@ JEMi, I vote for the “great minds” thing!

*woooooo* (twilight zone music)

orrr its just that great minds think alike

JEMi | Tips for Life, Love, You’s last blog post..Stripped: Vulnerability In Love

It’s a tough balancing trying to maintain standards of quality and originality while also participating on the social bookmarking merry-go-round.

@ Catherine, I just recently found out that you get more stumble power for stumbling with the masses. It’s pretty sad, because it defeats the purpose of social media. Sometimes I’m in the mood for stumbling and go specifically looking for something to stumble. But I won’t stumble something that’s not special in some way (though it need not be extraordinary–I can’t set my standards too high because unfortunately I have to play the game).

Yes, I wrote the rehasher myself. Glad you got a kick out of it!

This is my take on the whole situation. My mediocre posts get stumbled – because they’re interesting to a particular group. And I don’t think it’s because they’re good posts. I think it’s because the people who stumble them know they’re the type of posts that get stumbled a lot, so they’ll get stumble juice for stumbling them.

The exception was my Sky TV post which many of you stumbled out of the goodness of your hearts. And that was great. It’s brilliant that people will fight back against the big corporations.

But, I have noticed something about StumbleUpon which I do not like. If a blogger is popular, they can blog on a hackneyed topic, with no original slant and it will get stumbled to death. Some people have said it’s because they have a popular blog, but i think that is utter tripe. I truly believe it’s because people will get more stumblelove (eg more people visiting there own blogs) if they stumble these posts on popular blogs.

I’ve seen stuff I’ve written completely rehashed – and i wouldn’t mind if it was an original slant, but often it isn’t. And it’s usually the “popular bloggers” who do it. And i have read many posts after reading some of Barbara’s – usually a couple of weeks later and they’re just like posts she’s written – fair enough, in the authors own words, but with no particularly different angle.

Your rehasher was a classic though – did you make it yourself?

Cath Lawson’s last blog post..Business Partnership – Is It Financial Suicide?

When I google something, I’m looking for those pages that’s value packed with info and often times, you find a lot of watered down stuff.

So when I write, I try to think about answering questions that generally come up in the topic. Of course I can’t do it all but I always try. I think of it as building quality on my site brick by brick with the hope that people start to think “hmmm.. maybe I can find this on InMyHeels”
That. Would be awesome.

I do my research, respect my sources, avoid half a page quotes from another blog, and most importantly I write in my own voice. If you like one post, you’ll love ‘em all because thats me through and through.

JEMi | Tips for Life, Love, You’s last blog post..Waiting to Live

J.D. says bloggers need to make him think, feel, or act. That’s certainly true. If a post makes you think, feel, or act (in a positive way), that means it’s worth something.

Thomas says we need to have energy. I have to agree with that too. If someone writes with energy, they’re going to make you think, feel, or act. When there’s no energy, it makes you wonder if the person just felt like they were due to post.

Barbara suspects that value means different things to different people, which I guess has to be true. So she holds herself to her own set of made up rules.

I think you’re all right!

Thomas’s last blog post..How I Saved A Little Piggy

First of all, thank you for the link love.

So far, I have found no “rules” for blogs/blogging.

I venture to guess the “rules” are different to different people, however, when it comes to blogging, if we (as bloggers), don’t make a conscientious effort to fill blogosphere with valuable and trustworthy information, blogosphere will soon become a cyberspace trashcan. Like so much in our everyday life, it could also become a “problem” that will be left for our children, and grandchildren, to try and clean up.

With the internet replacing most research materials, millions may read what we write, believe what we write, and use what we write to make decisions in their everyday lives. If we steer them wrong and begin producing mediocre content, who’s responsible if they make the wrong decision. Is it them, for not being smart enough to “do their homework”, or is it us for “posting just to post”?

As a blogger, I take what I publish very seriously. I have my own set of “made up rules”, and can only hope that others hold themselves to a high standard as well.

Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..NBOTW Shares From Years Of Experience

I think blog authors do their best when they write from experience and passion. At the end of the day, your blog’s value is either you or your topic. If it’s about you, then the value is your perspective. If it’s about the topic, then you’re either providing insight or action or your take on the topic.

If you make me feel, think or act, you’re adding value.

J.D.’s last blog post..Getting Out of a Slump