Jo's Cafe

A Post about Posting

Wednesday, 23 November 2005, 7:09

Reliable sources have told me that The Truth Laid Bear, who runs the ecosystem, has made a decision to no longer count “Open Trackback” type posts in our rankings.

Okay — so now what? Well is your rank that important to you that this would upset you to no end? Actually, at first it did when I was nothing but a pimple on the butt of an acorn nut, but now I don’t worry so much. I won’t be top of the heap because I’m not Instapundit or Michelle Malkin.

I post interesting articles that I find, rant about stupid shit I run across, open up my soul on occasions and just have fun.

However, I don’t have time to visit all the wonderful blogs out there.

The “Specials of the Day” started out to be a play on the fact this is “Jo’s Cafe” and I put up stuff I thought was interesting, but not enough to do a whole post about. It’s loosely based on Basil’s idea of the Breakfast, Lunch and Supper and I talked to him about this. I didn’t want him to think I was stealing his idea. He was fine with it. The trackbacks started when The Florida Masochist approached me and asked if the specials could be used to post a trackback to a story on his site. I was like sure! And the rest is, as they say, history.

But I found that trying to locate Specials every day was burning me out, so I went to the Sunday Open Trackback posts. This gave me a break and provided an open post for others to get out their posts about whatever the topic. There are days when people who post on their blogs on a regular basis, and their readership is use to seeing at least one post from them a day, who can’t post. OTB posts can be used in one way to let the readers know “I’m sick, or I’m out of town, or whatever” – because there are people out there that care about other bloggers. If you are use to going to a blog everyday and suddenly you don’t see a post from them for months, you get worried. OTB when you are so slammed you can’t post can provide information that you are okay.

So — will Open Trackback posts stop at Jo’s Cafe?

No.

Will I give a rats ass if I go from a Large Mammal to a gopher underground.?

Some.

But I will keep providing posts that people can trackback to openly and provide great reading. I don’t have all day or night to browse the blogosphere and read all the great stuff out there. For Example, by accident yesterday I found out that Real Clear Politics has a blog coverage page! So you see, I believe the sometimes Open Trackback posts help us and our readers to find other blogs out there of interest. I know I have added several to my blog roll since the SOTD’s provide trackback to them.

So I guess if you’re going to get upset about it, take down your ecosystem script, throw away your SiteMeter and move forward.

What is most important is who you are and does your blog reflect you and are YOU comfortable with who comes and reads. I spent all this month dealing with diabetes as much as I could. Did everyone read the posts? Probably not, but then again, I have received some wonderful e-mails from folks thanking me for a particular post. When I get those, I don’t care if the ecosystem even is out there.

I end by saying — Thank you to all those that do stop by here, even if it’s to scroll down past recent posts to find the SOTD and do a trackback.

I read 99.9% of all the trackbacks btw — isn’t that why we do them really?

Oh — and please go visit my friend James at “Upstated”

(Let’s see how many people actually got this far and went and visited James)

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18 Comments for “A Post about Posting”

1Don Surber

wrote on 23 November 2005 at 8:01

Oh, quit making so much sense, Jo
2Alabama Improper

wrote on 23 November 2005 at 8:32

Yes Jo. You were one of the original bloggers who started Open Trackbacks and this makes you different in my book. I say different because I believe the open trackbacks were kind of getting out of hand. However, you and some others, like I said were the original hosts to the open trackback parties. You also started them with genuine care and concern and didn’t do it just to link whore your way to the top. I am proud of you for that and one of the many reasons I have always liked your blog. Now, if you go and visit me at my blog keep in mind that everything I am complaining about pertaining to this open trackback topic does NOT pertain to you or basil or anyone else I like. I was just complaining for complaining sake. LOL ;-)
3ginasrantings

wrote on 23 November 2005 at 8:38

wow what happened to the old look … although the new is fine also ..

there is a reason behind all that that you mentioned … about the TLB not counting the track backs , but if you guys have noticed we were loosing most of those links anyway every month or so , I would notice that mine would go half way down .
4Jo

wrote on 23 November 2005 at 8:50

I have noticed that mine dropped from 723 to 423 overnight the other day. I liked the old look, but it was getting messier by the day and hard to manage. This theme is easier and cleaner.
5PCD

wrote on 23 November 2005 at 9:20

Jo,

I always pop in several times a day to read what you write.

Maybe I might start to blog again. I’ll let you know.

Thanksgiving I’m going to drive up with my girlfriend and her son to see my father in the Wisconsin Vetrans’ Home. I wonder how many people who say they support the troops really do? I don’t believe the left does, at least not with their own money and time. I guess I’m throwing out the idea/challenge to all and I’m watching to see who responds and how they respond.
6David

wrote on 23 November 2005 at 14:14

You nailed it in one, Jo. Made my newly re-instituted “Quote of the Day”.

Perfect. I might even bronze this one.

;-)
7ginasrantings

wrote on 23 November 2005 at 16:48

tlb has high rankings cause we all link to him , wonder what will happen if we all delinked him , is there anyone out there that is computer savvy to do our own version of rankings , hey until now he has not competition , maybe that is what he needs ..
8David

wrote on 24 November 2005 at 2:59

Just a passing insomniac thought:

I wonder what the delta is on hits TTLB has gotten outa this flap? And links? heh

All stats stuff is game-playing. Hits? Dailykos has 5X the traffic Instapundit does. Powerline has within an ace’s reach of Dailykos’ links, but about 1/9 the traffic.

So? It’s all nonsense at the level that reports.

What counts is

1.) what are you saying
2.) does it reach your target audience?
3.) do they come back for more because you are authentic or because you tell them what they want to hear?

I’ve stated my purpose clearly and perma-posted it. I don’t care if my honest comments are hated or loved, ridiculed or praised. I say what I say.
9Laurie

wrote on 25 November 2005 at 15:20

Just wanted to say I did read the whole thing, and went to read James at UpStated. And I really do support the troops. But I don’t have much of an opinion on the TTLB thing because it doesn’t really affect me directly. I can’t put up the sitemeter thing so I’m doomed to stay an Insignificant Microbe forever. Advantage being I will never suffer from illusions of grandeur in the blogosphere.
10Jake Jacobsen

wrote on 26 November 2005 at 0:35

I admit to sometimes just buzzing through and doing a trackback, just because it’s so time intensive. I do try to stop in a couple times a week though and see what’s shakin’ at the cafe.

Thanks for doing this and thanks for the wonderful writing you do it is appreciated.

Jake
11Peakah

wrote on 29 November 2005 at 12:34

Awesome post Jo, I jumped on this open trackback bandwagon only recently and have noticed a jump in my TTLB rank… I’d rather that rank went up due more to my writing than how much time I spend finding other posts to link to, particularly open posts…

*shrug* The lil blog-o-sphere seems to be transforming from a baby to a toddler on wobbly legs, or perhaps that’s just my evolvement in this whacky system.

Thanks for the heartfelt post! (I can’t believe I didn’t have you in my list of “sistah’s from other mistahs” My mistake! Consider it fixed…

Keep up the great work Jo!