?
12 responses to “Driving Traffic the Organic Way”
I'd sooner the integrity, any day. Any traffic should then be the right kind.
Hi Lori:
Something I have found as I get older is that some things are just not worth the energy. It doesn't mean I am any less passionate, it's more that life's too short to work myself up over something no one is going to remember in 100 years (or next week).
That's a personal life choice. I fully support others who want to share their passion – loudly or with everything they've got, if it is something they feel strongly about. But, to do it for the attention or a few more hits – please.
If you stay true to yourself, the rest comes along. It may not be in the form of more blog traffic, but that's okay. In the end, it's me looking back in that mirror.
It's one thing to stand for a position, discover you've got the facts wrong, admit it, and change your mind. But be honest about it.
Controversy for controversy's sake soon burns out, and, if you keep doing it, you lose credibility.
Stand up for what you believe in; if you change your position, talk honestly about WHY, and then keep your word.
I know you were talking about bloggers, Lori, but your last couple of paragraphs also describe all of those pundits on cable news channels. Stirring up controversy just to get ratings.
My favorite talk radio show (I've long considered the on-air staff to be my virtual co-workers) recently added an antagonistic blowhard to the mid-morning shift. They moved my favorite guy to afternoons to make room for this jerk. They rearranged the scheduled. The good host worked 9-noon and now works 12:30-3:00 while the new jerk's show is the longest daytime show on the station, 8:30-1:00. They even shaved 30 minutes off the morning drive guy's shift, cutting him back to 3.5 hours. Makes me wonder what the jerk has on the GM. He broaches inflammatory topics then shouts over people who disagree with him, sometimes he even mocks them. Of course, his normal speaking voice sounds like he's shouting. I really hope his ratings tank.
Ah, love Annie Dillard.
I do agree that it's a matter of what your goal is. And let's be realistic, much of what we're discussing in the freelanceosphere are molehills, not mountains. Anybody who can get *that* stridently worked up over content mills (or whatever) probably isn't someone I care to spend much time around!
Very true, Diane.
Cathy, I've found the same. I'd much rather stick with something that feels true than play games. Too much work! LOL
Devon, I think there's a mindset growing regarding that very thing – controversy breeds hits. Well it may, but it doesn't last. Those people go away. You may get one or two new followers, but at what cost to your regular readers?
Paula, I was thinking about the reality shows, too. It's too similar. They're so busy "shocking" us that we're becoming immune.
Jake, very good point. FYI, only one was a content mill issue. The others were shocking in other ways. But still – if you're getting fluffed up every day about the same thing, you soon sound like one of those records from the eighties that just WON'T get out of your head….
I guess I'm just blissfully unaware of things, unless I happen to catch a discussion that links to the controversy. But doing it just to gain traffic? Eh, I wouldn't do it. Not worth the headache.
I don't know if I want you seeing all my layers Lori. 😛
As for the issue of blog controversy, it definitely drives traffic. And as you pointed out, it can also be draining. I built a whole blog (NakedPR.com — now re-branded) on controversy. But it was never about traffic. It was about being a voice of reason in an industry (Digital PR and social media) where everyone spins their hype and buzzwords until you want to vomit and get off the ride. So that blog was about pointing out the echo chamber's issues, and saying what others wouldn't say. And it was nice while it lasted. I met wonderful colleagues who had simply been too afraid to speak up before and needed someone else to go first. And I even befriended some of the people I ripped into the hardest who would come to me with things like "you know, I never looked at it that way." While I'm keeping a slightly different tone on the blog w/ the new social media-only focus, I doubt that's going to change. But doing that successfully means you have to really have something to say — not just say something to get people talking. Eventually they figure out that game and you risk turning your site into a joke. And that's just not worth it.
Jenn, your approach is different. You didn't say "I hate this kind of business practice" one week, then the next say "You HAVE to try this – it's the BEST!"
I get what you mean, though. Intelligent controversy is so much different than someone trying to grab ratings.
Becky, I've been noticing a lot of weird practices lately. I have way too much time on my hands. LOL
I agree 100% with Diane. The only kind of traffic I want on my blog is a community of integrity and humility. I know there will be others who just want to bash, but they will soon burn themselves out.
@Devon – You make an excellent point, "Stand up for what you believe in; if you change your position, talk honestly about WHY, and then keep your word." The biggest part is explaining the WHY. We are actually working on that with our kids. Getting them to explain why they did something and teaching them they will not get in trouble for explaining why, but we need to understand what they are thinking so we can help them make better decisions…
Great post Lori, and one thing I love about your blog, even though you want to get something out in the air, you are not willing to flame anyone or call anyone out. That, my friend, is true classiness. 😉
The trouble with creating controversy just for traffic is the traffic doesn't stick… I want folks to come back because they find something of value on a consistent basis… but you know that.
Exactly that, Anne. You offer something solid and consistent. That's why I'd follow you through fire. 🙂
Thanks, Sal. I appreciate the kind words and friendship. 🙂