So I haven't recognized my top EC droppers in quite awhile so I wanted to give props to those in the community that have stuck it out through all the craziness. Thanks for continuing to drop in on my blog daily and I'd love for you to check out the others on the list. They are some great bloggers and creative minds every one of them. I just chose the Bumble Bee Wristcuff for this post because the colors reminded me of EC's yellowish and black logo.
| DigiVickie's Word Art digital scrapbooking, tutorials, inspiration and free word art designs | |
| A Rose By Name The beadweaving process, jewelry, art, ideas. | |
| Winesworld's blog a friendly wine guide for amateurs, by amateurs | |
| BadGalSays We give you Roots and Truth 24/7 | |
| The Beadings and Buttons of Randomcreative I have always enjoyed making random creative projects using all different colors and materials. | |
| Recycled Frockery Recycled Fashion and How to Do It Your Way | |
| My gypsygoods Life, creative moments, saving money, nature, eco-friendly tips | |
| The Sweet Life Every little thing that make life sweet. | |
| anns snap edit scrap mixed bag of my digital photography, photo editing, digi scrap designs, freebies and rambling about life | |
| Mother by Design Encouragement from a Christian perspective for mothers of all ages |
So all of us in the community are well aware of all the turmoil in Entrecard over the past 6 months. I watched as some of my favorites have decided to abandon ship and I certainly don't judge anyone for their decisions about who they affiliate their blog with. I personally have been taking a wait and see stand throughout all the changes and rechanges in management and policies.
I too was thoroughly annoyed when they decided to add paid ads to our widgets even if it is just 15% of the time. But has anyone else noticed that the only ads that have been put up have been for Entrecard and over the past week even those have disappeared. It seems to me that it may have once again been a big todo over nothing. I read on someone's blog that they thought they no one would want to do paid advertising since they would be looked down upon by everyone in the community and it might actually hurt their business rather than help.
There was also an offer for us to pay them a yearly/monthly fee to have our ad box remain with only approved ads. I'm really glad I didn't take them up on this offer as that appears to have been more of an attempt to turn it into a paid service. Which got me thinking about whether I would pay to use EC like they do at Adigitize. I just don't think I would despite all the great benefits it has brought to my blog. It's kind of like that Kraft magazine that has always been free and is now charging $7 for a years subscription. I've always gotten some of my favorite, easy to make recipes out of it but when I had to decide whether I was going to pay for it I thought not unless they really up their game.
She put some real time into quantifying whether the time she puts into EC is worth it. I also really enjoyed her follow up post here where she really captured my own thoughts about what I have gotten out of EC and why I decided to stick with it. Here is the crux of it which I am posting with her permission:
"When you sign up for EC, you are basically a nobody in the blogging world. Not because no one likes you, but because no one knows you are there. So, you get on EC and start dropping like crazy. You buy some ads and the next thing you know, people are dropping on your blog. Even better, people are beginning to follow you and subscribe to your RSS feed. So, you keep on dropping and dropping. Eventually, you become disenchanted with EC and contemplate leaving. You may decide to stay, but not drop quite so much. Whatever you choose, what is the one valuable thing you didn't have before EC? Followers and subscribers. Wow...that's pretty big. Especially considering that the only one reading your blog before you joined EC was yourself! Mull on that for a while."
So I have been continuing to drop but not with the same energy I did in the beginning. If I get over 100 drops on my lunch hour I'm happy with that. I'm dropping on the blogs I enjoy for one reason or another and not feeling like I have to reciprocate every drop just because. My numbers have gone done some but I'm not really concerned. I want the people that visit my blog to do so because they want to not because I'm just another drop through.
If you have any insight into the whole EC turmoil please share as I'm always interested to hear others opinions.
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13 comments:
Hey I made your list. Thanks for the link back. It's always a pleasure stopping by to visit you.
As for EC what you have there pretty much sums up how I feel about it. Before EC I was out there on my own, a nobody. I may still be a nobody but at least I feel like I belong in a community of wonderful people known as my bloggy friends. :)
I also took the wait & see approach and this round of paid ads has gone much better than before. I am sticking with EC, although I've also scaled back on the amount of time I spend dropping.
