Thank goodness you finally posted something I could reblog. My production was down today… :-D
In Monday’s epic post I mentioned the UM Dartmouth study on the death of blogging. Here’s the response I should have written if I were as smart as Gini Dietrich of Spin Sucks…
When I speak to CEO organizations, I typically run through a series of quick slides that show where technology is right at this moment.
For instance: There were 107 trillion emails sent last year, Facebook is at more than 900 million users, Pinterest is closing in on 15 million users, and there are three billion videos streamed on YouTube every day.
I do this to show how many people are using the web, to preempt the “My customer doesn’t use the Internet” conversation (yes, I still hear that).
But the stat I want to talk about today is the number of blogs on the Internet. According to Technorati, there are 158 million blogs floating around, which is partly why I’m so surprised to keep reading that blogging is dead.
I get it. It’s not an easy think to keep up. My guess is many people or companies say, “Let’s start a blog!” and then do nothing with it after a month or two because it’s so labor intense.
So, let’s say for argument’s sake, half of those blogs never see the light of day, either because they’re abandoned or no one reads them because they’re too self-promotional. That leaves us with 79 million blogs, which isn’t a small number.
USA Today reported this morning that more companies are abandoning their blogs in favor of Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.
Add to that, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth released a study earlier this year that says the percentage of companies that maintain blogs fell to 37% in 2011 from 50% in 2010, based on its survey of 500 fast-growing companies listed by Inc. magazine. Only 23% of Fortune 500 companies maintained a blog in 2011, flat from a year ago after rising for several years.
So, I see. Based on Wall Street and fast-growth companies, blogging is down, and now it’s time to claim the whole blogosphere is dead.
Here’s the thing, though. Those companies aren’t blogging because it’s hard. It’s hard to generate good content even once a week. It’s hard to cultivate a community. It’s hard to grow traffic. It’s a thankless job most days. So people throw something up there that talks about how great the company is, if only to check off “blog today” from their check list.
And the blog fails.” Full story at: Is Blogging Dead or Are Companies Not Trying Hard Enough? | Spin Sucks
Go to the source if you want the rest of Gini’s perspective…
Thanks, Gini, for connecting the dots in a way that makes sense. Me? I always tell my clients that blogging is one of those things that takes more time than money and the organic Search Engine Optimization [SEO] is better than paying for Search Engine Marketing [SEM]. Gini, however, did a much better job deconstructing the UM Dartmouth study…
Related articles
- Corporate Blogging Hits the Skids (marketingpilgrim.com)
- Corporate Blogging Declines As Twitter, Facebook Take Over [STUDY] (mediabistro.com)
- Reasons why big companies should be blogging (adigaskell.org)
…on Making Yourself Do Uncomfortable Things!
“Many of us do not understand what we are responsible for and what we are not responsible for. We may believe we have to get into a tizzy when someone has a problem because it is our responsibility to do that. However, at the heart of most rescues is a demon: low self-worth. We rescue because we don’t feel good about ourselves.. caretaking provides us with a temporary hit of good feelings, self-worth, and power. Just as a drink helps an alcoholic momentarily feel better, a rescue move momentarily distracts us from the pain of being who we are. We don’t feel loveable, so we settle for being needed. We don’t feel good about ourselves, so we feel compelled to do a particular thing to prove how good we are.” ~ Melody Beattie via Today’s Quotes: What Joy!? Make Yourself Do Uncomfortable Things!.
15 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day Every Day
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” ~ Native American Proverb via 15 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day Every Day « Positively Positive.
Follow the ‘via’ link above if you want the 15 ways. I’m not much of a tree hugger, but I am becoming more and more concerned about the environment especially a phenomenon that affects rural folks more directly than city folks, but it affects us all the same. The issue is CAFOs…
A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) is a term that was first coined by the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to describe animal agricultural facilities that have a potential pollution profile. Specifically, the EPA defines a CAFO as an animal feeding operation (AFO) that (a) confines animals for more than 45 days during a growing season, (b) in an area that does not produce vegetation, and (c) meets certain size thresholds. The EPA’s definition of the term “captures key elements of the transformations” observed in the animal agriculture sector over the course of the 20th century: “a production process that concentrates large numbers of animals in relatively small and confined places, and that substitutes structures and equipment (for feeding, temperature controls, and manure management) for land and labor.”[1]
via Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Kewaunee County, Wisconsin is a paradise of sorts, but we have 17 CAFOs in our county. Although our population is only 20,000, CAFOs produce the effluent [manure] equivalent of a population of 1.3 million people. Futhermore, Wisconsin law does little to protect its citizens against these big operations. I’m celebrating Earth Day by learning more about CAFOs and their impact on my family and community…
…on the True Measure of an Individual
“The true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good.: ~ Ann Landers via The true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good. « Positively Positive.
via Classic..
