Yahoo recently purchased MyBlogLog for $10 million. Some blogs I read have been touting the service. The idea, I guess, is to put a face to the sometimes invisible communities of blog readers. You could say it’s a kind of Facebook or MySpace service for blogs. For example, a MyBlogLog widget puts the images of subscribers on their blog posts, or enables the blog site to show visuals of the most recent visitors.
I have kind of mixed feelings about this. I can see its value if you’re really trying to develop a network. (And why spend time on a blog otherwise?) At the same time, I like to retain some degree of privacy. Well, I signed up, but that’s about it so far.
I know some of my readers use MyBlogLog. Are you happy with it? Should I be spending time on this? (I sure don’t want to work as hard at this as this guy does.) So, should I build a community? Install the widgets? What do you think?
The basics: The Complete Guide to MyBlogLog(ing)
UPDATE: I’m not a big user of such sites, and I should probably work harder at network building. But I dabble a bit in Technorati, MyBlogLog, and BUMPzee, and I’ve come to like MyBlogLog the best; recently I put a “recent readers” badge on this blog. The statistics MBL offers are a nice feature, and I prefer the interface.
Carla
I don’t really think it’s worth it.
chris anderson
Thank you Tom. I thoroughly enjoyed the reading of your 10 steps to get a book published. I do think it’s worth it and have finished my first book. I’ve started the second (and third).
Suprisingly I found it very hard to share the manuscript and even harder to part with it. There was a time after writing it I couldn’t look at or read it. The other area of difficulty was finding a title that suited the content of the book. Now the time has come and I need to find a publishing house. I’m really excited.
I am widely read and have actually enjoyed reading my novel as a reader rather than during the occassional hard slog of the writing itself. Good luck everyone! Chris
Dandida
Love it. Thanks so much for taking time to write it. I am writing my first book on a subject that touches the heart. I need all the tips I can get. I have no doubts. I am doing this! Thanks again.