Is That Blog Really as Good as Everyone Thinks?
Have you ever read The Emperors New Clothes? Many of you might have been read this story as a kid.
For those that have never heard of it, basically it is the tale of two weavers who promise the emperor of the town that they can make him the finest clothing he has ever seen. In fact, they promise the emperor that the clothing is of such quality that anyone who is unfit for office or a simpleton will not be able to see the cloth…it will be invisible to them.
So the emperor, on being presented the clothing and not wanting to appear stupid or unfit for office, pretends that he can see it as does the rest of the town. It is only when the emperor is parading through town and a young child in the crowd shouts out that the emperor is wearing no clothes that everyone starts to agree.
Now you’re probably wondering why I’ve started this blog post with a fairy tale and what it has to do with blogging. Well simply what I’m trying to do here is use this fairy tale as an analogy for some of the hugely popular blogs out there.
Have you ever gone to one of those big blogs in your niche and wondered what all the fuss was about? I know I have. Some blogs get hundreds of comments per post and you sit there wondering why when you read some of their articles. They really could have been written by anyone.
Some of these bloggers are so big that they can write about what they had for lunch and still get a substantial amount of comments.
And then there are other top bloggers who have obviously gone past the point of caring anymore and are more concerned about making the dollars with the number of ads and pop-ups they have on their blog. In fact, there is one top blogger in the money making niche that has so many ads on his page that it takes forever for the page to load up and I get a script error message when it finally does. I just don’t bother anymore….but others do.
So what is it that attracts people to these blogs and continue to leave comments? Oftentimes it’s not because they are getting value from that blog but simply because:
a. they want to be seen on that blog as it will get people to come to their blog
b. they want to make friends with that blogger simply for the status it will give them
c. everyone else is following that blogger so they should too
So it can be all about perceptions rather than that blog being of any real value to that person. That blog is simply used as a tool and nothing more.
Which brings me back to The Emperors New Clothes…are we just following these blogs because like the Emperor we don’t want to appear foolish…or because we want to be one of the crowd or for any of the other reasons mentioned above. The blog may no longer provide any real value but we think it does because everyone else thinks it does.
I must admit, that I don’t often visit the bigger blogs – there’s a couple that I like – Problogger.net for instance as he always manages to maintain the consistency of quality as does Yaro Starak from Entreprenuers Journey.
I tend to prefer the up and coming bloggers as they know that they continually have to improve to suceed and some provide some excellent content.
What about you? Do you follow the top bloggers because they provide value or simply because you feel like you have to…or a bit of both?
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For me it’s bit of both.
Must admit I did follow one very popular blog but now all he seems to do is write about what tools to buy and add his affiliate links. Don’t get me wrong that’s not a problem, but please not 4 out of 5 posts. Which reminds me – I must take him off CommentSniper!
It’s the same with sign-ups. You often only hear from the big boys when they are selling something. Perhaps, they get to a stage where they have such large followings they don’t care but they should remember they started off small as well and grew by providing great content.
I do like the 2 guys you mention and I think it’s also because they are both nice genuine guys as well.
Andrew
Andrew @ webuildyourblog.com´s last blog ..How to add an image when you add a blog comment
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head Andrew. What happens is that they tend to start promoting products rather than providing value…hence the 4 out of 5 posts problem.
What a great post! Honestly, I don’t read most of the big bloggers for the reasons you listed. Occasionally, there is a useful post, but most of their posts are just about themselves.
Perhaps, if there were some big bloggers in my niche then I might be more inclined to be just another follower in the crowd.
I loved how you used the fairy tale. It was a very enjoyable read.
Brad Harmon´s last blog ..How to Set Up a Listening Post on Twitter
I guess it must get hard for some of the bigger bloggers to think of something new to say. At some point they have to throw in those posts about themselves…I don’t mind that so much as long as it’s just the odd post here and there because we want to see that there is a human being behind the blog. The problem starts when the blog simply becomes a mix of “it’s all about me” and the products they are promoting.
I stop into the “top” blogs to get ideas and to check the temperature of the blogosphere so to speak. The only so called top blogger that I subscribe to is Problogger.net because most often there is true value there. At least there was until he recently started selling the 30 days….book that once were posts.
But I digress. I’m not sure why folks hang out on the blogs that post photos of food they ate. Arrogance I guess…
Ms. Freeman´s last blog ..10 Reasons I Stop Reading Blogs
I think that’s as far as it goes for me too…I tend to visit just to see if anything is going on that I should know about, but that’s really just on the odd occasion.
Very true that a good number of “top” bloggers have gone totally commercial. It sucks for their regular visitors but I’m sure it’s paying off. Undoubtedly, they’re converting new visitors into dollars.
Gabe | freebloghelp.com´s last blog ..The 21st century corporate soapbox
That’s right – it’s all about the money I guess for a lot of them. I think they are at the point where it doesn’t matter anymore. They are so big that they are just surviving now based on their past and not what they currently churn out. So they can almost get away with anything
It’s nice to see we are so similar. As for me, have I been to these blogs? Once or twice. Do I follow them? Nope, not even a little bit, and proud to say I never have.
Like you, I much prefer the “up and comers” as I am one myself (aren’t we all until that first 7figure month?). I DO remember the beginning and can relate.
Not to mention the big guns swipe more from the little guys then most realize, but I digress.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Are You Thankful For Your Blogging Community?
Well I hope I never get to that point which is why I wrote this post. I want this to be something that readers can throw in my face if I ever get too big for my boots.
For some that would be a very risky game, lol, I’m not worried about you though.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Are You Thankful For Your Blogging Community?