You don’t need to use link bait to get traffic or to generate comments on your blog. That is because the easiest and most effective way to generate comments and interaction is to blog about blogging.
There are few things that bloggers like to talk about more than blogging. That is because the majority of us are interested in growing our readership and expanding our reach.
It doesn’t matter whether we agree that comments are not currency or say that we blog because we love to write. This is not profound or insightful, it is common sense. Look around the blogosphere and you will find 2,8762,382 posts about how to become a better blogger.
I’ll spare you my snarky comments about how most of those posts are noise and how few of them provide practical advice. There is a reason that most blogs have a life of 90 days or less. You can blame some of that on unrealistic expectations and some upon ineffective use of resources.
Social Media Is About People- Triberr’s Role
Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, Pinterest and all of the other social media platforms are sometimes mistaken for being the engine that drives social media. That is simply inaccurate.
People are what power social media.
What I like about Triberr is that it provides an easy way to meet other people. I am not just talking about like minded individuals either. Triberr offers sort of a central gathering spot in which bloggers can meet and begin relationships.
That is where I have found the biggest value. It is responsible for my introduction to Gini, Jayme, Danny, Mark, Kaarina, Judy, Mark, Jens, Craig, Bill and a ton of others who really should be mentioned here. Posts about Triberr stimulate discussion and make me think about what I am doing and why.
Thought is a good thing. I don’t like everything about it.
What I Don’t Like
I am not a fan of the Triberr commenting system. It is a nice idea but if you don’t have it installed on your blog those comments are lost. It reminds me a bit of some of the challenges that RSS presented when it got to be big. People stopped visiting blogs and spent their time elsewhere.
It has had a significant impact upon Twitter and created more noise and confusion. You have to work extra hard to carry on conversations. If you have a lot of tribesmen it makes it more challenging for you to not be seen as someone who spends more time broadcasting and less time engaging.
If you are not strategic about building and joining tribes you can find yourself in a position where your content is rarely shared and or placed in a position in which tribesmen are upset because you don’t share their content.
What I Like
I love the exposure to other bloggers. I have met some remarkable people and good friends have come from that. That exposure to other people I might not have met has been wonderful because I have learned a lot.
Triberr has helped to create and build the community around my blog. It has been an invaluable source of information and I am grateful to Dino and Dan for starting it. I see it being worth the tradeoffs that have been made.
It provides opportunities for growth on a number of fronts and that is always a good thing. It has become one of my favorite social media tools and resources.
Questions for you
Do you use Triberr?
Do you like it?
Do you have tips for using it?
I am curious to see what would happen if I blogged about wanting to raise a million dollars. Do you think Triberr can help?
Why do people insist on dressing up their dogs in ridiculous clothing?
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
Disneyland or Disneyworld?
I just recently started using Triberr. To be honest, I don’t know very much about it yet, but I want to learn…and need too.
What caught my attention to this blog post was the fact you were talking about comments. At one point many months ago I was alittle disappointed in the fact that I don’t get too many comments on my blog. My site is for dads, fatherly advice, helping dads. I thought that with so many dad bloggers out there it would be easy to get comments and interactions from them. Hence the reason I wrote the post Dad Bloggers Unite! Here is the link. –> http://www.daddyplace.com/blogs/2012/04/dad-bloggers-unite/ And while I got a few comments, that was it. I truly don’t understand why dad bloggers don’t comment on other sites, it would only get them more comments as well plus make better friends online. It just boggles my mind.
Anyway, great blog post and can’t wait to read more. Look me up on triberr as well. Daddyplace.com
Hi Keith,
My apologies for the delayed response.
There is a large dad blogger community and it is probably more active than you might realize but this isn’t like Field of Dreams.
It is not a matter of “Write and they will come.” There are lots of reasons why bloggers might not get as many comments or traffic as they might hope and it is not always based upon quality of the post.
This is a marathon and not a sprint.
Keep at it and keep pushing. Good things come to the people who sustain their efforts.
Hey Josh, I like the Triberr thing but have some of the same concerns Kaarina experiences the difference being that I don’t spend as much time on it as I should nor have I said much about it at all. It’s great that others are addressing the inconsistencies in the appearance of posts and the commenting system.
I agree that as a free platform (essentially) it is a great way to see what your friends are up to and what to share. I trust the tribes I am in and share their content at times without reading it fully. Triberr makes it easy that way.
Cheers Josh
Hi Ralph,
You touched upon something really important. When you have enough trust in your tribes to promote the content without reading completely through you are in great shape.
I think it is one of the critical items that some people miss when they build their tribes. You have to be really cautious in your approach so that you’ll build them the right way.
I used it here and there for months, but I’m finally and fully on board, as I’m now on board with Zuckerberg’s evil empire too. Finally got on FB … 😉
I agree with you on the commenting system, but it looks like Dino is all over that one! Great to hear and I’m sure he’ll keep improving.
So, now that I’m on board I love Triberr for the very same reasons you mentioned!
