Giving BlogRush the Flush – Will Entrecard be Next?
The time has finally come to flush BlogRush down the toilet, adding it to the long and growing list of social networking sites further contaminating the sewer system. I was too quick to jump on the BlogRush bandwagon, hoping it would bring quality web traffic to my blog, but I’ve been sorely mistaken. Bye-Bye BlogRush!
Take a look at these ridiculous stats on my BlogRush dashboard from today:
The highest syndication numbers came from my recent rant about Digg, and I would have thought that maybe some Digg user might have found interest in that post, but oh well. Whooosh, down the toilet goes BlogRush.
What about Entrecard?
I’ve only been using Entrecard for about two weeks now, and I haven’t made up my mind yet as to whether Entrecard will bring quality traffic to my blog, or if it will follow BlogRush into the toilet. I’ve been somewhat surprised at the number of advert rejections for my blog, coming from blogs that are in my “Parenting and Family” niche, as well as those slightly outside of my niche. As of this posting, there are only 56 blogs listed in the parenting and family category on Entrecard, so if you have a blog in that niche, you should really consider joining Entrecard to bring more attention to your blog. We need you! I need you!
Where is your Entrecard widget?
One thing that really perturbs me about some Entrecard users, especially some that are in my own niche, is that their widget is placed so far down on their sidebar, sometimes hidden amongst a vast array of shiny, flashing and colorful ads, that I wouldn’t even consider advertising on their blog. What would be the point of using my Entrecard credits on a blog where the widget is so low on the sidebar that virtually no one would see it? Put your widget high on up on your sidebar people! Yeesh! Another thing that I’ve found is that many of the “blogspot” users have blogs that load ever so slowly that I tend to not bother waiting around for the page to finish loading, but just start over looking for blogs of interest.
Niche Obsession-
I can understand why blogs in the “Internet Marketing” or “Make Money Online” niches would reject my blog, and I don’t even attempt to advertise on those (anymore). Good luck in trying to get approved by blogs listed in the “Most Popular” categories, or even finding they have open “advertise” spaces to even be considered. But my advert requests for blogs in the categories about Health and Medicine, Self-Improvement, Personal Diaries, or even Photography continue to be rejected. I write about Health too! Parents take pictures of their kids and family, and bloggers in the Photography category have kids and family, so why the rejections?
Spreading Social Networking Karma-
It’s very interesting to me to find a large number of Entrecard users offering to display a varied number of Entrecard icons on their blogs free of charge, not only helping bring attention to other blogs, but also bringing attention to their own blog. I call that a very smart move on their part, and very good social networking karma.
Time will tell if Entrecard turns out to be the next best thing since sliced bread, or gets tossed into the plumbing system like BlogRush. For now, I’m happy to have found some very good blogs through Entrecard and am continuing to build relationships with other bloggers in and out of my niche.
It would just be nice if those more outside of my niche would be open to my adverts on their blogs. Maybe it might cause me to develop interest in what they have to say on their blogs, or cause me to want to comment or even subscribe. Hmm.
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I know what you mean about Blogrush. I’m about to pull the plug on that one as well. I have found some good blogs with EntreCard, but I’m deferring judgment until it grows a bit more. I suspect the number of spam blogs will increase as word gets out. I’m with you on the placement and visibility of the card widget being important. And I’m impatient. If it takes a long time to load, I just move on. Love your theme, by the way.
GeekMom’s last blog post..Never Knew I Needed a Laser Until I Saw This One
GeekMom, thanks for giving your thoughts on the matter. I’m rather disappointed to have found several blogs that are much like those I find on Digg, blogs about sex and scantily-clad girls etc.
Right now, I’m patiently waiting and watching to see how this all plays out with Entrecard.
Congrats on “Flushing the Rush”. I’ve noticed several other people doing it within the past week or so. And thanks for the link!
I consider EntreCard more of a better version of Bumpzee, MyBlogLog or BlogCatalog. That’s why I place it down the sidebar with other such widgets and I blend it in with my new free 125×125’s. Of course I wouldn’t mind you advertising on OpTempo but you already have a free 125×125 running in rotation so why waste your credits?
The thing about EntreCard is that it will bring you traffic but the quality isn’t that great. I’d recommend keeping it here since your blog is primarily a social/authority one but you would not want it on a niche blog.
Frank C’s last blog post..Blog Review: The NextPost
For anyone looking for a new marketing channel through which to advertise your blog, I welcome you to check out PitchPanel, a site I recently launched.
