You're going to want to subscribe to my RSS feed. It's the greatest thing since sliced bread - even better, in fact. You know you want to.

After yesterday’s post on young bloggers using their age as a stupid clever gimmick to get more readers, I decided to ask a few people what they thought about the issue (check here and here). It sparked much discussion (and plenty of visits back to Blog Badly AND a way to take a break from making a real post), but the consensus was unanimous: content should be judged on content. Sure, it might be cool to read lies like “12 year old makes millions selling shoeboxes on E-Bay,” but… seriously, shoeboxes?

WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT
“I think it really depends on the context…. Blogging is unique because people who are slightly smarter than the average joe in any particular field are able to share that knowledge. In the end, it doesn’t matter how old or young you are, as long as you clearly know what you’re talking about.”

“Age shouldn’t have ANY factor in your opinions towards that particular blogger…. Take everything you read with a grain of salt, a reputable author will often have more cred, but age isn’t that determining factor. ”

“Young bloggers always attract me, no matter how suck they are! I admire young people with good insights, especially on the blogosphere.”

“Age is irrelevant to me, what matters most to me is logos, ethos, and pathos (Art of Rhetoric)? …those who flaunt their age as a means of drawing attention… bring about an aurora of arrogance.”

CONCLUSIONS
Most people seem to despise people who use age as a way of promotion and others just ignore it. Still, the fact remains - Carl Ocab is beating me and other talented bloggers in Alexa ranking. This injustice must be corrected! [insert righteous messages in a badly veiled attempt to get more traffic].

UPDATE: Another fourteen year old blogger is opposed to the age gimmick and thus has voiced his thoughts on it over at the Spokane Factor.

UPDATE #2: Yet another fourteen year old blogger voices his opinion at Germz!

Posted by Max Miroff | 5 Comments »

The most famous 14 year old blogger.

Why do people like reading stuff written by young people? Think about it - there are a bunch of blogs and books with the main selling point being the fact that they are written by kids. There are so many writing contests for elementary, middle, and high school students that let you submit your very own horrendous amazing pieces of literature. All of these contests accept every single piece of writing because they want parents to buy the book compilations. It’s a brilliant selling point, really - apparently, because a 12 year old did it, it makes a short lyric about his dog and a bone that much better.

YOUNG BLOGGER CARL OCAB
Carl Ocab was recently named the top under-21 blogger by RetireAt21. I’m not going to argue that - he’s got a big following - but why do people read his blog? His tag line is “Make Money Online With A 13-year-old.” His age is right there in the title and he enjoys riding that as if it makes his content better. Lets analyze his latest posts:

3 sponsored posts
5 posts he didn’t even write
2 posts full of other peoples content
1 vague post about groceries
1 post with a bunch of pictures of his schoolmates and him
1 post about a contest he won
0 beneficial, money-making posts out of 13.

Yet he still has a crapload of readers. I can only assume it’s because people think it’s amazing a 14 year old can blog. Cool.

Can you explain these phenomena? Do you read any blogs just because a young person writes them? Is it a valid selling point? If I tell you that I’m 14 (I am), will you be more inclined to subscribe to my RSS and read my blog? Please do tell me, because I’m baffled.

LIST OF SELLOUTS

1. Carl Ocab of CarlOcab.com
2. Ganesh Srinivas of TeenBlogger.net

Posted by Max Miroff | 23 Comments »

Above is a chat widget from Digsby (If you’re an RSS subscriber, I’m not sure if you’ll see it. Why don’t you go directly to the post? It’ll be fun!). I’ll probably be on it for the next few hours so chat me up and witness my comedic genius - live! Or just talk about that funny picture of a cat you saw that time on that website. Whatever you want. But onto the main point:

DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY USE CHAT BOXES?
I often see a chat box on a blog even though the owner is never logged on. It’s kind of depressing to see the “User logged off” and not be able to chat - it’s just not fun. In addition, it clutters the sidebar and makes the blog look cheesy, much like a pizza or that thing you found in your couch.

THAT MAKES CHAT BOXES SOUND REALLY USELESS.
Well, they are. I mean seriously - what the hell, get AIM or something! It’s not all negative. Chat boxes allow you to better connect with your readers. I theorize it’ll bring me back more consistent return readers, and that’s why I’m going to put one up on Blog Badly for a bit - talk to me!

Posted by Max Miroff | 3 Comments »

No matter where you go for vacation, it is an obligation that you take some pictures of the area and what you did. How else could you remember all the fun you had scuba diving in that dark cave, getting lost, and almost drowning? Eh? Exactly.

OH, AND SINCE YOU HAVE THOSE PICTURES…
Blog about them. Because your readers care. If they say they’re not interested, it’s just because they’re jealous. Make sure you post an obligatory shot of you in front of your hotel, a picture of the surrounding scenery, a photo of a wild animal you encountered (it’s not just any typical bird - it’s a bird from MEXICO!), and a photo of you doing something exciting (swimming, skiing, diving, etc.).

IT JUST ISN’T A VACATION BLOG POST UNTIL YOU TELL SOME STORIES
Be sure to elaborate on each picture. You don’t want your readers thinking that the photo of the lizard is a lizard! I mean, come on, it isn’t just any ordinary lizard; you found him under a rock and he scared you which made you drop your drink. Stories like these are blogging (and StumbleUpon) gold.

Posted by Max Miroff | 2 Comments »

Isn’t perspective fun?

