Once upon a time there was a little blog, who wanted to be Successful. It had all the right ideas. It just needed the care and feeding of great writers and great readers. It even had a cool name. It was called Successful Blog.
Along came two writers who loved the little blog. They met up with some readers who already liked the little blog. Soon more readers caught wind of the change. They came. They looked around and many stayed. The little blog was thriving. It started showing what it could be. It smiled in the company of Fine Fools.
People began to notice the Successful Blog that could. From everwhere, people came to see it. Successful Blog stood taller, worked harder for its readers. Readers took its stories home and said success could happen. All of this took place in but a fortnight and a day or two.
And it came to pass that Scrivian the Blogmaker looked at Successful Blog. And he saw that it was good. He saw community where there had been a little blog. He was touched that they valued their Fine Fool heritage and he realized that they always would.
Lo, that day the Blogmaker proclaimed from his computer that Successful Blog and its readers shall move to the major leagues. And they all lived there bloggily ever after . . . and quite successfully.
I am pleased to announce that Successful-Blog is now part of the 9rules network.
But then we already knew Successful Blog rules.
Thank you to all of you–you’re the ones who made it happen. 🙂
–ME “Liz” Strauss
The virtual champagne is over at the side bar.
I’m curious as to why you would join a network. I really don’t see the advantage..my limitation, I’m sure.
I suppose that right now it may help with search engine ranking, but my bet would be that Google etc. will plug that hole sooner or later, realizing that incestuous links are far less valuable than “real” links.
I imagine also that a large network might be able to make better deals with ad providers, but that’s offset by their taking a share, isn’t it?
Obviously you aren’t stupid, so there must be advantages I am not seeing..care to share them?
Just curious too, … Didn’t Paul Scrivens take over successful-blog from Keith Robinson a few months back? And isn’t Paul the owner of 9rules? So what prevented you from being part of the network before?
I’m not trying to be a smart a**. Like pcunix, I wonder how this benefits this blog and its readers.
Because it’s my decision as to which sites get in and what not and obviously not all the Fine Fools sites deserve entry into 9rules. Just because I run the sites and the networks doesn’t mean I should bend my own rules to let sites in and damage the credibility that we have worked so hard to achieve.
Hi pcunix,
Welcome back! That’s a popular question these days with so much network movement happening.
Let’s be clear for everyone that Successful blog has been a FineFools network blog since before me, this event just moves us from the minors to the major leagues.
Well, let’s start with my personal blog is my own and not with a network. Come visit sometime and you’ll see me “at home.”
This conversation is similar why be a writer for hire in the print world as opposed to a royalty author. I’ve done both. The answer to that is it depends what your goals are. I wrote for hire and still do for a living in the print world and was able to pull down a six-figure salary, something only Tom Clancy can do on royalties, and I got a regular paycheck and reputation within the industry. So that by the time I took my first real job inside a building it was at an executive level.
I still write for a living. I’d like blogging to be part of my earning portfolio. I see the advantages in terms of traffic, advertising, to a certain sense credibility–would you be reading my words right now on another blog?–also I want the experience in that I’m a saturation learner and I want to know how everything works.
There you have it.
Liz
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the visit.
Jimbo,, that seemed to answer you question.
Liz
Well, I liked Successful Blog before, when it was a little guy and I’ll stick with it now that it’s a big guy.
After all, new paint doesn’t make your house a home, the people inside do.
Thanks, Scrivs, for FF and 9r, but mostly thanks for doing it right.
Hi Mike,
You know for a guy who claims to have trouble with words, you sure know how to say it right.
Thank you that was really nice.
Liz
I’m definitely not trying to be a smart-ass, but I still don’t see it.
Being a part of 9rules gives you no additional credibility with me, and I can’t see why it would with anyone else. Personally, I’d be afraid of losing credibility by joining a network – I see it the other way around as crappy other blogs could affect me by association. Scriv – I know you have a reputation for being selective, so I’m not necessarily talking about 9rules. But stuff happens as they say, and I’d rather stand or die on my own merits in general.
