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90% of Everything is Crap—Sturgeon’s Law

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Let’s be completely honest for a few minutes—there is a plentiful amount of crap easily found within and around the blogosphere. I know it, and you know it. Perhaps it is the fact that we are hammered with such a great amount of poor quality material that there is such a grand desire for people to find quality content and bloggers. It is a very interesting dicussion.

Sturgeon’s Law (Applied To The Blogosphere)

Sturgeon’s Law states that 90% of everything is crap, but I think that number is overly optimistic when considering the blogosphere’s status. As a matter of fact, I think it is more likely to be at least 95% or more. However, I will still, reluctantly, give the benefit of the doubt to Sturgeon’s Law. I hope that the blogosphere does not take this as an insult, but if you are reading this blog, then you are well on your way to avoid becoming the typical noise within the blogosphere—I am here to turn that noise into a beautifully constructed harmonic.

I have no factual data on hand relating to how many new blogs there are being added to the blogosphere on a daily basis, but I’m willing to bet that it is at least in the upper hundreds; but those numbers could easily surpass thousands. And with these new blogs, a variety of voices arrive as well, but still, most of them are just going to be adding to the already existing crap.

As we all hear about how so many more blogs are being added to the blogosphere, I am not bothered by that information, and neither should you. Some of you might see it as a blessing.

Opportunity Awaits

Fortunately, all this leaves a solid opportunity for you, the blogger that is trying to make a name for yourself, to put forth hard work to stand out from the rest of the crap which everyone has to filter through.

Ironically enough, perhaps it is the fact that there is so much crap out there that gives us the opportunity to break away from the rest of the blogosphere and become well noticed for our own endeavors.

After all, there are actually people who are paid to simply find great content on the web from blogs. Sites like TechMeMe, Digg, and Reddit all exist to promote quality content on the web, and they are valuable hubs to promote your best content. If you are a relatively new blogger (or your blog is just starting off), you still must reach out to the blogosphere to draw people in, but once they get there, people will realize the true value of your content, and they might even do the work of spreading the word for you.

Therefore, simple logic should kick in—the more crap there is, the more opportunities there will be. There are millions of people that are searching and linking to high quality content, and if you have the ability to properly market your best content, you will succeed. It requires an immense amount of hard work and dedication, but that is something you have to learn for yourself.

Any thoughts? Post them in the comments section. I’d love to hear what you have to say about the blogosphere being overloaded with poor content, and how you would take advantage.

Are Bloggers Journalistic?

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I have a few things for bloggers to toss around inside their brain for a few moments. It is something many of us do not think about, but then again, do we actually need to follow a set of rules? Regardless, the question is—are bloggers journalistic?

But first, what is Journalism? Journalism as defined by Wikipedia:

Journalism is the discipline of gathering, writing and reporting news, and broadly it includes the process of editing and presenting the news articles. Journalism applies to various media, but is not limited to newspapers, magazines, radio, and television.

The Journalist’s Creed as originally written by Walter Williams:

  • I believe in the profession of journalism.
  • I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of their responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of a lesser service than the public service is betrayal of this trust.
  • I believe that clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism.
  • I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true.
  • I believe that suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of society, is indefensible.
  • I believe that no one should write as a journalist what he would not say as a gentleman; that bribery by one’s own pocketbook is as much to be avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of another; that individual responsibility may not be escaped by pleading another’s instructions or another’s dividends.
  • I believe that advertising, news and editorial columns should alike serve the best interests of readers; that a single standard of helpful truth and cleanness should prevail for all; that the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service.
  • I believe that the journalism which succeeds best — and best deserves success — fears God and honors Man; is stoutly independent, unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power, constructive, tolerant but never careless, self-controlled, patient, always respectful of its readers but always unafraid, is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the appeal of privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance and, as far as law and honest wage and recognition of human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly patriotic while sincerely promoting international good will and cementing world-comradeship; is a journalism of humanity, of and for today’s world.

Here are the questions. Are bloggers journalistic in nature? Do you believe that bloggers should adopt the Journalist’s Creed? Do you consider yourself journalistic? Do you believe that bloggers should create their own creed?

What say you?

Giving Credit To Proper Sources When Credit Is Due

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I am like a hawk when it comes to news feeds. While I don’t have thousands of feeds to monitor, I do manage to keep an eye on the big players. What does this have to do with anything? Well, it is a prelude to the fact that after I see something from a paper like The New York Times, I also end up seeing similar content from blogs. Most likely those blogs are using that very story. This is a natural progression of many blogs—especially technology, political, culture, gaming, and financial blogs; among others. However, I do have an issue when these blogs fail to do something that keeps things honest.

