As part of today's CSN $75 Giveaway I made it a requirement that anyone entering the draw for the giveaway must first sign up as a "Follower" of this blog in that Google Friend Connect widget at the top of my sidebar. I'm not sure why I did that.
In fact, I have no idea at all what the point of being a "Follower" in this sense is. I have 64 of them at the last count. What good are they?
And I am actually a "Follower" myself of a couple of other blogs. I guess I signed up because the writers of those blogs asked me to do it. I see no benefit to me in being a "Follower" of these blogs either. It makes no difference to how often I read those blogs. I do no use the fact that those blogs show up in my Blogger Dashboard to link to those blogs. I find their latest posts by other means. So what good is it being a "Follower"?
So why did I bribe you $75 to do something which is of no benefit to you and of no benefit to me? I guess I was just imitating - and maybe mocking a little - other bloggers who use bribes like this in their quest for global bloggery domination. For example, here is an example of how one over-ambitious blogger set the rules for her CSN Giveaway draw...
Earn 1 entry for every comment you leave on this blog post from now until 07/26. Leave a comment for each entry completed.
Go to CSN stores and let me know about your experience. (2 Entries)
Post about this giveaway on your blog and link back to me. Leave me your link to show the post. (2 entries)
Grab my Blog Button and post it in your sidebar. (1 Entry)
Follow me on Google Friend Connect, which is located on the right side bar. (1 Entry)
Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email. (1 Entry)
Follow me on Twitter, and tweet about this giveaway. (1 Entry)
Click to vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs. Just click the banner on the right sidebar (Top Mommy Blogs) and tell me you clicked. (1 Entry)
Geeze. Life is too short to count so many entries.
If you want to read this blog, do.
If you don't want to, don't.
If you want $75, enter the draw.
If you don't, don't.
In the meantime, can someone (perhaps one of my 64 Google "Friends") explain to me the point of Google Friend Connect and "Following" blogs?
PS. If you go and vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs, I will kill you.
11 comments:
I've wondered about this, too.
There were plenty of ways to 'follow' a blog before 'Followers' came along - your 'Subscribe in a reader' link is an example of one.
I use a dedicated (and free) 'reader' program (Google's Reader). This lets me keep track of all the blogs I 'follow' by opening just one app. You can either read the blog content right in Reader or click a link to go to the blog to see the content as it was formatted by the blogger (and to leave annoying comments).
Maybe the 'Follower' panel reminds me a little too much of Facebook's 'Friends' list which says, to me at least, "Nyah, nyah - I've got more friends than you do."
I guess I'm a little bugged that Facebook wants you to compete with your friends to get even more friends than they do so that Facebook will have a bigger audience to sell their ads to.
Am I being too cynical, again?
It could be there's something about this whole 'Follower' business that I'm missing, too.
There is some obvious parallel with Facebook "friends" and Google "friends". Definitely a 'Nyah, Nyah' factor for sure.
But Facebook friends seem to be much more worthwhile than Google friends. On Facebook I can see what my friends are doing, see photos and videos of them, interact with them in several ways. I like it, especially for keeping in touch with the far-flung members of my extended family.
But I have no interaction with my Google friends/ followers. I don't know who most of them are. I do appreciate that they have cared enough about my blog that they have made this gesture of support. But beyond that, what's the point?
http://southcoast.craigslist.org/boa/2021131240.html
The above link is for LaserRacing! Sunday mornings at
Fairhaven Shipyard
Fairhaven,MA
A chance to get in some "practice"
Thank you Mr. Anonymous for pointing out to me that there is "LaserRacing" in Fairhaven on Sundays. Are you the same Mr. Anonymous that drew my attention to a second-hand Laser in Tiverton for sale on Craigslist yesterday?
These are potentially very helpful tips. But who are you? Do I know you? You seem to know me, or at least where I live.
Perhaps you are some automated robot employed by Craigslist to scan the Interwebs and find good matches between Craigslist ads and bloggers stated interests and geography. That would be smart.
Or perhaps you are a fellow local Laser sailor. Don't be anonymous. Come out of the shadows. Maybe we can go and "practice" together in Fairhaven one Sunday?
...their quest for global bloggery domination...bloggery domination!!! Well said! I must remember this expression!
Thank you Frankie. I thought the phrase had a certain poetry. Even if the spell-checker disagreed. But then spell-checkers have no sense of poetry.
Verification word: enazi - person with strong authoritarian streak who bullies others in online forums.
anonymouse is me Dave Harrold,
on facebook
skipper of an ancient classic plastic Ranger 33 on Mount Hope Bay
and an avid "Tillermon" reader.
Oh, hi Dave. You were the one that invited me to sail on your boat in the famous Wednesday Night Worlds right? Sorry we didn't get to sail together this year. Maybe next season you can teach me all about big boat sailing.
You got it! Boat is still on mooring (until next week)
I can certainly use more crew aboard Selah as we plan to race spinnaker next year ;)
It doesn't appear that you've posted the link to vote for the Top Mommy Blogs. A minor oversight, no doubt.
I use Google Reader (like the esteemed O' Docker) - it makes it much easier to keep track of the blogs I try to read frequently, although I'm usually always several days behind. RSS feeds are an amazing tool - and I take advantage of them whenever I can.
I've been a Google fan for what seems like forever (Gmail, Google Reader, Calendar, Documents, etc) - but don't have a clue what the point of being a "Follower" is.
So no offense, Tillerman - I'm not a "follower", but am a long-time reader.
cheers, my2fish
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