I’m inviting bloggers to post a 125×125 banner ad for free. You can opt in to cost-per-click fees, but only if you want premium placement of your ad. Otherwise, just enter zero for your CPC bid and your ad will stay on the site at no cost.
I’m pulling a fair amount of blog-seeking traffic from Google AdWords and seeing excellent click-through rates. Registration is quick and easy, so PitchPanel is an great way for bloggers with a limited budget to get the word out.
http://pitchpanel.com
Thanks!
Issss okay baybeeee, com to unkle samm….
Ahh, well, glad to hear you’re flushing the Rush, how could anyone ever mistake that for a useful widget? I’ll write a post about why it is totally inferior.
Anyways, Entrecard traffic should be judged in light of your GOALS… if you have widgets on your blog that react to unique hits, they’ll get pumped up by all the chaindropping (shhhh!), but, as OpTempo once remarked, it could water down one’s Adsense earnings as it would lower your impressions/click ratios.
But apart from those unlikely Adsense problems, the real question is whether or not you have anything BETTER or COMPARABLE waiting in the wings.
Why do people have so much trouble understanding that where there is BUZZ, there is potential. It doesn’t always have to be the benefit that the owners intended for you… but with buzz comes eyeballs comes potential.
It’s up to you….
You’re welcome to advertise on my blog anyday, baybeeeee….
unkle sammy
Hi, I was probably one of the photography blogs that rejected your advert. Your post made me stop to think about this. Currently I am only advertising blogs in my niche. But You have made me question whether that goes against EntreCard goals and philosophy.
Pop back in a few days and try and advertise again, I may apporve you. Still pondering my thoughts though.
Amy
Amy’s last blog post..Auto colour Fix in Memory Manager
I pulled the plug on Blogrush after 2 weeks of zero nada no traffic at all…
Entrecard on the other hand has been blessing, in terms of traffic. Not sure how many stay and read, traffic has gone up considerably, but my bounce rate has not increased, actually decreased, so there must be some readers and not just traffic coming in.
I’m very selective as to who I advertise with and who I let advertise on my site. Entrecard has this feature where you can pre-approve blogs that have already advertised on your blog before, hence they go straight into the queue, which I assume is what they want most and not wait for me to approve them. That’s why I’m so selective. Once approved, you’re basically approved forever on my site.
I like Entrecard and I think for exchanging links (i.e. traffic) with other niche sites it is a great tool. Only time will tell if it can stand the test of time.
Kopi Dunia’s last blog post..Nescafe Italy – Mission Impossible?
I also flushed BlogRush awhile back, I think before I got started with Entrecard. Entrecard is totally different – I’ve received a lot of traffic from it, and sure some of it is not good quality but I’ve also “met” a few new quality readers through it. I suspect that will continue. And I’ve found some great blogs I now read regularly.
Like yours.
john – from fat to fit’s last blog post..Going To Bed Hungry
I loved this post. I despise BlogRush for totally infantile reasons. when I first started blogging, I went through a lengthy sign-up process with BlogRush, only for them to give me a nasty response about how I was denied, not to take it ‘personally’, but they just could only accept ‘quality’ blogs.
now I understand they were trying to up their reputation after some bad press. But they didn’t have to be so tacky about it. I dutifully waited the 30 days they required for my blog to be alive and tried to reapply, but the moronic automated ticker kept adding days each time I clicked on and sending more mean automated message.
I’ve been in marketing, communication and web development my whole career. It’s not that hard to get it right.
I loathe BlogRush. Bad brand.
christine’s last blog post..Seven Things You May Not Want To Know About Me
@Frank, it’s interesting that you mention that I don’t want my advert on a niche blog. I’ve tried to get approved for blogs that are not a niche blog (when I have enough credits), but even then I am rejected because of “relevance”. I’m not actively trying to get my advert placed on any “A-listers” blogs where my credits might be wasted. I find it curious though that attempts to place my advert on blogs that are not smack in the middle of my own niche, it’s almost immediately rejected.
@Sam, LOL. I know that you know I’m not whining in this post, considering my recent post about those who do whine. I also know that you would approve an advert request from me.
@Pam, I don’t recall if I’ve tried to advertise on your blog or not. I briefly read a post on Darren Rowse’ blog about Entrecard and it’s purpose for users, and I seem to recall his saying something along the lines of Getting attention to blogs that are not directly in the same niche as your own. That may be somewhat out of context, since I’ve slept since then.
@Kopi, Hmm I’ll have to pull up my Dashboard on Entrecard and see what you’re referring to as far as a “feature where you can pre-approve blogs”. I don’t think I’ve seen that.
