Blog posts on InSide919

[Dave Baldwin]

Is it just me, or does anyone else notice people posting blog entries that are basically just advertisements? I really wish people wouldn't do this.

Fortunately, there's still a lot of value content showing up in the blog stream, and I'd really like to keep it that way. The front page of InSide919, for me, has become somewhat like a "virtual town hall." It's an easy place to see what everybody's talking about. I like that I can see at a glance what activity has been taking place on the network through here. Unfortunately, this will be lost if too many people start to use the blogging function as an advertising channel. I think that pure solicitations pollute the stream and reduce its overall value.

What I think works the best: active discussions in the local community about relevant topics.

What does everyone else think about this?

[Michelle Courtney Gower]

I've written several posts about this very thing in varying aspects--spraying the comment wall with your 'thought of the day' or the like. I held back from posting about this topic like Leslie did because I didn't want to come off as Miss Sassypants. :o) Now, interestingly, the other posts I wrote about this type of behavior (in other areas of 919) got a few Hell Yeahs, but it seemed that the very behavior I questioned only got worse after saying something about it.

If you blog twice a year and it's only to beg for donations, or every blog you post simply says sponsor our newsletter, here it is, where is the value in that? How does it help you to be 'skipped over', as Leslie points out? It doesn't. The problem is, you either have the mentality that you simply need to shout more and louder, OR enough people respond favorably to it that it validates the method.

But I do want to take a moment to point out a perspective I don't think anyone has considered re: approving comments. I approve comments and will continue to do so. I don't apologize for it. But I'll share why I do.

Plain and simple, it helps me interact with commenters better. I know, shocking. But I am not at a place often where I can go into my Outlook and click on forty links to take me back to the same blog posts over and over, let alone go and search it out and look up individual posts simply to see if anyone has made a comment. It's far easier for me, when I log in to 919, to see "9 blog comments" on the sidebar. I can then click on that link and see all comments on the same page, no matter what blog post(s) they belong to. I can then approve and immediately interact with them, rather than not seeing them for four days and losing discussion ability. A good side effect is it does clear out spam (by my definition).

I also moderate comments, but that's because I've been hit with too many spam, thought of the day, event postings, and mile-long signatures disguised as true welcome comments to want to see legitimate commenters pushed off the page where others can see them. Period.

I have approved (so to speak) all but 3 comments. Of those three, one was spam, one was misdirected, and one would have encouraged folks to click through to something I didn't have available. Of all the other comments, I've gotten some good discussions going out of them. Some buttons, pushed, too. In fact, one person told me recently that he'd ranted about my blog post to his networking group. Well, good! You did what I wanted. You created dialogue. That's the most important thing.

Recently I made a comment on someone else's blog. It was deleted (not moderated). It was only upon going back and seeing the rest of the comments and their interaction that I had actually interrupted their sales pitch. That's what I get for thinking you were making a legitimate post rather than using responses as a lead-in to pitch yourself. So that pendulum swings both ways.

I personally don't care what you use the blog for--there are best and worst practices for every kind of tool.

[Olalah Njenga]

Wonderful discussion going on here, which has certainly struck a chord for many. I feel the same way about people who include their profession or tagline with their name, making their "name" so incredibly long that I can't remember what their actual name is.

[Leslie Flowers, Change Agent]

@Dave It IS happening (local stores). We each must make a conscious choice and lead by example. That is what we are doing here.

I use inside919 entrepreneur vendors every chance I get. I do what I love and pretty much hire the experts to do what they love. It's all about interdependent entrepreneurship and creative imagination -- how we do business in this unfolding new era.

I use local vendors every chance I get. It is now a habit for me. It must be done intentionally and consistently to become a habit.

I'm not surprised at the discussion response. YOU said what I WAS THINKING. That will always spark a discussion. And, Dave, you have a great way of articulating.

What I especially love is the objectivity of this discussion (and most on inside919). That is direct communication where people seem to not take things personally and look at the bigger picture before them. That tells me that human conscious awareness is flourishing instead of disintegrating (the only two ways it goes).

[Pat Howlett]

Dave, I saw your post and wanted to stay on the sidelines for this conversation... but then thought that if I did not comment it might appear that I did not know this important topic was going on. I'm many time torn from staying the 'fly on the wall' or becoming the 'advocate/educator'.

I need to share the 'Official inSide919 Perspective'... A person's 'Blog' like their Profile is "Their's" to do with what they like.

