If you have been a regular reader here, you might have been aware that I have compiled a list of PR1 and above blogs with the Top Commentator list and it turns out to be one of the most commented article ever.
Out of goodwill, I did my research and share with my valued readers what has worked for me and what hasn’t. This blog is intended to document my personal experience in the hope that those not in the know will learn and in turn pass along the knowledge for the benefit of others. It’s a place where beginners can meet and discuss various blogging tips with one another and the pros share their experiences and thoughts.
I haven’t been blogging long enough but the only thing that motivates me to do better is the kind of sincere (read: not disingenuous) appreciation of what I do from my loyal and valued readers. Mind you, I’m not into blogging for money – I make my income off the blog – so a little gesture of appreciation is worth more than money to me.
And what happen when I was treated with a little disrespect and shown to the world as a boy who ruined a grown-up place?
So what you are going to see next for the rest of this article is what I’m entitled to answer the allegation made against me and my readers in particular. I could either response to it on his blog but I choose to write a separate post altogether – lest my comment is moderated or even deleted – in the hope that others will see the light and pick up what they need to learn from it.
Once there was a time…
There is a site that wrote an article titled “Should I Allow Comments on This Blog” that said
….there is a site that wrote an article titled “The Best Places to Get Quality Backlinks” that lists sites for people to leave comments on for the sole purpose of increasing their Google PageRank since they get to leave a link back to their site.
So, when I get comments from people who come directly from that site I think of them as disingenuous and completely discount their validity. I mean, I spend time to write articles for those of you who really enjoy the same general stuff as me.
Hello sir, it’s completely OK if you discount my validity or even think that it’s one of the worst articles you have come across, I don’t give the slightest damn about it but when you categorize the people who are directed by my articles to your site (see I shown you respect by saying ‘your site’ and not ‘that site’…. this is the basic lesson of humility I’m teaching reminding you here), you are talking about the bunch of people who are my valued readers, and who gives you the right to label them ‘disingenuous’? Do you think they deserve this kind of personal branding?
Google gives you a PR7 but the big G doesn’t give you the authority to degrade people that way. Has the pride of getting a PR7 taken over your humility or there is actually none in you? Just in case you aren’t in the know, I value my readers very highly and I doubt you do as much as I do. I don’t expect an apology from you as I know you are too proud to offer one yourself but just take a little break from moderating your comments and do some soul-searching.
Oh ya, I spent the best of my fucking waking hours doing the research and updating the list for those of my readers who happen to enjoy the kind of resources you might not enjoy.
Don’t Cut the Whole Forest Because of One Bad Tree
Now, if ANYONE leaves a comment – no matter how brilliant – which contains a spammy link, I delete it as fast as possible. So the question is why should I treat bullshit comments any differently? Shouldn’t I just can them as well?
Here you are making another assumption that my readers are the people who make bullshit comments. Tell me, what constitute a bullshit comment? Did you ever actually take a little bit of your time and read those comments on this blog before you made that bullshit statement. Shouldn’t I just can you as well?
I challenge you to pick one of the comments and tell me which one is considered a bullshit comment and I’ll tell you my reason why it isn’t. In my opinion, comments which are in disagreement with you are considered as ‘bullshit comments’ and I’m not making an assumption here. The evidence has shown that you only responded to one person who happened to carry your balls while others were left in the cold.
Comments are what makes a blog thick and alive – brilliant or otherwise. Without it, it’s just like a dead man walking. This blog has an open-door policy of free for all, you can come in, drop a comment and leave. Life has other better thing to do than to worry about bullshit comments. After all, I have the Askimet doing a wonderful job for me.
Don’t Rub Salt Into The Wound
Honestly though, Yan’s blog is the one that ruined it for me and everyone who actually cared about the NOFOLLOW. When this site started getting cataloged by different sites like this it really brought a bunch of low quality link seekers who just waste my time moderating out their comments.
The above comment you made later is what actually triggers me to write this article. When I read yours the other day, I told myself that you are entitled to your own opinions and I shouldn’t teach an old dog a new trick. I have shown you with all the respect but you commented later that I have ruined it for you.
Now show me which part of your blog has been ruined by me? Is wasting your time moderating out the comments causes so much pain and damage to you? If it is, then you shouldn’t even allow the comments on your blog.
The thing is you could just kindly leave a comment on the article and say, “Boy, thanks for the link but no thanks. Can you just take the link off from your list since my blog is PR7 and I don’t need to get a less quality link from a PR3 site like yours?”
John, I would have gladly take it off and apologize for being a busybody.
Don’t you have that a bit of courtesy to do so?
I wonder what if Darren were to come out with the similar article like mine, would you treat him the way you treated a nobody like me and my readers in particular? Let me remind you that I’m a nobody today but I will not be a nobody forever in much the same way you are at PR7 today but you will not always be at PR7 forever. I’ll be watching your back and pray that I wouldn’t have the last laugh.
The Lesson of Humility and Respect
If there is one lesson I learn from the whole episode is to appreciate more the value of humility and respect, just like what my mama always taught me in my younger years and I do understand that as the years go by and you grow older, your memory may not function as well as before.
The fact is I’m still young….and don’t tell me that I’m being sarcastic because I AM..