This means that, reluctantly, I have to point out the fact that many bloggers—even some of the more respected amongst us (I won’t disclose names)—fail to give proper credit to their sources of content. I also notice blogs only crediting other blogs for sources. This all becomes a giant problem as we must ask ourselves a few questions—where exactly did this content originate from?

Now, is most of what the blogosphere doing illegal? Absolutely not, and I don’t believe it should be, but I do think there needs to be some sort of standard set for things like this. I want the professional blogging industry to keep things honest and fair.

This is why I urge all bloggers to give credit (in the form of a link; even a simple text link at the end of a post is sufficient—in my opinion) when posting content that originates elsewhere. There are also other scenarios where you should give credit for content that is being used under fair use laws.

Cases in which you should give credit:

Stories and Ideas

I think it should be a requirement for people to link to articles that they write about based off an existing article. I see so many bloggers obviously writing about content that is featured in newspapers and other media formats, but these bloggers fail the link to the original. It frustrates furthermore if these bloggers are trying to claim the research and content as their own. If you were a columnist or contributing writer for a magazine, but saw another author get the credit for the work, wouldn’t you be at least a slight bit upset?

Images

Whenever I use an image that is not public domain (which is a majority of the time), I will give the creator credit for their work. However, bloggers should be careful as photographers are really not fond of people using their work with no credit whatsoever. Oh, and please do realize that just because a picture is licensed under Creative Commons, does not mean you are free to simply use the photograph. Read the license, understand the license, and if in doubt, contact the creator for permission; most will gladly agree with a simple link as credit for their work.

Video

Video is quickly becoming one of the more prominent types of media to share on the web. With the ability to embed video easily, it makes things much easier. I still make it a habit to still link to the original author when I post embedded video, but in the case in which I can’t locate the original author, I will give as much information as I can. I think it is more of a courtesy than a requirement, but I would still urge you to give credit in the form of a link to the original author.

Quotes

When it comes to quoting someone, things can get complicated. You could (and probably should) introduce the person in the introductory sentence of a new paragraph, and then proceed to explain what the person has said. However, don’t mess around with quotations. If you call out someone, be sure to get your facts straight. Libel is something you don’t want to play around with. Who ever knows when one simple blog post could have you facing the judicial system.

Put Yourself In Their Shoes

In the end, just ask yourself how you would feel if someone used your content without your permission or even a simple form of acknowledgement. Perhaps, then, many of these bloggers that seem to forget about that content they “borrow” will have a change of heart.

Trust me, I personally know how it feels. I’ve seen several blogs that originate from China that have felt compelled to copy my content word for word without even a link of recognition. They managed to “borrow” my images and bandwidth as well. Please, in the hope of growth and reliability in the blogging industry, give credit when credit is due.

Twitter: 8 Reasons Why It’s The Blogger’s New Sidekick

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I have recently jumped into the Twitter madness—check out my Twitter page if you don’t believe me. Not only is it a fun addiction, it is actually a useful tool for bloggers as well. So, why should you even bother with Twitter? Did I mention it is an addiction?

Ah yes, it is that very site which provides you the opportunity to express yourself within 140 characters or less. Twitter is quickly becoming a big deal, and it is an opportunity for bloggers to reach out interactively with others. Think of it this way—no longer must you sit and wait for people to visit your blog. You can connect to people instantly.

Many people don’t even understand why Twitter is so appealing (others don’t have the slightest clue as to what it is), but those that realize the true potential of Twitter will have another tool at their disposal to help them build their image, reputation, community, availability, etc.

Twitter was designed to be a mini-blogging service, but that is only the beginning; it has many more potential uses and benefits. Now is the time to consider joining the fray!

Why Tweet?

1. Loyalty and Respect

If you want to be a popular blogger, there are ways to build up loyalty within your readership—one that is relatively easy to accomplish is by making yourself accessible to your readers. Twitter is probably one of the most exciting and interactive ways to do just that. You are accessible, you show that you are openly responding to people, and you become interested in your peers’ activities. You will earn respect and loyalty by many people this way.

2. Marketing

Face it, if your going to reach the top, you have to market yourself and your products. Today, consumers are slowly (and I mean very slowly) becoming smarter when it comes to marketing, but it still has to be done as most people eat it right up. Everytime you publish something, you are marketing yourself as a legitimate source of information and/or entertainment. Twitter gives you the opportunity to raise awareness about your own projects, and that is essentially what marketing is.

3. Simple, Effective, Concise

The effectiveness of Twitter to generate conversations and interaction with such limitations is astounding. This article is going to easily surpass 4,000 characters, but a Twitter entry is at max 140 characters. That’s a huge difference, don’t you think? The simplicity of Twitter is one of its main appeals to people. It will take you a few seconds to compose a “tweet.” If you will recall my previous article about being concise, you could teach yourself plenty about that by simply using Twitter for awhile. For those limited on time, Twitter is better than nothing (meaning a personal blog).

