Daily links ?? delicious or not?, my post from yesterday, hit a nerve. It sparked debate over here, back at Mitch??s post, and, later in the day, over at Scott Monty??s blog. It was pointed to on Twitter and brought some older opinions out again.
Quick recap
It seems there are a few solid opinions being formed:
1. Link posts are okay as long as the blogger is also BLOGGING. You??ve got to also be making compelling arguments, thoughtful posts and not just using the links to keep up your rankings.
2. The link of the day post titles aren??t compelling, interesting or engaging. They??re pretty much the same from blog to blog to blog ?? Links + Date ?? so they are being glossed over. (delicious ?? are you listening?)
3. Social media is about choices. As a reader, if you don??t like it, it??s your choice to unsubscribe, skip these posts or let the writer know. As a writer, it’s your job to engage your readers.
4. Offer separate feeds for your real posts and link posts. Or keep the links on the sidebar using the delicious widget and offer the links feed there.
The posts
? Mitch wondered ??Are Links To Other Sites Really A Compelling Blog Post??
? I responded with ??Daily links ?? delicious or not??
? Scott chimed in with ??I didn??t start the fire?
? Sarah picked up Scott??s posts and wrote: ??If Links Aren’t Posts, then I’m in Big Trouble! (and Other PR Blog Jots)?
And before all this started:
? Doug wrote ??I won??t read your links of the day? way back in March
? And Scott originally posted ??Quality or Quantity?? back in October.
***
UPDATE: Two more bloggers enter the debate:
? Matt puts the question out to his readers.
? Doug reminds us that it was him, and not Scott Monty, who originally started the fire in his Social Media Top 5 for this week.
***
From these posts, a compelling debate started. I invite you to visit all these blogs and read all these interesting and well thought out opinions. I also hope that you add your thoughts to the group as well.
The reason for this post
Why link to all these posts? Well, I believe that there??s a valuable demonstration at work here. For readers of this blog ?? particularly those just getting into/the hang of the blogosphere ?? this is a powerful example of how the blogosphere works. Things move. People get heard. The topic spreads. Old posts get brought back to life. And the discussion continues. In other words, the blogosphere lives and breathes just like we do.
Need another reason? It’s like I said in the comments of my original post: “Insights, opinion + passion are what I look for in a blogger.?
The same is true of a debate. And this one is firing on all cylinders.
And, now, I turn the mic back over to you.
December 5th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
The tumblelog movement is about pure links. I think it’s really cool. Bloggers get too caught up in writing the great American novel every day. Give it a rest. Well chosen links are just as cool sometimes.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Thanks for the link– that post keeps bubbling up. When I first ran it, a friend schooled me on how de.licio.us automates the posts– so de.licio.us does deserve some of the beating here.
The issue is not one of worthy links. It is one of attracting me to your posts. If I am in Google reader and I have no idea what you links of the day are, then I am not going to read any further. And if most of your posts are these link lists, I’m going to leave for good.
I have several friends who do this, so I obviously am not black-and-white about unsubscribing, but since being called an “Angry Nerd” yesterday (separate topic, long story), I feel more responsibility to stick to my guns.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
There’s my point, exactly folks. Two comments, two very different opinions. And you’ve gotta respect both.
Damien: I’m using my Tumblelog to aggregate my different streams, mostly from this blog and my Twitters. To be honest, I don’t really do much with it and I should probably just delete it, truth be told. I like to think that I’ll use it more one day, though.
And I agree, well chosen links are great food for thought. It’s like Ryan said yesterday (paraphrased), if you trust the source, the link is more likely to be valuable.
Doug: Agreed 100% about two things:
1. The delicious daily link post titles stink and do nothing to attract readers or attention.
2. Scott could’ve chosen a better title for his post yesterday. ;-)
And, BTW, I’ve been following along on Twitter tonight and, if you don’t me saying, you do seem a little angry. Is that because the Sox haven’t landed Santana yet?
December 5th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Great recap Mark. I think this Blog posting also displays how people from all different walks of life and professional backgrounds can come together, discuss a topic and make tons of headway… in under 24 hours.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Well said, Mitch!
December 5th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
LOL– we can win w/o Santana, no worries.
As for the Tumblelog– I like the idea of separate blogs for link posts. Scoble does, it, and I actually subscribe to . In that context, I am actually digging in or the links b/c that;s whatI’m there for. Also, the post titles show up in Google Reader dur to the dedicated format.
Haven’t read a lot of Tumblelogs but I like the idea.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
Doug, do you use delicious? If so, what’s your handle?
As for the AL East, don’t you think it’s a little too much already? I mean, there’s the Yanks and the Sox and then everyone else.
I think Santana should be traded to the Expos. (Wouldn’t that be sweet ?? if it were even possible.)
December 6th, 2007 at 12:28 am
What can I say? It was late in the day and I used the easiest metaphor that came to mind. Must have been because the Here Comes Another Bubble video was in my head…
December 6th, 2007 at 12:38 am
I think that’s a fair and reasonable explanation, Scott. You’re officially off the hook!
December 6th, 2007 at 7:49 am
Mark, you’re easy. Also, I was inattentive yesterday and failed to notice that your link post for yesterday featured the following first item: “Greg Verdino??s Marketing Blog: links for 2007-12-04.”
comedy gold; how did I miss that?
December 6th, 2007 at 8:08 am
My two favourite words (when applied to me): comedy gold.
Gracias, amigo.
December 8th, 2007 at 12:15 am
[…] 5) “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was right all along/ Yeah, yeah, yeah, you come taggin’ along” - Since I cleared up my position on “links of the day posts” back in March despite some current attempts to stir up the issue again, I would also like to remind people that I have also pre-emptively solved any yet-to-be-made arguments about the exact length of the twitter adoption curve, what’s not so great about Atlanta’s Turner Field, who are the creepiest actors. […]
February 2nd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
[…] 5) “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was right all along/ Yeah, yeah, yeah, you come taggin’ along” - Since I cleared up my position on “links of the day posts” back in March despite some current attempts to stir up the issue again, I would also like to remind people that I have also pre-emptively solved any yet-to-be-made arguments about the exact length of the twitter adoption curve, what’s not so great about Atlanta’s Turner Field, who are the creepiest actors. […]
April 4th, 2008 at 7:38 am
[…] 5) “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was right all along/ Yeah, yeah, yeah, you come taggin’ along” - Since I cleared up my position on “links of the day posts” back in March despite some current attempts to stir up the issue again, I would also like to remind people that I have also pre-emptively solved any yet-to-be-made arguments about the exact length of the twitter adoption curve, what’s not so great about Atlanta’s Turner Field, who are the creepiest actors. […]