earning kudos, earning money

Last week, a blog of mine earned an incoming link from a different site's post. That post was a rather big quote of my original posting, plus credits for that -- my -- posting were given to someone else. Initially, I was angry about that since I consider it thievery.

Then I begun to ponder about that case and offering RSS feeds in general. Would the source keep an advantage over any copycat site doing nothing but copying and publishing their feed? Which caused another question: By what differ both sites, original and copy? -- The answer is three-fold:

1. The original has the full archive. -- This of course works only, if the copycat does not offer an archive as well.
3. Even more, as copycat blogs usually act as automated aggregators, their archive implicitly gets contamined by postings originating from alien sources too. The original is clean. Therefore people willing to access the clean archive, might want to go there. -- Advantage for the original.
4. The original will always be first to publish a new posting.

Based upon that, I went on pondering: If I've got an advantage over the copy -- and implicitly stay able to keep it that way --, what does the copy result in, for me? -- Answer: They're pointing to me, either diectly by linking to my post or indirectly by full-quoting me, thus enabling googley people to find my original post. In other words: Those copycats do advertise me. Welcome! -- And about the people I might miss because of their inability/inertness to go for the original source -- me --, I don't shed a tear: Personally, I don't care about people not trying to get to the original source.

Having that figured out, some day the last week I were able to advise the boss about whether or not giving content away for free.

Next thing I was pondering about just the minute, was about giving credits, by positively mentioning people. -- Obviously, that is advising the people I credit. So any benefit for me there in? Obviously not. -- But Inobviously? Yes, some: People reading my posts, learning something that way -- such as the names of the people to look up to get close to the source -- might notice me and, one day, credit me, too, for contributing that bit of help. -- Other way round, avoiding to mention the original source, would help noone: Neither the source nor me. For skipping important tips probably noone would mention that as a positive example, thus, no credits for that. But earning the credits from as many people as possible -- and as much credits as possible --, I think, is what all is about. I suspect: Those credits might beat tracks, one day real money might plaster these beattracks made by credits (kudos).

      

on "gambling" to score in that stats "visitors score" -- and lessons learned

Apparently, I am about to learn one more detail about blogging successfully. Recently, I launched another blog (too many already..!) and got a dozen of visitors on day #1, completely inexpectedly. Day #2 I actively worked on gaining these twelve again -- and got 20. In a blog yet again closed I learned that tracking your number of visitors can be like gambling. Easily this gets you to do things to push your "score". This time, I fell for it two and a half day until I re-realized that.

However, in my postings, I gave suggested some remarkable postings of other bloggers. While it didn't raise the number of my visitors, however, I recognized some of my links were quite popular to follow. (If I assume people didn't know about them before -- if so, why would they visit exactly my blog to click on them? –, I actually contributed something to the benefit of my readers, I earned credibility from them -- they believed in what I said –, they followed my links. Probably exactly because I told them: "/ suggest you this special link." So, it's intersting to comprehend, I influenced some people I never met and probably won't ever meet, just by what I had to and did say. Amazing, anyways.)

Then, I noticed people coming from the pages I linked to. First moment I didn't realize why this was, until I learned that my links to those folks pages implicitly caused backlinks to my page to show up.

Another some moments later, a developer showed up on my then few hours old blog -- bringing lots of credibility with him to me –, and then some of the bloggers who got visitors by my links answered by postings, actively linking to my blog or particular postings. Which inspires again to gamble and push the visitors "score". -- But: No! I sat back.
 

Despite of the chance to push the "scores" by doing things, what was going on here? -- I figure: As I gave credit to these other bloggers, they pushed credit back to me. -- To flip over it: It might be more valuable to get other bloggers link to me.... but then again, it would be pushing and gambling again, now by means of bounces and echoes.

Instead of "gambling" myself or pushing others to credit me, the most lasting thing//way//solution might be to do the original thing -- what made my own readers to follow more suggested links but less suggested ones: contribute something valuable .. lots of valuable things, build up own credibility. Then others might recognize the benefit I contribute and link there, self-directedly and probably even more credibly but when pushed to do so.

Hm.

      

xkcd web comics

I wonder why am the only one in my circles who gets and ROTFLs xkcd comics. As I just noticed their copyright license that I am free to share their compics if not using them commercially, here's one example of them:



I think, mostly the issue's my acquaintances English's too poor, or they don't have the background to get the message.

Anyways, / like these.

      

how to monetize blogging?

I wonder whether I'd be able to make some money as a service blogger -- I am so used to provide acquaintances by news I come across which might be relevant to them. That might make a subscription business, such as 20 bucks a month for sending in relevant news.

Or, to make it more longtailish, send such news for free but add value for money. Or, put it the other way 'round, make clear the prices for such pro jobs in advance.

      

Kingdoms vs. Economy

I never saw it like this, but I never thought about it neither. Is it really that simple? Companies act like kingdoms, and their CEOs are their "elected kings"? Which in turn are controlled by a collection of different-kind-of-kings -- shareholders?

And people could be free, as guaranteed by democratic constitutions, but as they have to live, and to be able to live means earn an income, which in turn effectively means choose a kingdom to join -- or die?

Just like you had to feed kings with goods -- taxes you paid because you belonged to that particular kingdoms --, today's kings you have to provide with work -- taxes for being employed by them, which in turn provides you with the money you need to live from.

If so, does democracy matter at all? For the people? Or does it matter, if at all, only for the companies?

So, in the end, people snatched power from the kings only to distribute it to some more individuals, but still a minority -- bosses, CEOs, the rich?

And despite the nation effectively is a democracy, the moment you have to earn your own life, you leave democracy, loose your democratic freedoms, and must join one of those economy defined/shaped kingdoms?

What to do about it?

      

Be a ill for a week, and the great tool you just found online got ripped out of the project. And the repository you configured for the whole team's benefit just won't get used. Great! I love this job.

      

whore businesses

If a company hires me and takes the bait the exchange office offers for hiring me, first hand it's a slap into my face like saying: "We don't hire you because we're appreciating your performance" but rather: "We hire you because someone else is paying us for doing so".

If a woman does so, she's a whore. If a business does so, honestly, I've to consider it to be a whore business. That said, it might be there are a lot whore businesses to be found in the branch of callcenters.

Great job, work exchange! Ease companies to hurt people's dignity. That's it. You're Germany!