Hi Craig,
I think it is fair to say you have started drinking the same Kool Aid as the rest of us. 😉
Triberr is definitely responsible for introducing us and like I said I am grateful. People are what make social media work for me so I am grateful for it all.
hey Josh,
I hear you loud and clear. Triberr comment system needs improving. We are so on it 🙂
As for the rest, I’m really happy you’ve found your grove and utilizing Triberr the right way 🙂
Great writing. Great post. Thnx for writing about us 🙂
Dino
Founder of Triberr
Dino,
You guys deserve credit for building a monster that works.
Glad to hear you’re another lover of Triberr Josh.
I’ve been with them from the beginning and I must say I didn’t really have to do much. Everywhere I turned people were inviting me to join their tribes so I am now reaching over 5 million followers and am in about ten tribes. It’s really helped with meeting new people and I’ve really come to enjoy the connections we’ve made.
You are right about writing a post about blogging. They are definitely my most popular posts on my blog. For the most part I’ve read some great content on this subject but I really prefer reading it from someone who is sharing their experiences. Sure does help me I must say.
Nice post and great topic.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne,
Triberr has come a long way since the beginning but I think they have stayed pretty true to their roots. It is good to have a community that is working to make blogging better for everyone and not just a few people.
The posts about blogging are simply awesome too because you can find so much good information this way. It is practical and actionable- I like that.
Hi Josh,
This article has rekindled my love for Triberr. I was on it some days back but didn’t really exploit it. I have read quite a few reviews about it. Hope to get back to it fully as a result of this post.
Thanks for the encouragement
Hi Enstine,
I am happy I was able to help. Triberr is a great tool and if you use it wisely it really pays off. There are some great benefits to it.
I am a Triberr lover…OMG…and guess, what? I just confirmed with this comment that my two days of migrating Feedburner to Feedblitz all by my little lonesome worked!! Hurray! Now, I will write the right post about the whole experience.
That said, I am remarkable, you are remarkable, and so is the social media that does not power social media.
Can I talk in circles any more? This is entirely what you deserve; ‘cuz you need someone to rabble rouse you. Heh.
Good to see the queen of technology figured out how to make the blog work with her nifty new RSS feed. I hope you remembered to use the PDF overload setting. That is a significant tool that you don’t want to miss out on.
Thanks a lot for mentioning me Josh. I love Triberr, and for the same reasons you do. It has helped me get a lot of traffic and I’ve met a lot of awesome people. But I have never been a true fan of the commenting system either. The reason is that I can’t use it alone on my blog. I don’t like to have more than one commenting system, and with the Triberr commenting system I feel that I have to add several.
But, I’m sure that they’ll come up with a system that will work for every blogger. What they should do is “copy” CommentLuv and have a special function for members of Triberr.
You’re exactly correct, Jens. We will develop Triberr comment system into a more mature commenting platform. In fact, thats going to be the next big push.
The reason we rolled it out is because it offers something no other commenting system can offer. Mirrored comments for reblogged posts. It’s simply magical and it’s the only way syndication should be done. But I guess I’m biased 🙂
Dino
Founder of Triberr
Hi Jens,
If they could come up with something similar to CommentLuv that would be golden and greatly appreciated.
One of my big issues with the Triberr commenting system is that it is being used for comments when it is not installed on my blog. I understand the particulars and reasons why, but in a way it is similar to RSS. Some people never make it here just as they didn’t because of RSS feeds.
i totally hear you. And we will 🙂
Even now, anyone can click on your name inside Triberr comments and be taken to all of your posts. So it’s kinda like CommentLuv but not really… 🙂
I like the opportunity and option that triberr affords me. Besides meeting great people (like you…thanks for the shout out:), it allows me to quickly review the posts I’d like to share. Sure I can do that by going to my reader, or directly to posts, but it’s nice to be able to approve a post (I ALWAYS read them first: I never blind approve, no matter how much I “love” the person and their work), and I often also tweet directly from their site. Because with triberr there’s a delay when the tweet will appear, it allows me to give extra support to the post, without going back to it.
I do have issues with the inconsistency in posts appearing in my stream. I’ve asked for this to be resolved, to no avail…yet. Some of my tribemates find that their posts don’t appear, then randomly do. This is an annoyance and a nuisance. Apparently Bill and Adam are meeting with Dino, so I’ve given them the challenge of addressing it directly. I’ve had no luck getting a response to my queries.
I check into triberr early in the day, and at the end of the day. I click on the posts that I believe have relevance to the communities I connect with, read them and decide whether or not to approve. I like the connections I’ve made, the friends I’ve made and the content I get to share. Cheers! Kaarina
Hi Kaarina,
I do like using Triberr as sort of a keeper of bookmarks. It is an easy way to “collect” content to read now or later.
Some people get “blind” approval from me but they tend to be bloggers I have known for a while and I have a pretty good sense of their quality.
I hear you about the technical issues. There are a few things that sometimes materialize and create some strange situations, but I figure that Batman and Robin will figure it out sooner or later, or so I hope.
Overall I have no complaints, especially since I am not paying for it.