BlogExplosion or BlogImplosion?

I decided to conduct an experiment after someone turned me on to BlogExplosion, a service that allows blog owners to accumulate point by viewing other blogs for 30 seconds, where 2 viewings equals 1 exposure of your blog to the community.  Before I used BlogExplosion I got a baseline of my current blog traffic which is about 50 readers a day.   Not great, but I know that most of these people subscride to the blog in some form or another and send me emails occasionally.

I signed up for the service and started reading other blogs while my blog was being certified.  A day later, I'd accumulated over 100 point and got a chance to read some good blogs I'd never have been exposed to normally.  I activated my blog and started getting hits on my blog.  By August 9th, the day I turned off the service because it was so difficult to accumulate points and read others content at the same time I had 187 visits for the day.

The problem with this service is that with a 2 to 1 read to exposure rate, you can't truly appreciate other content enough and simply wait for the 30 second timer to count down.  After turning off (pausing the service) my blog, I noticed in subsequent days that my readership did not, in fact, increase.  My stats on Typepad didn't change one bit and my bookmarks on BlogExplosion totaled 1.

It could be that my blog really sucks, it could be the fact that I don't get a chance to update it daily (although I try) but I didn't see the impact everyone else was forecasting in the BlogExplosion community.  I think that most don't read the blogs, they simply wait for the 30 second timer to pass so they can click through and accumulate .5 points.  Cannibalism at its finest. 

Although a great concept (and one I intend to continue to use because there is some stuff out there worth reading), but BlogExplosion is the Amway of the blogging community, you have to consume your own product in order to acquire more "readers" who in turn must do the same.  I look forward to what they will offer next.  I've decided to activate (unpause) my blog on BlogExplosion once a week, that way I can read all of the blogs that attract my attention and accumulate "points" for exposure for the one day I go live.  What a great scheme.

Comments

[KristynMarie]

Hi there, I just stopped in via BE and I think your blog is great. I also wanted to say that I agree, Blog Explosion is full of people who don't read the blog, they just click past after 30 seconds and that's that. It makes me wonder what one has to do to get some real attention on BE. :)

KristynMarie

[rick]

irony being what it is, i couldn't hepl but comment. came here from blogexplosion. good post.

[Jess]

I saw you through blog explosion too. I must say that most the time I let the page load at least fully and I usually scan the overall look of it. IF I feel good vibes I may stick around and read some, not sure how many blogmarks I have but its alot.

If music starts up on me? Im gone lol...

[Diva]

I found you through BE as well. I use it like any other blog directory - to find interesting new blogs that I would otherwise have never found. I know most of the hits it brings me are useless, but that's not my end game, so I'm okay with it.

[EuroYank]

I like your blog and colors. You have unique content and your writing is very creative.

Most people don't read blogs as you said they just surf the 30 seconds, but the ones who do pick and choose their favorites and you will always have a hard core readership.

[Latin Lover]

Found your site through BE as well. I knew going in that my site would just get passed by waiting for the 30 seconds to go by. I have found a few good sites, and in turn have a some returning traffic, so it's not so bad for me.

[Lucas]

You can get regular readers from BE, it just takes time. Of the (probably) hundreds of blogs you've seen on BE, how many do you frequent? It can be hard to find someplace worthwhile that you enjoy coming back to.

Probably the best thing about BE is that it can be a good way to find interesting blogs moreso than actually attracting readers. And, as you've more or less figured out, you can use it to get traffic when you post certain things. Although most people won't be return readers (and some of them won't read it at all), you can get good exposure for that one post.

You're best off, btw, having some portion of your credits be unsassigned and then assigning them once a week or whatnot. On the downside, you can only save half of your credits in this manner. On the upside, you remain listed in the directory (your blog gets pulled when it's on pause), which can mean more hits with no work at all.

[Yorkshire Soul]

I think that one of the problems with blogexplosion is the amount of retail/selling sites, I certainly click off those once the 30 seconds are up, I do read and comment on the more interesting sites I come across though and have blogmarked over 30 for further reading.

[cube]

It takes a while to pick up readership through BE, but even loyal followers will drop you if your posts become uninteresting. Unfortunately, you're only as good as your last post.

[mediamelt]

Just wanted to let you know that I found you via BE, and read far enough down your main page to find this article. As far as I can see you're a great writer, which means you'll eventually attract an audience. From what I've seen of the more trafficked sites, they tend to pick a general theme and stick to it (for ex: politics, tech,humor or my subject of choice - film). Not many "personal", "everything-goes" type blogs have huge audiences, just keep that in mind and adjust expectations accordingly. :)

Another BE findee! I do click through blogs that are not of personal interest, but I've also stuck around for alot of them and love just surfing and reading new stuff! I'm also not blogmarked alot but I've had good feedback (as you are) so the blogmark is not the definitive measure of your blogworthiness :)

[Deb]

I just happened to find you...

I used to be in BE but they got a little political themselves so now I use Blog Advance.

You don't have to surf as they have other alternatives to getting your blog out there although they do have a traffic exchange site.

It's because of Blog Advance that I now think outside the square and I find my own ways of reading new blogs etc, like me finding you today.

BA~~19