As to traffic, I’d have to see real before and after stats to believe it. As I said, I can believe that right this minute it might boost your PR, but my gut says Google etc. will close that off as soon as they realize what the new game is. And again, I’m not saying 9rules is acting like a big incestuous link farm, but the potential is there for a network to do just that.
I think networks are the fad du jour. Again, I could be missing something, but so far I’ve seen nothing that really answers my question.
And, you said “The answer to that is it depends what your goals are”
So what goals are attainable with a network? I’m having real trouble seeing this..
pcunix I don’t see your questions as insincere, and I appreciate your support. Though I do think that without Scrivs, you probably would have read me in the first place, because you wouldn’t have bumped into me.
I don’t worry about the “guilt by association” thing. I’ve always been able to hold my own where quality is concerned.
My major goal is to write for a living to get my son through a very expensive university. I
Successful-Blog is number one–a very big piece of a diverse portfolio of the things. Currently I’m also revamping the product strategy for a publishing company, and editing an international project for the aeronautics and astronautic department of MIT. Then, of course, I post everyday on my writing blog.
Liz
Maybe I’m a dunce, but why do you think being part of 9rules is going to make you any more money? I make over $1,400 a month from blogging and as far as I can tell, the only thing that will increase that is more traffic, which I don’t see coming from a network association, but maybe I’m wrong? If a network said “We can quadruple your income”, and there was nothing sleazy about it and there were no distasteful blogs in the network, OK, I’d consider it.. but I’d find that hard to believe.
Pcunix,
Let’s try another tack. Who does your maintanence, your updates, your arguing with your host?
I do. I also write all my own code. But I’m on the geekish side of things.
So that’s your advantage? Your blog is running on a server someone else maintains? Seems pretty insignificant to me, but I admit that you may see this things as being far more difficult than I do, so I can agree there is value there.
Is that all?
That’s a lot when you consider that I hardly have time to breathe. 😉
Besides, I’m a social animal. I like having people that I’m associated with–people to bounce ideas off–I’m an entrepreneur who doesn’t like too much isolation.
Liz
I don’t mean to be annoying, but I feel like the real questions are being ducked.
Have you ever blogged NOT as part of a network? If not, why do you think it’s so difficult?
Do you really expect to make more money as part of the network? Why?
Why do you think the network enhances your credibility? Most readers aren’t going to read any of the other blogs, and many don’t know Scrivs from anyone else? Just how does this enhance anything?
I have my personal blog that makes money for me. I’ve mentioned it in every reply. It’s not that I find it difficult. It’s just that I want to spend my focus on writing and I like being part of a network–some of it’s just personal belonging to something bigger than you. It suits my spirit.
I suspect that the network will spend more time on the adworks than I will, because my passion is information and strategy.
Perhaps I chose the wrong word in credibility. What I mean is that there is an expectation of quality from 9rules that doesn’t necessarily come from a blog from an unknown person by the name of Liz Strauss–so certain things will happen more quickly. Take my relationship with you for example. I still say. I’d never have met you.
Liz
Liz,
You’re doing well under cross examination 🙂
But stop ducking the questions …kidding 😉
Martin,
What questions? Were there questions? pcunix and I were just talking. 🙂 I like a good discussion.
Liz
Hi Liz! Congratulations on the “upgrade”. Hope you won’t let success (or the champagne) get to your head. 😉
PS Thanks for dropping by my personal blog some time ago and leaving a nice comment to the pics of Vietnam I posted.
Hi Lei,
Thanks for dropping by with the kind word. How really nice of you to remember me. I do remember those pictures they made an impression on me.
Liz
Thanks for the virtual bubbly. I could hear the cork flying all over the Internet.
Hi Indie,
All that and super hearing too–you’re amazing!
Liz
Thanks for the conversation. I’ve summed up all this at my foo-web post this morning.
Thanks! I’ll stop by to see you!
Liz