4. Idea Generation

All bloggers could use more ideas, and with Twitter, I have been able to find them. I have already came up with several ideas from articles that friends of mine have posted on Twitter. As you start following more people, the useful content becomes much valuable; that will generate ideas. Oddly enough, using Twitter inspired me to write this article! Twitter can also act as a way to exchange information between people, instantly.

5. In the Now

If you follow people that post useful content on Twitter (e.g. links to news stories or great blog entries), the opportunity constantly arises to blog about it before others. I sometimes feel like Twitter has replaced my RSS feed reader as I receive links to great content from people I follow. It is only a matter of time before people are hired to post links to great content on Twitter for others to follow. It certainly has earned a few people several thousand followers already.

6. Raising Social Awareness

Being a great blogger means you need to have some level of social communication. Now, I am not big on talking on today’s instant messaging clients—as a matter of fact, I generally avoid it, but Twitter is something that gives me the opportunity to pass up something if I don’t want to be bothered. Recall anyone who just won’t stop talking to you on Yahoo! Messenger? Unlike an instant messaging client, where it pops up and bugs the heck out of you, the conversations on Twitter are generally short and quick, but you can get your point across. I believe that it is more productive than having something like MSN or Skype running.

7. It’s the Future

When it comes down to it, services like Twitter are the future of social networking. You are connected to people instantly, and that is what people want. If Twitter ever grows into a massive site like Facebook, wouldn’t you be thankful that you took advantage of the earlier growth to build up your status? Fortunately for all of us, chicks absolutely dig early adopters!

8. It’s a Blog!

All of this aside, in the end, Twitter is a blogging service. We bloggers love to blog, right? Therefore, if we are given the opportunity to blog, we tend to do it. Twitter is one of the easiest ways for people to blog without having to put in several minutes to hours of work like a regular blog. It couldn’t hurt!

Wrapping It Up

Let’s keep in touch as all of the Performancing crew has Twitter accounts:

I’d love to connect with all of you that visit Performancing; I am always up for a discussion about blogging, and while many might believe Twitter is just a huge bandwagon, I think it is genuinely useful for all of the reasons stated above.

If you love to Tweet, let us know! If you have any other reasons why Twitter is a great tool for a blogger, also post it in the comments section.

Advice for All Bloggers—Less Is More: Be Concise!

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When you arrive at many restaurants, you are given the option to order appetizers, main courses, and deserts. Some people will enjoy all three, but others will go straight for the main course. I tend to follow the latter way of doing things as I want to get straight to the point. This is just as true with most people scouring the web for content, but many bloggers make the mistake of wasting the reader’s time with unnecessary content.

It doesn’t matter if you take a single paragraph or ten paragraphs to get you point across—each word, sentence, and paragraph should be clearly and concisely written. When people read a magazine, they generally expect lengthy, in-depth articles, but when people read a blog, they expect to get the information fast. If the reader wanted all the information, they would go right to the source.

Too Much Data!

The internet is a place where a single chunk of information can be massively spread within hours, and the bloggers that can get right to the point are the ones that will usually come out the winners. It is pretty much similar to how real newspapers work–all publications want the big scoop. Obviously, most normal bloggers are not getting the scoop, they are just sharing their thoughts about existing news, and this is part of the reason as to why blogs are so popular.

Think about it—bloggers are essentially competing (for a lack of a better word) against thousands of other bloggers, and many people subscribe to numerous blogs. People just don’t have the time to dedicate several minutes to reading a single blog entry, and this is made more true if you are posting several times a day. If it took an average of three minutes to read 20 blog posts on various blogs, that would add up to at least an hour of reading time!

After a quick glance through the Technorati Top 100 Blogs, I noticed that most blogs had entries that didn’t even fill up my entire screen. That is appealing to a lot of people. It should come as no shock that studies performed in the past have revealed that users tend to like shorter posts. Regardless of whether or not you prefer to write short and concise posts, it can’t hurt to appeal to the masses.

So, Eliminate Unnecessary Content

All bloggers should try to cut out the unnecessary content within their content. Each paragraph should act as a building block to the entire post. Regardless of the number of paragraphs it takes, each should be useful to the reader. The less words you can do this in, the more concise the post is.

If you could have the first sentence represent the entire paragraph, you have already done well. The introductory sentence is what the focus of the paragraph should be. Each following sentence should add only necessary information—otherwise, move on to the next idea.

Also, stick to small and simple words. In fact, there are scarcely any grounds for adding such ambiguity to any piece of work. While complex words might make you appear like a genius to a few friends, it will mostly give the impression that people are reading from a college textbook—my brain is already hurting from the thought.

In the end, you want to give your readers the meat, and chop out as much fat as possible. Do this, and you are well on your way to impressing your readers. Less is more.

