I’m pressured to come up with a presentation to an important group this afternoon, so what better time for me to start surfing around and blogging about what I find right?
At any rate, a link lead to another and eventually lead to i.ph, which lead to i.ph’s bloggerprogram, which lead me to this blogpost, and which lead me to naming this blogpost “Bubble Bubble Troll and Trouble”. Even if it may or may not be the most appropriate of titles, i feel it somewhat hits the spot, or at the very least adopt a nice spooky ambience, relevant to the approaching Halloween season.
However back to the subject at hand, apparently i.ph is going to pay people to write about them. This statement should well enough explain it:
Blog posting. Participants are to post 2 quality articles about i.PH per week. Length should be at least 2 paragraphs each. These may be in form of a review or any commentary about the service. This is to be done in the participant’s main blog (whether hosted by i.PH or other services). The blog post should likewise clearly identify and have a link to the i.PH homepage.
You are also asked to put the i.ph logo somewhere on your blog. But more specific to my reaction would be this:
Comment posting. Participants are to post at least 20 comments each week on other blogs (may or may not be friends or contacts) referring them to the articles posted on their own blogs, and to i.PH as a service as well. So as not to be tagged as spam, these should be relevant and specific to the blog posts being responded to. An example scenario would be a participant responding to a post with photos, and commenting that i.PH has a built-in photo gallery and photo blog, and that the participant has written about it in his/her own site.
Now, to be sure, trolling as defined in wikipedia has a somewhat different etymology and therefore, definition, in reference mostly to inflammatory or disruptive behaviour back in the old Usenet days. However, with the rise of blogs I’ve recently come to believe the word has evolved somewhat to include that of people who post on other people’s blogs to promote their own, or otherwise similar sundry activities. At any rate it is frowned upon, as any blogger who might be unlucky enough to have experienced such will understand. It’s similar to talking passionately about something, after which your audience will then agree with you, and a few seconds later try to sell you an Amway product, leading you to wonder about his sincerity.
For the most part, imho i.ph is gaining ground slowly, and surely enough, bloggers will find reason to employ its services (or for that same reason, blog or comment about it), should they see it fit to do so. But again imho, the practice of paying folk to pretend to be interested in someone’s blogpost so they can comment and promote its service seems to be a step in the wrong direction. Surely there are other ways, (cough – innovation — cough), to promote one’s web service.
Hi Gary!
An interesting insight you have on the i.PH Blogger program. I am one of the principals of the Program, being part of the i.PH development and marketing team (does it make me an evil troller, then? ;) ).
I would like to comment on the perception that we at i.PH are paying folk to pretend interest in another’s blog and then post comments. We do take good care of our Blogger Program participants, and part of the terms of the Program is full disclosure. And this goes for both parties (the bloggers and i.PH). On the the bloggers’ end, we ask them to indicate, to the extent possible, that what they’re doing is part of the Program.
In this way, whatever the intent would be, it’s clear at the start. And it doesn’t necessarily mean that our Bloggers only read blog posts with the intent of posting comments. The fact that they sought out a blog means there must be something interesting in what the author had written.
At any rate, the way participating Bloggers spread the word is they first touch base with their friends who are existing bloggers, and refer them back to their own blog (where they post about i.PH). And bloggers are known to be self-promoting (well, most of us at least), and linking back to one’s blog is certainly part of that self-promoting tendency. Then when they run out of blogger-friends, they can most certainly visit strangers’ blogs–perhaps the Bloggers can get to meet new people this way.
At any rate, if you would like to share other concerns on this topic or anything under the sun, please do feel free to get in touch with me. It’s great to be able to discuss things tech-blogger to tech-blogger.
Cheers.
Angelo
http://jangelo.i.ph
http://jangelo.racoma.net
Thank you so much for replying, Angelo.
I’m also glad and am flattered re your offer to discuss this at length by getting in touch with you.
First off, I’ve nothing but support for anything local sites do. I always wish and hope them the best, and I really do look forward to a local service making it big. That’s what the internet’s all about imho, a place where everyone has a chance.
However, the methodology with which to gain success, for me, is directly related and wholly dependent on that service’s value (whether free email, free blogger’s space, forums, blogs, dating sites, music downloads, whatever..), to it’s subscribers. If a service offers something no other can, I truly believe people will knock down your door trying to get in. The service will sell itself, and will serve as it’s own best advertisement.
This is not to say of course, that i.ph’s service is of limited value. To be honest, I’ve not tried it, hence I am in no position to determine this. I am however, 100% sure you take care of your subscribers well, and offer other bloggers a viable alternative.
As such then, I maintain that I do not believe the comment system is necessary to begin with, let alone the methods with which to promote the service, in general. I believe there are other ways to do so. Less creative and more traditional, to be sure, but equally if not more effective in the long run.
Be that as it may, again let me reiterate I wholeheartedly support your service and all local web services as well, and I will recommend your service to my friends. Mabuhay kayo at lahat ng mga nagsusumikap tulad ninyo. Just consider mine a (probably lone) dissenting opinion.
Thanks a lot!
Gary