Blogging About Blogging - A Horror Story

For weeks now, I’ve been branching out from the blogs I usually read to a far less interesting corner of the Internet. The industry of blogging about blogging.

Basically, it works like this. Someone wants to make money blogging. So they write a blog about how they think they can make money blogging. The next person latches on, swallows down the original idea and deposits a version onto their blog, drained of even more charm, originality and quality. The chain then continues, like a bag of cheap crisps poured into that ridiculous human centipede from the equally ridiculous film. At some point, money’s supposed to come out. Like in this diagram:

Yes, this was done on paint. Your point?

Anyway, I’m sick of it. Each one of these posts raises the same tired points – points that weren’t particularly revalatory when they were first put forward.

I’ve wasted far too much time on these third-hand posts, so read on for a quick and easy guide to help you spot and avoid the centipede.

Spotting The Blogging About Blogging Centipede

Luckily, the abomination is easy to spot. The hind parts of our centipede are dragged around by the front section, and copy everything the section in front does. You’ll see one generic post that’s passed through dozens of blogs and bloggers, and it’ll look a little like this:

I’ve Read Copyblogger. Headlines Are Somehow Important!

Headlines are important for all sorts of reasons! This paragraph is composed entirely of my take on another blogger condensing Copyblogger’s great posts on headlines! That’s third hand knowledge! Anyway, for some reason, headlines are important! So do good ones!

What? You want me to explain how? Erm…

Don’t Forget to Proofread! (or, Sod It! Run Your Spellcheck!)

When your spinning articles from another parsons blog it is always very impotent to run your spellcheck. Don’t read what you’ve written though. Just take it on trust that your spell check has corrected all your spelling mistakes.

What? Spell checkers don’t check context, and I’ve written perfectly spelt nonsense? Erm…

Comments Is Crucial!

How can you make the moneys without the comments? Comments means that people have read your website and have engaged with you. Engagement is very important. There can’t be any moneys without engagement, so the more comments you have, the more moneys you will make.

What? I’ve not explained how comments turn into moneys? Erm…

Content is a Means to an End!

You need good content. Good content means more comments. Good content means more diggs and stumbles. Good content means lots of things and you should never forget the things that good content means!

What? I’ve not covered how to write good content, or noticed the irony in this paragraph? Erm…

Automatic Everything!

Automatic Tweeting! Automated Social Bookmarking! Auto-Erotic Asphyxiation! Don’t do anything to promote your blog that can’t be done by a computer! Only by paying for automatic software can you make money!

What? Networking is a key part of social networking? Erm…

Something Something SEO Something

Something something SEO something something traffic. Something something keywords something something meta. Something something Matt Cutts something something loadsamoney!

What? I’ve not actually explained how to carry out any SEO at all? Erm…

So, what can we do about the centipede?

If you spot any of the above paragraphs, tread carefully. You’re in the lair of the blogging about blogging centipede. Avoid it like the plague. The real question though, is what to do about the monster itself.

I’m leaving that up to you, dear reader. What’s the best way to combat this foul and unholy menace? Passive-aggressive comments? Ignoring the centipede until it goes away? Finding where these bloggers live and going round with a book on copywriting or a cricket bat?

Share your ideas in the comments section, and please, give this post a bit of a nudge on Twitter, Delicious or your social network of choice. It’ll make a change from people hooking onto the end of the ever lengthening blogging about blogging centipede.

14 Comments comments for "Blogging About Blogging – A Horror Story"

  1. Wolf at 4:48 pm

    Great article men. Damme! I hate these blogs too. The irony is that these blogs about blogs read people who blog about blogging.

  2. Suresh Khanal at 5:20 pm

    Really, you’ve caught it right and hit it where it matters. Kudos for great post.

    Yes, I found myself in any one of the layers, that’s how many learn and a few succeeds. They succeed who can break the chain.

    Love your post. Thumb up!
    .-= Suresh Khanal´s last blog ..Kittens Content and Kombat =-.

  3. Patricia@lavenderuses at 2:47 am

    Hi Andrew

    Your post got tweeted by a blogging friend so thought I’d come take a look at what you have to say. So glad I did. You talk a lot of common sense; sadly not so common these days lol
    I’m so glad I’m not in the “blogging for bloggers” niche. It is so saturated and you have put it succinctly so I don’t need to elaborate on that one 🙂
    Sadly, these people do get tons of traffic and they seem to think that justifies keeping on, keeping on writing the same boring stuff for me to bounce off.
    I visit a really quality blog that is well-written and appears to have the same ethos as you in not churning out this drivel but I don’t see lots of comments. I’m RT his posts and just done a guest post for him. Encouraging my readers to visit so they can get to see there is another way to do things. Tthanks for sharing. Definitely worth a RT.

    Patricia Perth Australia
    .-= Patricia@lavenderuses´s last blog ..Lavender Product Review-The Truth- The Whole Truth… =-.

  4. Tom Albrighton at 10:39 am

    What a great post. I might blog about it – blogging about blogging about blogging. About blogging.

    ‘My point’ about your inspired diagram would be that it made me laugh out loud. A visual representation of an arsewaste recycling process was the last thing I expected to see this morning, and it’s eased my transition into the working week no end.
    .-= Tom Albrighton´s last blog ..On funky copywriting =-.

  5. Russell at 10:49 am

    Just don’t give them your Twitter details … The amount of these snake-oil salesmen who follow everyone and anyone is telling.
    .-= Russell´s last blog ..Sham of Quantitative Easing explained brilliantly =-.

  6. Bel at 9:55 pm

    Funny, I came here to give the link to a friend, and what’s the first thing I find? A blog post about blogging about blogging. So, how much money does my comment earn you?

    • Andrew at 10:30 am

      Nothing at all!

      I don’t make money through blogging, as you may have guessed from the tone of the post.

  7. Tania Glyde at 10:47 am

    I know I’m late to the party, but great piece! I’m constantly amazed by the number of checklist blogs like the one above that get RT’d all over Twitter. There is more self-referential nonsense written about blogging (and copywriting, for that matter) than almost anything else.

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