Going on vacation almost always means living in a hotel for a while. There are a few key exceptions: hiking, experiencing local culture by asking people if you can live in their homes, and sleeping on park benches. Still, these cases most likely do not apply to you (if they do, good luck) and thus you will be able to write about that horrendous, awful-smelling amazing place you’re staying at.

WHAT TO DO?
Here are some simple phrases detailing the exact aspects you should write about. Don’t worry - this applies to all hotel rooms.

• 
  What you booked.

 
What you got

• The view is okay, I guess.
• Why are there 2 English channels on the TV and 13 Spanish ones playing the same sitcom over and over and over again?
• The bed feels like a slightly flexible, soft plank of wood.
• You mean this “fun-size” Snickers from the minibar costs $6.99!?!?
• Where’s my iPod? Did the maid steal it? Did it fall out of the window?
• I left my cell phone/iPod/laptop charger at home!

Surprised that all of this applies to you? Don’t be - hotels are simply a predictable part of life. Just remember this: always be negative about your hotel. Your readers will sigh, think of a past experience with a bad hotel, and nod knowingly while sipping coffee in their cozy home.

Posted by Max Miroff | No Comments »

Quite a monochrome airport

Going on vacation normally involves flying somewhere, unless your vacation involves leaving your house and viewing the sunlight for the first time in months. This, consequently, means you’re going to be waiting at an airport for a while. And finally, in turn, this leads to the fact that you must blog about your surely interesting experience.

WHAT TO TALK ABOUT
Airports are places bustling with many kinds of people:

• People whose only goals are to reach their flight before it departs without them.
• Businessmen who set up workstations in airport terminals and hog all the electrical sockets.
• Disorganized families who complain about everything.
• Tour groups from foreign countries which often do funny things
• That crazy homeless dude who lives in gate C12

And many places:

• Starbucks. There are at least twenty per airport.
• McDonalds. They are generally ten feet apart from other McDonalds so that when you exit one and decide you’re still hungry, you don’t have to walk all the way back.
• Good restaurants that serve tasty food. There are about four per airport.
• Book stores. Because riding a plane is boring and impulse buying is fun!
• iPod vending machines. No, seriously, I saw one.

Still don’t have any inspiration? Here are some sample post titles you can use:

• I feel like this guy is watching me…
• It took me an hour to find a power socket for my laptop!
• Why isn’t airport wireless internet free?
• Mmm, this bagel is delicious.
• Some guy just bumped into me!
• Day 3, hour 6 - my flight is still delayed. We are running out of food, Mikey’s gone insane. HELP.

Just remember: always blog at least once from an airport (if you have a connector flight, you can blog in your second airport as well though this is optional). This is absolutely essential if you want to respectably blog from vacation

Posted by Max Miroff | 5 Comments »

He surfs the waves and the web - at the same time! Woah!

It is very important that readers of your blog know exactly when, where, why, how, and what you’re doing at all times - this also applies to vacation. Don’t even say that that’s what Twitter is for - Twitter is something birds do.

WRITE A BLOG POST DESCRIBING WHAT YOU’RE DOING
Considering I myself am on vacation at the moment, I’d like to tell my readers that I’m going to Lake Tahoe to ski. I offer my condolences to you if I do not accurately respond to your e-mails or requests due to the fact that my hotel may be prehistoric and not have internet. Blah blah blah it’s going to be fun blah blah blah be back in a while etc. etc. more of the same.

WHAT SHOULD YOUR POST INCLUDE?

• Always be sad at the fact that your hotel might not have internet access and ask for forgiveness.
• Apologize to your readers numerous times about random things, even though they probably don’t care.
• Describe where you’re going even if it has nothing to do with your blog whatsoever.
• Give a ballpark estimate to when you’ll post again. By then, all but your most faithful readers will have left, but you want to make sure that any stragglers can still know when you’re content is coming up.

WHEN SHOULD THIS BE POSTED?
The day before you leave on vacation at the very last moment. It is essential that you do not think about your first post and you should make it as dull and boring spontaneous and interesting as possible.

Posted by Max Miroff | 4 Comments »

You’re producing great content and attracting a rushing mass of visitors daily. Your popularity is steadily rising and people are getting to know you and your blog. Seems utopian, right?

Wrong.

TRAGEDY STRIKES
A meteor comes out of nowhere and crashes into your modem. Your internet is down for days. Producing more posts becomes impossible. You fret. You worry. You bite your fingernails off waiting for that wireless network confirmation. Stealing your neighbors wireless is out of the question - you can’t get in trouble with the cops again.

Just as you begin gnawing on your fingers (your nails being reduced to nearly nothing), the repairman announces that his work is complete. You push him aside and dash onto your computer. While he demands payment you check your blog stats.

You are startled. Appalled. Gasping for breath. Grief stricken. Adjective describing a state of intense pain and sorrow.

WHY? WHY?!?!??
The fundamental aspect of a blog is that it is a frequently updated place where readers can find new content. By halting production of posts, you’re in effect turning your blog into a stagnant swamp of old messages and spam comments from people named “Askagahlo1FAWf2156!” consistently telling you that his soil fertilizer definitely tops the “asgagaw6876514!!SAfa^” brand.

IN SHORT…
Absence of content = absence of visitors. Unless you’ve got hundreds of high ranked and traffic producing posts that have endless value (and no, if you’re wondering you probably don’t), leaving your blog will result in others leaving as well. Vultures may or may not appear shortly after your departure.

Posted by Max Miroff | 1 Comment »