Comments on: Herd Mentality

By: Acai Berry

Acai Berry — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:02:47 +0000

Thanks to the article, it make the life of a seo/link building easier and make the commenter come back again and again. I searched for a while to find the right answer to my questions!

By: Frank C

Frank C — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:48:54 +0000

We now have ScratchBack TopSpot. Everybody jump on board now!

By: derek

derek — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 02:31:38 +0000

The continuous flow of newbies certainly contributes to the herd mentality. You make a great distinction in that it is important to make your own judgmental decisions and at times that will align you with the “herd” even though that may not be your intention.

Thanks for sharing your feedback!

By: Markk

Markk — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:05:40 +0000

Derek, firstly you’re right about herd mentality but it will never go away so long as there’s a continuous flow of newbies coming into blogging. I usually make my own judgmental decisions on whether to go forward or hang back. Sometimes you’ve to take risk (in accord with Courtney) because, I believe, it’s better than sitting on the fence and missing the boat. After all, you can always pull back if you sense something is not right. In this respect, I consider it as not following the crowd – it’s just your own judgmental decision.

Although WidgetBucks has got some bad press, I don’t have any problem with the widgets. I’m getting good CTR and the numbers are adding up. The recent PageRank updates didn’t affect my widget-laden blogs in a negative way. In fact, all my blogs’ PRs have gone up. I don’t carry the BlogRush widget. And it’s being proven that TLA was bad medicine for a number of blogs. So where do we draw the line, sometimes things happen in strange ways.

By: BlogRush Yet To Deliver on Hype | Blog Traffic | Easy Wordpress

BlogRush Yet To Deliver on Hype | Blog Traffic | Easy Wordpress — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:19:55 +0000

[...] Derek Semmler on the herd mentality: Lately the blogosphere has produced a few examples of herd mentality – BlogRush and WidgetBucks …[] smaller bloggers witnessed the big guns touting this new service, there was a fear-based reaction that caused them to sign up as well to avoid missing out on the next great thing. [...]

By: Xfep Podcast: Episode 6 — eXtra For Every Publisher

Xfep Podcast: Episode 6 — eXtra For Every Publisher — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 03:23:10 +0000

[...] 5:36 – Derek Semmler – Herd Mentality [...]

By: Around the Net - 10/28/2007 | knupNET

Around the Net - 10/28/2007 | knupNET — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:04:35 +0000

[...] Mentally [Derek Semmler] If you enjoyed this post Fill me up and keep me going with a Diet Coke! All I ask is for 1 a [...]

By: derek

derek — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 05:36:12 +0000

@Nick :: It sounds like WidgetBucks is trying to make some improvements but it is still not the right thing for me. Hope to hear more about your idea.

@Damien :: Thanks for the feedback. I’ve been following your tumblelog and it looks pretty good so far. It has been a lot of work just keeping up to date on the posts so I can only imagine the work involved on your end.

@MPB :: You’re right that we all fall into the herd mentality from time to time. There is nothing wrong with that either but you just cannot be afraid to set your own course as well.

@Jason :: Your experience with BlogRush sounds very similar to what I have heard from other bloggers.

@Turtle :: Absolutely! I can relate to the desire as a young blogger to follow in the footsteps of the big boys in hopes of catching their attention. But you really need to stay true to yourself and let the chips fall where they may.

@Rose :: That is one thing I have always liked about your site is that you are not afraid to speak your mind about something, even if it may not align with the popular opinion. Keep it up!

By: Rose

Rose — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 17:45:46 +0000

A very important letter. I would like to think I march to the beat of my own drum.

By: Courtney TURTLE

Courtney TURTLE — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:41:37 +0000

It’s tough for a young blogger to stand up and take action that is contrary to what the big boys are advocating. But I think history will show that it is the risk takers that in hind sight are proven to be more successful in the long run.