Jamie: My pleasure, Jamie. Thanks for commenting. I keep telling myself I should finally succumb to the list post. I’m sure I would do just fine at it, and I’m not quite sure why I’ve been so obstinate, but maybe it’s time. It would be fun to set out with the goal to make something go viral.

Marc: Well said, my friend, and no doubt. If a blogger isn’t marketing themselves, then all they have is an online diary. You’re also right about asking before receiving. I agree there as well. My thought is simply, “Wouldn’t it be nice if the content that was heavily circulated made the rounds because of the strength of it’s message, and that the best stuff was so good, no one would even need to ask?”

Hayden: That’s exactly how I feel about it. Being a part of a network that gives me temporary spikes in traffic for readers who weren’t looking for and probably don’t particularly care for my content, in exchange for promoting content that I may not think is all that fantastic strikes me as a dubious prospect indeed.

Tess: Thanks. The potty training site makes me smile at least once a day.

Dave: I’m glad to hear it. That’s the way I am too. I almost never bookmark anything, unless I have a very specific need for particular content, which is rare, but I do subscribe to any blog where I feel a connection with the author. I like the writers who don’t mind letting you see what makes them tick. This is a rarity in a list post.

Janice: You are too kind, Janice. I know you’re right. It really is as simple as asking. We shall get better at it. Eric and I will have to have a chat. Perhaps we’ll write a post and see how viral we can make it. I’m sure we’re up for the challenge!

Can I make another suggestion? Both you and Sean find it difficult to ask for stuff but I’ve seen other blogs that actually spell it out underneath instead of using the big icons you seem to prefer. I’d be more tempted to click if someone spelled it out for me: If you’ve enjoyed this post, please share it (wee email icon)Stumble it (icon) or Digg it. (icon)etc

I’ve also clicked buttons in the past to buy folk a coffee or a beer. If you guys occasionally put one of those under Friday’s videos, for example, I’d happily buy a diaper, coffee or a glass of wine occasionally to say thank you for the week’s entertainment, learning and reading pleasure.

I’m with Welsh Marc on this one – ASK! You’re worth it!

Tess The Bold Life’s last blog post..Bold Love for February 14th

Anyway, I almost took it down because it wasn’t inspirational and a little more on the depressing side. Even now, I feel torn about it.

But I can tell you that StumbleUpon is a fickle community. Even if they like one post, it doesn’t mean they’ll hang around for the rest of them. I wouldn’t purposefully write for SU users because – unless you have multiple posts going viral – it’s simply a temporary spike in readers/blog stats.

Meanwhile I have noticed where people Stumble each others’ posts simply because they are friends, regardless of quality. It’s probably a good networking method but it isn’t something I feel comfortable doing.

Hayden Tompkins’s last blog post..This is What Love Sounds Like

I do feel guilty but I don’t think I’m the only one. For me I’m constantly reading other blogs and articles, I have about 60 feeds in my Google reader!

As I hurry around reading and commenting its easy to forget to hit the StumbleUpon button or to add to Delicious. On top of that I have to also enter a description and tags and pick a category (and StumbleUpon has far too many categories to sift through). This all results in psychological barriers.

I’m not trying to make excuses here because I know one thing for certain; if you ask me to bookmark your post or article I will. And therein lies the truth; ask and ye shall receive. It’s not because any of us are selfish and/or self-centered we just need a proverbial boot up the back side from time to time.

Over on my blog I use the Sociable plug-in. Not only does it give you a variety of social networks to offer up to your readers but you can customise the call to action. I’m afraid your “Stumble It” button is just not enough on its own.

Regarding content, it’s pretty straightforward. Once you found your target market identify what they need and give it to them. That’s the essence of marketing which at the end of the day is what all bloggers are doing whether we realise it or not.

Marc’s last blog post..5 Books To Help With Your Blogging. You Only Pay For 1

To a large degree I completely agree with you. I’ve often told true stories on my blog to illustrate a point. Whether I’ve been talking about the “millionaire homeless guy”, or some excellent customer service I received in a small family store, as stories always do, they’ve proven to be a fantastic, engaging and interesting form of writing for my readers. But while they’ve contributed to some of my most highly commented posts, they haven’t brought in many new subscribers.

On the contrary, it’s often the short, sharp and to the point posts that bring in subscribers. Posts where my writing is less creative and more practical.

Of course, going back to Sid’s guest post from yesterday, we should vary our posts to ensure we entertain and help both our current readers and attract new readers.

Thanks for the interesting post, Sean!

Jamie

Oh, and those pages where I’m earning the money are not blog pages. They’re primarily old fashioned static pages made up mostly of links. The content in this case is links, believe it or not.

Mike Goad’s last blog post..Wednesday Weigh-In, February 11, 2009