Secret Private Voting Networks
- 16 Comment
Garry Conn recently wrote a post on his views about private voting networks. To sum it up, he’s not for them. He feels that it’s basically cheating, or thats what I took away from the article. If bloggers aren’t going to help bloggers grow, who will?
These networks are based through IM’s or E-mail and basically alert a group of people of new things to vote on through social media websites. How is that different from building a “power profile” with many different friends and getting them to vote for you that way? Just because it isn’t run through that site, shouldn’t be looked down on.
With these “secret” networks you don’t have to necessarily do the hard work, however you do. I don’t know one network that can do all the work for you. No network is going to write the article for you. As well the networks can’t succeed without participation. Even then a network usually can’t get you to the front page of the social media site, you need to have a quality article and other factors.
My Network
I don’t know if Garry’s post was to me or not, however yes I do have a network. I built this list from BAYB’s members and expanded it to several other people. The list has grown to over 100 bloggers. Cash Quests mentioned a long time ago how we could really pull together and get some posts noticed through social networks, because of our community blog. I’ve always wanted to put something like this together, and I wish I would have sooner. Now that I have, I am glad I did.
Everyday I send out great articles from a variety of people, who are looking to promote their articles and their blogs. It has been a great way for everyone to find new and different blogs.
The Benefits of Voting Networks
In these type of networks you don’t HAVE to vote. No one will know if you didn’t (because its secret!). I’ve had people tell me they pick and chose which to vote for and I think that is perfectly fine. Why promote something you didn’t personally enjoy?
Garry Conn made out these networks to be a terrible thing to do. As well complained about “stumbling articles every morning”. The plus side about these networks is that you can easily opt out, especially in mine. Why send emails to someone who isn’t going to vote?
Besides the obvious traffic, the voting networks make it easier to start building your own network. If you notice the same people voting and stumbling your articles, you can branch out and build relationships with them that way.
Essentially, who is going to help out bloggers, but bloggers?
The “Conn’s” of Voting Networks
There are a few possible cons with these voting networks. It’s hard to get in the loop if you don’t know someone first. These groups can become very select and exclude many bloggers who would want to utilize such a powerful feature.
The other obvious problem is “gaming” such social media sites. However I don’t see much of a difference asking people to “digg this” at the bottom of every post, yet a strategical email isn’t right?
I’ve brought up some great discussion points and I’d love to hear everyone’s take on it, especially Mr. Garry Conn. I personally think Garry is doing a great things for bloggers and is a great blogger himself.
So I guess my “secret” voting network isn’t so secret anymore?
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16 Comments on this post
Trackbacks
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Matt Jones said:
I think Garry was more annoyed that it made it seem like he was ‘only worth 1 vote’ and dehumanized people.
September 17th, 2007 at 6:07 am -
Jamaipanese said:
I don’t like these networks one bit, and while I don’t mind voting for an article once in a while don’t try to artificially influence results. If I read an article and like it please allow “me” the reader the option to vote for it (or not).
September 17th, 2007 at 7:22 am -
Stefanie said:
I appreciate all the effort you go through to help us get more notice and votes to our articles. I think you are completely correct when you said “if bloggers aren’t going to help bloggers grow, who will?” We all need to be helping each other succeed after what goes around comes around. BAYB has done a lot to help other bloggers get their name out there, and look how successful it is and continues to be.
September 17th, 2007 at 8:17 am -
GarryConn said:
Matt,
I never called you out good buddy. I am aware of the network you are running. However, in my article I never mentioned any names. I am a polite person who has an opinion. But with you bringing your name out on the front line, I will have to provide a response to you. I’ll drop a comment response on my blog which will provide a trackback reference here on yours.
I hold no hard feelings against you. I like you a lot. I just don’t have to agree with the things every blogger does. Just as you don’t have to agree with me. But our disagreement does not reflect a difference in our friendship. I can promise you that.
Best Regards,
Garry ConnSeptember 17th, 2007 at 9:47 am -
GarryConn said:
LOL… coincidentially that comment can universally be directed to both Matts. lol
September 17th, 2007 at 9:49 am -
Matt said:
lol Garry
I know you didn’t bring in any names, but yeah Id love to get your response 🙂 thanks for the comment
September 17th, 2007 at 9:54 am -
Ed the Editor said:
I like receiving an email every day and looking through a couple of posts. I dont vote for every post by any means, and I dont even read every post. Seems quite innocuous to me.
Then again, I am not a gamer, so maybe others are abusing the idea?
PS I just wrote a really fantastic post on 301 redirects, http://www.thepisstakers.com/weekly/webtech3oct06_files/301-redirects-and-htaccess-files.html so even if you dont read it, don’t understand it, don’t like it, please vote for it on every social network you can find. 🙂
September 17th, 2007 at 10:57 am -
Chris said:
I have no problem with these networks as such, and I’ll happily vote for anything people send me – as long as I like it.
I’m happy to help people, but I’m not stumbling stuff i don’t like.
Is that enough fence sitting?
September 17th, 2007 at 11:01 am -
Missy said:
I don’t vote daily, but maybe once a week or so, i think daily is a bit much. I like voting networks, as it is leveraging your network, and what is a network, if not a group of folks you can turn to when you want the power of numbers. Bloggers need bloggers, period. No blogger can survive or thrive without other bloggers. It just aint gonna happen.
Together we stand, divided we fall. lol.
I vote yes. hehe.
September 17th, 2007 at 11:42 am -
K-IntheHouse said:
I have been in this ever since Matt emailed me about it. I welcomed it with open hands for these reasons, some of them mentioned by others as well.
* I pick and choose the ones I Stumble/Sphinn
* Gives me one more way of exploring new & interesting content
* I publish my Stumbles ( and delicious bookmarks) in my sidebar and I would like to share only quality links to my readers. I see it as a checkpoint for myself against blind stumbling.
* I am not for gaming social networks but I will definitely help out a fellow blogger if content is worthy of it.Matt, I am kind of glad you brought this up. 🙂
September 17th, 2007 at 12:32 pm -
Brown Baron said:
A lot of people have different views on it. My opinion, is that if you’re not forced to vote for something you don’t like, then there’s no problem.
If I get emailed a few articles, I take a look and stumble only those that I really like. If I ran across those same articles without the email, I would have still stumbled them because I would have liked them. Just because I discovered them through an email and not through surfing does not mean I’m gaming the system.
If I stumble everything including those I don’t like, then I could be faulted. As long as I only stumble posts that I really like, my conscience is clear.
September 17th, 2007 at 7:46 pm -
Karen Bryan said:
Matthew, I think that if you want to get on in business there have always been alliances eg old boy network from public schools and Oxbridge, the golf club etc. I don’t think it’s a secret private voting network it’s bloggers helping each other promote their blogs to try to earn a crust in a competitive environment.
No-one is forced to vote. I think it brings my attention to articles which may be of interest to me. Yesterday I read the post about Blogrush and decided to sign up for it which will hopefully bring more readers to my travel blog and help promote other travel blogs.
September 18th, 2007 at 2:34 am -
Jenny said:
Oh neat. Can I join your network?
September 21st, 2007 at 12:24 am -
GS said:
I want to join! Please email me.
January 2nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
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