This post is going to be a bit different than most. I don’t normally rant about trivial things but sometimes someone strikes that one nerve at the right time of the right day.
Last week I got an email from someone telling me I had won an award for one of the best 30 finance blogs. I didn’t think much of it since I’d never heard of the people but was flattered nonetheless. I archived the email and went back to my life. Yesterday was a rough day for me, aside from being underdressed for a meeting I was no prepared for, I was also rocking a nice stain on my pants thanks to someone that can’t pay attention to rules that say NO DRINKS where we were. I was not in a good mood when I received a follow-up email from the people that organized this list of top finance blogs.
This time I read the email more closely. As it turns out, what they really want is for me to place their badge (kind of like a trophy I guess) somewhere on my site. The badge will contain a link in it that takes the user to a website with a list of the other blogs. Simple enough right? I get the benefit of some kind of legitimacy and they get a link back to their website.
But there’s a catch. In order to remain on the list I must accept the award and post the trophy on my blog. If I do not accept the award, I do not receive the award. Some award.
If you run a blog of any kind you probably know what’s up. If you don’t then let me explain the blogging world to you. For people that care about making money on their sites, they care about traffic. The more eyeballs that are on their site, the more money they can make. When someone links to you, it gives you authority in the Google world. The more links a site has to it, the more authority it has. Wikipedia KILLS it in the getting linked to game, thus they have a lot of authority. Having authority makes you show up real high in search results, this is why Wikipedia shows up in your search results all the time. If you don’t buy into all of this stuff let me give you an example. There is a post of mine that shows up on the first page for “pros and cons of universal healthcare”. Even though the post is old, it accounts for as much as half of my daily traffic. HALF. This is because a lot of websites have linked to it, this post has authority on the subject.
In legitimate circles, this is exactly how the Google algorithm is supposed to work. But there are people out there that will do anything for links. At least once a week I have someone contact me about buying a link on my site that’s seeking to get more authority in the search world. I turn it down, not only because it’s wrong but because Google isn’t stupid and polices these things. This awards site isn’t trying to pay me for a link, they’re trying to trick me into linking to them. The website with the list is about online MBA degrees. Having a finance and economics blog such as my own might help them in their search result ranking for various subjects. Having a few dozen helps even more. Companies that run sites like this will do anything to get more links.
That’s where the awards people come in. Like anything in economics, where there is demand supply will come. These people create the lists for the websites wanting all the links and insist on the “awardees” linking back in order to share in the award. That’s just wrong. That isn’t a list of top blogs. It’s a list of blogs willing to link back to them. I made sure the people that contacted me knew how I felt. To my surprise, they wrote me back. They of course disagree with my opinion but that’s their prerogative; it’s no doubt a rehearsed response because I’m far from the first person to have noticed this scheme.
I find this kind of game dishonest. You have a list of blogs that are not the best because the best would never accept them. You have a website that can’t provide decent content enough to get linked to by other websites and so much “buy” them through some other means, and you have an “awards” company trying to pull a fast one on The Weakonomist.
So I refuse to accept the award, as have many of my peers in the finance blogosphere.
Now, le
t me conclude by accepting an award that I appreciate. Please take note that I’m going to link to websites I appreciate, and deserve the be linked to. A few months ago my friend Flexo at the personal finance blog Consumerism Commentary started a personal finance awards site called The Plutus Awards. I believe I solicited your votes on the matter. This is because someone I know and trust launched the awards with the intent of having you readers and fellow bloggers vote on the best.
I’m happy to say that I won the award for Best Economics Blog. Pretty cool. There may have only been 5 votes and the other candidates just as weak as my blog, but it was a vote of people I know to be my peers. They are active in this community and I didn’t nominate myself. Now, has Flexo pestered me to link to this site? No. Are there threats that if I don’t link he’ll pull my award? No.
That’s because that wasn’t the point. Sure the awards had sponsors, but that’s a sign of legitimacy because it was sponsored by other bloggers and companies involved in the community. It was done to honor good work, and aside from a poor choice in the winner for economics, it was a success.
I’ve long been a proponent of doing the right thing in business. If you can’t do something the right way, then you weren’t supposed to make money. My website makes a couple of bucks because I do the right thing. I take ads from people that want exposure to my site. I could make a lot more by taking payments from people that run loan-schemes, or I could pay people to link to me. It I’d make money and get more search traffic, but it’s just not right. Do the right thing. For me that means playing by the rules, and calling out those that aren’t. Circumventing the spirit of a rule (which is what the first awards group does) is off limits as well.
Sorry for the long rant, but like I said, these people caught me on the wrong day with the wrong ideas. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have something that is actually a lot more important to do, getting the stain out of my pants.
 By The Weakonomist |
The Weakonomist is the founder of Weakonomics. Clicking the picture of the puppy will tell you more about him. If you like what you're reading consider subscribing to the blog, following him on Twitter, and checking out the related posts below. Please consider a donation if you really enjoy Weakonomics. Also keep in mind that nothing I say can be construed as financial advice. |
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