@John, thanks John I appreciate the thumbs up. I have also “met” some nice people through Entrecard and am beginning to build relationships with them.
@Everyone, while it’s very easy to simply drop a card and run, building up those credits etc (I’m guilty too), I’m more interested in building relationships with other bloggers. By doing so, I’ve found a great group of bloggers that write articles/posts on topics that are sometimes in my niche, and some that are not, that I link to in my articles/posts. I don’t use outgoing links just for the fun of it, but I use them to build on and further topics I’m writing about. If you haven’t yet read my rant about social networking for whiners, I kindly suggest doing so.
Just an update. I dumped Blogrush today, and I feel better.
GeekMom’s last blog post..I Want My BSG!
No doubt that Blogrush sucks. Ha! 1 hit is hot? Glad I never joined. Entrecard will last much longer as it has a better system. The traffic is more directed.
Leon’s last blog post..My thoughts on…the world’s cheapest car
Notice how ENTRECARD actually has a community while Blogrush- is, as you aptly put it, just something worth flushing?
GeekMom, good for you!
Leon, isn’t that nuts that having one visit makes an item go Hot? Oh well, it’s gone now. I’ll be interested in to see if Entrecard visitors actually take time to see what posts there are that they might be interested in, rather than just doing
drivedrop bye’s. Time will tell.Entrepreneur, I’ll be curious to see what type of “community” it actually is. I’m hoping it will turn out to be more than just something Blogcatalog or MyBlogLog, ’cause those I’ve found are laden with spammers.
My only advice was going to be go out of your niche, but it looks like you did that already. I haven’t had any problems advertising. That being said feel free to advertise on me when I have an opening again.
Lisa’s last blog post..Get Clean
I’ve advertised on Gorilla Sushi before. He’s one of the top 3 in the humor category. Jason is a cool guy, he’ll approve you.
Rudy’s last blog post..Pink eye
Lisa, thank you. I will check out your availabilities.
Hi Rudy, thanks for the heads up on Jason. I’ll check it out.
I’ve been accepting ads from outside of my niche as I figure hey why not? I’ve been rejecting some of the make money blogs though because they seem to think they can advertise on anything (aka spam). Hope you’ll stay with Entrecard as it does seem to offer positives.
Rap Music Lyrics’s last blog post..Run DMC – Kings of Rap
I’ll approve you! I swear! I will!
Saphrym’s last blog post..The Daily Read – Fawnzy.com
haha Saphrym, I know you would. Yours seems to stay pretty active, so I’ll keep checking.
Hi Lin,
I flushed BlogRush a long, long time ago. And I never tried EntreCard. All of these “gimics” seem to be much more beneficial to the creators, and the high traffic sites who originally promote them.
I’ll take a pass on the gimics, and just stick with Stumbling and Commenting.
Keep havin FuN!
Todd
Todd Morris’s last blog post..5 Reasons to Start a Local Niche Blog Today
Hi Todd,
I also really like Stumble Upon. I also like Blogging Zoom. Entrecard has been good also, but it’s still on a wait and see list.
I’ve been using Entrecard for a while now and have found my traffic to be mainly random card droppers. But I have found the new blogs I am reading well worth using the program.
I have never rejected an ad and I have only been rejected a couple of times.
I get consistant traffic from Digg, and I recently hit the front page of FARK and got about over ten thousand hits.
I think the system needs some tweaking now as the wait for the ‘good’ blogs seems to be forever.
Descartes’s last blog post..Comments? We Don’t Need No Stinken Comments
Hi Descartes, I’ve been finding much the same thing. While I hope that some card-dropping visitors will find interest in subscribing and participating with comments, I’ve personally found that I have been benefited the most by finding some incredible blogs that I now subscribe to. I guess it will balance out, at least that is my hope.
I just joined yesterday and have a had a few adverts come my way. I’ll probably be more selective as my site becomes a wee more popular, but so far, it seems that I’m getting some hits. Never tried BlogRush, but I’m subscribed to BlogMad which has done nada for me.
Tip Diva’s last blog post..Top Ten Tips – Orienting Yourself In A New Neighborhood
Being selective to some degree might be alright, just be careful not to overdo on the rejects because it might not work out in your favor long term.
@Tip Diva – Wow! Awesome site you have there. Expect some link love soon.
@Lin – I agree. (Ooops, I just broke the cardinal commenting rule.)
Saphrym’s last blog post..The Daily Read – 01/21/2008
Saphrym, you crack me up! Keep it comin’, I can always use a good laugh.
I never used BlogRush even though many in my blogging niche were quick to join in. I’m glad that I didn’t bother at this time.