As everyone knows, I do try to have Administrative input on Bulk Email (okay, I'm a pain in the arsh about it) but... Your Blog is Your Blog! If you want to only 'PROMOTE'' yourself and your stuff you CAN - but as you can see from this post - it will NOT have the positive effect you wanted.

"Promotion" will NEVER work in a Social Network - unless your definition of 'working' is to tick people off and have them think you don't know how to make a real relationship.

I also need to share that NO Monitoring goes on with Blogging (outside of useing 'family friendly' language) I will let you shoot yourself in the head with self-promotion if you want.

If you 'need' to 'Promote' something I would like you to go to the 'Introduce Yourself and what you do' Forum Area (only 129 Posts) or if you have something that you feel a need to Announce - please use the 'inSider Announcements' (only 51 posts) Forum area.

I truly WANT this Network to help you Grow your business - I did not set this up as an alternative to eHarmony - but there are 'Best Practices' in everything - and self promotion is very low on the 'best of list'.

I would love to help folks better understand this but sadly, the folks who 'should' come to one of the Free 'How to use inSide919 to Grow your Business' trainings will never come - they are still toooo busy doing things the old 'spray and pray' way.

If you're reading this and you want to know "HOW' to make this Network for you. Please contact me and we'll get on the phone and without cost to you I'll share some ideas. I sooooo want you to be successful here - it keeps me up at night :).

[Dave Baldwin]

I'm very pleased to see the level of discussion that's opened up around this blog post - this was a bit unexpected! A lot of the points that people raised in here pointed to the real value of this web site. I don't know of any other place where I can post a blog entry and have this many comments appear on it, all of which are from people in my local geographic region! The interactive nature of this site is where the gold can be found.

That's why I think it's so crucial to preserve the integrity of the blogging feature on here - there's some amazing potential that could be vastly expanded upon. Here's the pattern I see. The more people comment on a blog post, the more visibility it gets. So, whenever someone posts a blog entry on a highly relevant topic that interests a lot of people, it could actually create a "snowball effect!"

@Leslie - what you said above about American cars is something that I see happening on a hyper-local sale. Take it to the micro level - what if everyone looked at how they could support the businesses in their local areas? What would happen if every store in every strip mall looked at the store to their left and to their right?

This is something I'm sure we'll be seeing happen very soon. Thanks everyone for your responses!

[Leslie Flowers, Change Agent]

I like the blogging class idea a lot. And THIS is the kind of discussion I LOVE.

Comments made on our blogs are important, as I understand it. [I have a dashboard on my wordpress blog and when people read -- the lines point upward. I like that! -- my tech stocks are heading that way too :]

As a blogger, it also 'feels good' when someone is inspired to respond to something I think might make a difference. And it doesn't feel very good when no one responds. I don't write solely for the response. In the back of my mind, however, I do want people to hear what others think about what is said.

I am committed to reading and responding to at least 2 blogs on inside919 every day of the work week. How would it look if everyone did that? I can see the most exciting discussions and thought provoking ideas that benefit all of us.

Side note: I had an idea years ago. What if every US citizen of age ;) simply bought their next vehicle from a US manufacturer? Imagine our economy.

[Amy Shair, ReMax Real Estate]

Dave, I agree with you. I think some of it is people trying to get free exposure for their business and others are still learning about using Inside919 and think that it's acceptable to blog about their business. Hopefully this post and all the comments will help members get it right.

[Jim McNeely]

Community rules of conduct pertaining to what is acceptable in blogging should be more apparent. It appears that many people simply don't know what to do. For those of us that blog, we have a certain gift to articulate our thoughts. These thoughts may relate to a theme surrounding a mission statement or vision we have for our business that may be a benefit to other business owners. As Pat once said it's pull not push. A good blog post puts forth an idea, or imparts information that is of value to the community. The ability of a blog to provoke thought creates followers, and followers investigate. Dissenting view points are what make for good discussion and this also builds a loyal following. People that follow will check out your website and investigate your specials. Often personal blogs are monetized so the blogger can generate revenue. Leading with value is what keeps people coming back, not becoming peppered with spam. No one gets great enjoyment fro reading sales circulars unless it is for something they are looking for. Thanks for another great post.

[Beverly Mahone]

Let me just add one more thing--This is a GOOD blog post!

[Beverly Mahone]

Dave,

Thanks for letting the cat out of the bag. I, too, have wondered why people aren't more engaging with their blog posts. Maybe there needs to be a course on blogging and how to make it effective. You can still sell products through a blog but it's HOW you write it.

I also get bugged about people who want to approve comments on their blogs. Why? Shouldn't I have the right to express my opinion about what your write? Or are you concerned I won't agree with it?