I've certainly benefited from being a member of EC and have discovered many wonderful blogs I may not have otherwise found. I plan to continue as an EC member, at least for now!
I've stuck it out with EC for the same reasons you did and I like the concept. I like a button that I can hit that lets the blogger know I was there, but I don't always have to leave a comment. I mean, I'd rather have something to say versus just typing in something to let them know I've been there. I'm growing weary of dropping, so we'll see where that goes.
Paige, I too agree with that sentiment. It is true that it sucks that they are trying to find a way to collect funding now for a previously free service, but, who can complain when they've done so much for us bloggers for free? If you don't want to pay and they start charging, then just end it all and be happy about what you have gained.
congrats to your top 10! drop the EC....
btw, I would like to ask a favor if you could help us vote for my daughter...if you have time....your help is much appreciated....thanks!
* You can Vote for Akesha by answering this question and post the whole sentence as your comment:
Question: Akesha is my winning Pinoy Smile because ----------
Note: You can cast your vote and comment everyday. Thanks!
I agree with you on the whole EC thing...I too waited to see what the out come would be, and I drop what I can, but I don't go crazy either. I appreciate the followers that EC has brought me, and the fact that I have found some great blogs to read as well.
I was going to completely drop EC about a month ago. I was fed up with all the changes that EC was instituting, saying you would have no say over the paid ads that ran on your blog, shutting down chats and forums, etc. I gave away all my EC credits (which they charge you for to transfer!) and then decided to just move the widget to the bottom of my blog, take a break from dropping, not accept any ads and wait to see what happened. Well, their paid ads seem to have fizzled, just like you said. So, I started dropping again, but I only do maybe 50 a day, if that, on the blogs that I enjoy visiting on a regular basis (take note of where I am right now!) I am now accepting ads and am happy to see that some of my favorite bloggers have placed ads on my blog. EC served its purpose, it introduced my blog to others and I was introduced to lots of fabulous blogs and new friends, for which I am very grateful. I will continue to do EC for now but on a limited basis. It got to be addictive, making those 300 drops a day, making sure I stayed in the top 2 in my category, etc. I am extremely competitive and it ceased to be fun when it became so much work on a daily basis. That is probably a bigger reason why I finally had to give it up. 12 step program... ;o)
I'm with you and Lisa on this one about EC. I'm more than happy to stick with it and am so grateful for the new followers and friends I've made through it. Yes, I'm in a transitional period of my life where I can't drop as much but it is still something I think is worthwhile to some degree.
Glad I made your List Paige.
and to get two spots, WOW !
that should show you how much I enjoy keeping up with what you're doing. btw, any christmas suprises planned in the big girls dept ?
I'm so looking for something unique.
I go back and forth with entrecard - I hate some of the rules and I forget to drop, but I have come across some great blogs using them...
You were one of my top 10 entrecard droppers for the month of October :) I posted a thank you link on my blog tonight.
Thanks for this post. I am relatively new to Entrecard and glad the paid ad thing has not blown out of proportion.
Right now, I am spotlighting my Top Droppers as Site of the Day in my sidebar. I was also planning on doing a post every month to thank them.
I like the EC idea, which is why I have kept it. It allows me to visit some of my favorites without having to remember their address (I can just click from EC). However, I really dislike that they have stopped awarding points for each blog entry, and that they are taxing earnings. It makes it not worth my time to do any more than my most favorite drops daily. I never had the toolbar and never got to more than 75 drops a day because I caught a virus from an EC affiliated site in the spring, and have been skittish about random dropping since then. I don't like that we are now (maybe?) forced to accept paid ads 15% of the time, but I do understand that a business has to be viable to its owners.
Very, very well said, Paige. I don't drop with the same intensity anymore...it has kinda taken a backseat for me. I still get a little traffic, I still get some comments, I just have finalized my decision that every day will be an EC drop day---> If I get to it, great...if I don't, I'll try again tomorrow. My volume has gone down, also. I'm not trying to drop 300 cards a day anymore. I agree that I want people at my site because they want to be there, not because I am just another drop to them.
Oh, and the Kraft thing...what's up with that?! I get the magazine free for years...this week I find out I have to subscribe?! Why should I pay for a magazine where the recipes show up in other magazines?! Sheessss....
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