Thanks for the great analysis! You are the first to mention the adsense ads and I think it’s one of the main reasons why I am not very successful on social media sites.

When I weigh the pros and cons of having those adsense ads, the pros win over the cons simply because I get an average of 15,000 page views and 5,000 unique visitors every day. This amount of traffic converts into a nice profit at the end of the day. My blog is not a niche site as I post all types of articles so it is very difficult to get loyal readers.

Unlike more serious blog writers like yourself, I do not have the motivation to constantly write great articles about a specific topic. But as a semi-marketer, I “know” what the MAJORITY of people are interested in and try to give it to them.

I am the type of person to learn about something but never in extreme details and then move on to a different topic. I guess I could say my blog reflects certain aspects of my personality. All my life, I’ve been moving around, changing geographical location almost every two years! I can’t stick around in one place very long! I’m in France now and I’m planning to move back to Canada pretty soon.

To be honest, the social media sites are more of an experiment to me then a real “passion”. I use them because others are using them and not because I am personally interested in them. I know it’s a strange thing to say but that’s just the way I am! So my lack of success does not bother me too much. I probably say that because I have a good alternative to Social traffic.

The main reason why I wrote this article “Are Social News Sites Useless?” was to see if some people agreed with me and maybe were also disappointed by their personal experience with social news sites. Also, I like controversy so saying the opposite that everyone else is saying seemed like an interesting idea! Very little people will say Social News sites are useless!

It’s important to note that in my article I DO NOT say they are useless, I’m merely asking a question. In my conclusion I simply state that I am disappointed. I would be too afraid to actually conclude that social news sites are useless! I do believe they are NOT useless and offer a great service. I just don’t have much affinity with their service.

I’m surprised I have not attracted Social News site lovers to come and bash my blog because of my controversial article! It is very dangerous to create enemies who have strong social profiles! The only thing more dangerous on the internet than an online mob would be a government! Two very powerful entities!

Anyways!

Thanks for your message EverNerve! btw, I sent you an email a while back but never got an answer. Did you get my email?

Cheers,
Arnaud aka: Xarj

1. You have AdSense ads slapped right on top of your blog and they pretty much occupy all the important parts – all the ‘above the fold’ area. Remember that most social media users are vaccinated against ads! If they see that much AdSense, you’ll get buried. Instantly.

2. AdSense works for websites which get A LOT of traffic and whose user base is composed of many non-web-savvy users. If you pay close attention, all successful, big-earners’ blogs don’t have any AdSense ads on them but rather targeted image ads on their right column.

3. Even though you have excellent articles (like this one), the ads make your blog look spammy.

4. You were right about your social media websites profile to be weak. You have 45 mutual friends on Digg. That’s just not enough. I have more than 350 mutual friends and about 200 fans. That’s how you get your Digg submission to the front page. Sometimes not even then. And I have got 15,000 visits just because of Digg. Every other social media website just followed in.

Which means: you have to have a strong profile only on one or two social media websites to generate good traffic. And time spent on them isn’t time wasted, because that’s MARKETING. And it’s FREE. You don’t have to pay for it, other promote you! So actually you definitely should spend your time there.

And I check Digg in the morning and in the evening. I digg other people’s stories, submit something if I find it Digg-worthy and that’s it. Actually, you don’t have to spend a big amount of your time there to become a power user.

So, re-think about those ads, re-read my article on Digging to become a power user and you are well on your way to expand your readership.
Good luck!

That’s what I got…

Alex

The Possible Problems : People don’t actually care about my story
They don’t care cause it “sucked”. It’s possible!

At the beginning of my article I also say why it shouldn’t suck. Don’t you think the pros out weight the cons?

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