Life’s Inconveniences
I just stumbled upon Laura Gardner’s blog and thought I’d share something good I found there…
We have expectations that life SHOULD go smoothly – the computer should turn on, the car shouldn’t break down, the plumber should arrive on time. It can be horribly upsetting when things don’t go according to our expectations. But a life without inconvenience is a magical reality. What is certain is that there will be inconveniences – some small, some large, but always some.
In the same way as we expect life to go as planned, we expect ourselves to always make the “right” choices. So often in the counseling room I listen to clients lament, “I should have known,” “I should have done it differently,” “I should have seen it coming,” “I should have done it better.” Whether it’s about their education, their career choices, their relationship patterns, or anything else, people see how they “should have” done it differently. Hindsight is always 20/20, right?
But fighting the unexpected is not the most productive or satisfying way to live. Wishing it were some other way can be very painful. How can we roll with it, and embrace life’s detours and roadblocks? Many spiritual masters of course have turned to the principle of being present. It sounds so simple, so obvious. Yet, the challenge of it is monumental. It was either Deepak Chopra or Eckhart Tolle who wrote about the task of doing the dishes, and how if we’re present to it, the task can be pleasurable. (The day I enjoy doing the dishes is the day that hell freezes over, but I digress…) via Life’s Inconveniences « Holistic Gardner Blog.
You might want to add her to your Google Reader as well…
Superfood: Grapes
I love grapes! Now I have more reasons why…
Grapes are packed with hundreds of antioxidants, including vitamins C and K and beta-carotene, which help rid the body of pesky free radicals (byproducts of oxygen use) that cause cellular damage. Antioxidants act as free radical hunters to prevent and repair the damage to cells[4][5].
What’s more, grapes are a great source of phytonutrients, the most notable of which is resveratrol. Resveratrol has made big headlines in recent years for its potential cardiac benefits like lower levels of LDL cholesterol (high levels of which can lead to heart problems) and prevention of blood vessel damage. Plus, it may help inhibit cancer cell growth and possibly help treat cognitive impairment[6][7].Think grapes are just good eats? Wrong! This fruit’s super power is not just through the belly — it’s good for the skin, too! Grape seed oil contains high amounts of conjugated linoleic acid (a fatty acid and antioxidant). Slathering on some grape seed oil can help skin fight off collagen- and elastin-destroying enzymes and could also inhibit damage caused by free radicals[8]. Isn’t the old saying, “A grape seed a day keeps the wrinkles away?” (Well, now it is.) via Superfood: Grapes | Greatist.com.
Go buy some grapes!!!
Related articles
- Superfood Recipes & Superfood Drinks (williams-sonoma.com)
- Guest Post: The Academic Wino (cvilleuncorked.com)
- Superfoods for Springtime (joyofspa.com)
- Anti-Aging Foods Cheat Sheet (macseattle.wordpress.com)
- Antioxidants Natures Superfoods (prodigefittips.wordpress.com)
A Visual Timeline of World History
Go to the source if you’d like more: Cartographies of Time: A Visual History of the Timeline | Brain Pickings.
Radiohead’s “Creep,” Sung by Prince and Carrie…
Going viral now… Warning: NSFW!
Manolakos’s version does what covers ought to do; it picks up a song that has sunken into throwback territory, dusts it off, and treats it like a classic.
The New Yorker – Radiohead’s “Creep,” Sung by Prince and Carrie….
What Do Your Kids Think About Marriage?
How do you decide whom to marry?
“You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.” ‒ Alan, age 10
How can a stranger tell if two people are married? “You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.” – Derrick, age 8
What do you think your mom and dad have in common? “Both don’t want any more kids.” – Lori, age 8
When is it okay to kiss someone? “When they’re rich.” – Pam, age 7
How would you make a marriage work? “Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a dump truck.” – Ricky, age 10
Classic. So what do your kids think about your marriage? If you think you need to do a better job portraying what a marriage should be, the first step is to renew the romance. Start with a getaway. Have you ever planned a trip for just you and your wife without the kids? If not, or if you want to do another trip, here are 10 tips for a romantic getaway.
via What Do Your Kids Think About Marriage? | All Pro Dad Blog.
There are three more Bizarro cartoons here: Nutty Mom Mob Mutt | Bizarro Blog!.
Losing My Religion
“Oh life, it’s bigger
It’s bigger than you
And you are not me”
Bright, shiny objects! 
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