Will Online Video Be A Detriment To Commercialized Blogging?

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If you take a good look around on the web, you will see media of all types from a wide range of people. Today, text is the most prominent—in recent years, blogs have prompted the average person to write content that can be seen by millions of people in a matter of hours or even minutes. However, the recent desire for video content must prompt many to question how commercialized blogging will fair in the future.

Commercialized Blogging Right Now

Blogs are an outlet for advertisers to spread the word about their products and services. This means that the content producers have a way to generate money. The more people that view the content, the more people that will view accompanying advertisements. Companies like Google have been able to take advantage of this.

Also, blogs are prime targets to be advertised on because the content on them can instantly be analyzed, and relevant advertisements can then be served to the readers. Each page on a blog is a new advertising opportunity. It works.

However, if we take a step back from everything to view the bigger picture, we all realize that video content on the web has caught on. Great sites (like YouTube and Vimeo) and better connections are giving this media format room to explode in growth and popularity. Some people even spend their entire days on sites like YouTube, and advertisers are determined to keep up with the people’s interests.

Video content is only going to get more popular, and the demand for high-definition content is already echoing throughout the world wide web. It might be said that advertising companies have failed to see the potential.

Problems With Video

There are some problems when it comes to commercializing video. As I mentioned before, blogs are a great asset to advertisers as they can be targeted on a post by post basis, but this is not accurately possible with online video yet. Yes, Google is experimenting with AdSense for video, but no one knows how that will pan out just yet.

There are also more problems arising as streaming video becomes more popular. With live streaming video, there are no tags or descriptions. There is no way—publicly known—to know what is going on within a live stream or what the audience is going to want to see in advertisements. How on earth will advertisers be able to cope with the situation? Seeing an advertisement for male enhancement on a stream intended for teenagers isn’t exactly effective.

This thirst for video content also comes with a high price—bandwidth is not cheap, and American internet service providers have already began capping the amount of data that can be used by customers. This cost will affect content producers and consumers.

In essence, for most people, it just doesn’t make sense to move away from text just yet. Kevin Rose said previously that Revision 3 is not profitable, and that pretty much sums up the results for a majority of people that attempt to do only video content distribution. It is best to use video as a tool to compliment an existing blog.

Future For Blogging

There will always be blogging, and there will always be opportunities to make money while blogging. For now, things are still looking bright for bloggers—even as the blogosphere becomes more crowded. Blogs that make money will continue to do so for at least the next five to ten years.

We must also consider that there are still plenty of opportunities for advertising companies to take advantage of text-based content. Don’t get me wrong, AdSense is quite alright, but there has to be better technologies that have yet to even be thought of. The online advertising industry is still relatively immature.

Will video be a detriment to those that make money blogging? There are many factors to consider. It might one day, but it might be a long while before we see any substantial draining of revenue for bloggers. The chances are higher that internet advertising as a whole will lose steam.

Just as print newspapers are now struggling, blogs will see the same happen in the future. However, the timeframe is likely to be great, and if that is what we have to work with, then we should embrace it for now.

Woopra: Website Analytics Can Be Absolutely Beautiful

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Woopra is a new startup that is doing something quite impressive with typical website analytics. While there is only so much more information that can be gathered with current analytics platforms, one of the most popular ways to improve is by enhancing the interface and display of data. Currently in beta, Woopra does exactly that.

My first impressions lead me to believe it will be an impressive application, and it is just so much fun to know exactly what visitors are doing instantly. The signup process was pretty easy, but if you decide to join, you will have to wait to be approved. After getting everything squared off, I installed a few lines of code to the footer of my site, and I was ready to go.


Woopra
Image Credit: Woopra

Most impressive is the desktop application that is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It is the command center of your site analysis. As a matter of fact, after downloading and starting the desktop application for the very first time, the movie War Games instantly came to my mind. It is very nicely done, and it has a very futuristic theme to it. I do, however, think that the interface would do well with the ability to arrange individual sections to your own liking, but it is only a beta release. Overall, I was very impressed.

Now, there are a few catches if you decide to use Woopra: if you are looking for a web-based solution, you will likely want to avoid Woopra as the downloadable application is where the fun is at; Woopra is very likely (as it states on their website) to be moving to a pay model after the product leaves beta, and this means that those who want the best features or have many visitors are going to pay a price for it; and finally, during the beta period (which is right now) you can only have one site registered with the service.

Woopra might never exceed the popularity of a service like Google Analytics or even Performancing Metrics, but it certainly is a fascinating experience with the very short experience I have had with it.

If you want to see what Woopra looks like, you should check out this video by Cali Lewis of Geebrief.tv when she discusses Woopra with Neal Campbell:

If you think Woopra looks interesting, then you will want to stick around as I will be reviewing Woopra very soon while I put it through the paces.