Updated: I have taken his site from the list as he has set a nofollow tag on the top commentator list since the day I have ruined his blog – as alleged.
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WOW … is all I can say… Well Yan, this is gonna be a long one lol…
It’s amazing what big head a PR7 would give someone, I often wonder when PR7 blog owners post things like that, would they have said the same thing when their blog was a PR3 or lower? Or would they appreciate the fact that people were leaving them comments?
Sure, I understand moderating out comments that say: “Nice post!” who posted for the sole purpose of getting a back-link from your site, while not adding to your blog entry in any way, shape, or form.
BUT, why comment out the comments that provide a good opinion, or add to the article, just because you think they are “fake” or “insincere”? That’s like saying those who make a living blogging, and did it for the sole purpose of paying their bills, shouldn’t get paid because that’s the reason why they are providing good content is because it allows them to eat.
The fact is, they are providing *good* content that others can benefit from, how they are compensated for that is really nobody else’s business. So the point I was getting there is, why would Mr. PR7 (onemansblog.com), delete a *good* comment just because the person posted the comment to ultimately get the back-link. Motives are irrelevant in my opinion when it comes to this stuff. The fact is, they posted a *good* comment that added value to your blog post, who cares if they did it because a friend “dared” them to, or WHATEVER their motives may be.
@Yan: I wouldn’t get too worked up about this man, your blog has probably become one of my favorites in the “blogging” niche (and we all know there are A LOT of blogs in that niche, mine included)… you present information that is very informative, useful, and has a lot of character (I think readers can actually feel your mood and frustrations while reading this post in particular haha).
The bottom line is, I’m still reading this blog on a regular basis… Mr. PR7 is only gonna get a visit/reader from THIS guy if I just so happen to accidentally stumble onto his blog one day. Arrogance is something that is not flattering to me, especially when it comes to blogging, because our blogs live and die by the people that visit them–why be an arrogant towards the people?
And sweet, looks like I got the first comment here, heheh ;-)
Jon @ Blogging HQ’s last blog post..You comment, I follow …
@Jon @ Blogging HQ – Hey Jon, the truth is I was at my least bit worked out when I wrote this and my decision to address the bullshit here instead is for the sole purpose of letting the other world of his to see how a PR7 could blind a person’s humility. That’s the lesson we could all learn from..
I agree with you that if he’s at PR3 or something, he would have appreciated what I did or at least still have that sense of humility. Look at the # of comments on all his post, you could conclude that he is too busy moderating comments and shifts the blame to me when the opportunity arises. I’m fine with that but don’t ever label any of my valued readers as ‘fake’ or something.
Thank you for your support, Jon and you’ll always have mine even if one day this blog is at PR7…:-)
Hmm. What an intriguing issue. Like with most other sites, I stumbled across your blog because I was looking for an answer to a technical problem with WP, and then I grew to like your blog. So I left a comment, then another, with no expectation of a backlink whatsoever. I generally leave comments on people’s blogs because I happen to like what I read. I guess I’m entirely in a different class from regular spam commenters–but I’m sure there are also many people out there like me.
Yan, I agree with Jon. Don’t feel so bad about it. It is, just as this other guy’s blog is called, “one man’s blog” in a universe of many blogs. He’s entitled to his own opinion, just as you and I and everyone else are. Some find satisfaction in finding faults with others, while others get turned off by uncalled-for attacks on others. Can’t really please everyone–all you could do is just continue with what you’ve begun. You’re not writing for him anyway, you’re writing for your readers in this niche.
@dyoonet – Don’t worry, gal. I wasn’t really upset about his entitled opinions. In fact, I’m killing two birds with one stone here.
One I’m teaching him a simple lesson of humility & respect and two, I’m writing something others may find it controversial and I’m evaluating the effectiveness of such a post.
Yes, you can’t please anyone all the time and I’m not running this blog to please him either but I just think I should stand up in defence of my valued readers who are labeled as ‘disingenuous’.
Yan: PLEASE REMOVE THIS STUPID FUCKING SPAM THING!!!! I and others have written comments and then forget to answer the damn questionnaire. I’ve written two REALLY great comments about this and got so caught up I simply hit submit!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DUMP IT.
There is no need for it with akisment and a little additional effort. Just think of how many great comments you are losing because some dumb ass like me refuses to retype it over again!
I aint mad at ya… I just can’t stand it anymore. Iv’e done this like 15 times in the past few weeks. This is the only blog that I comment on that makes me play twenty questions. Total nightmare! Especially when we’re all super busy. Thanks for hearing me out… what was a really long comment about MR.PR7 has now turned into a rant. LOL – Feel free to delete it.
@Piss Biscuit – Yes Sir, I hear ya and I knew I should have done it earlier when Zania and AP did mention to me about the inconvenience. I guess I shouldn’t make it that much of a hassle to my readers, should I?
It’s gone by the time you read this….
Ahhhhh Commenting Bliss once again without fear of screwing up! LOL Sorry about the rant Yan… you know I’ve got your back… I just couldn’t stand losing another damn good comment to that filter so thank you for getting rid of it. You’re the man… now let me go retype my comment (or at least parts) of it :-)
Ah bliss here too! No spam catcher.
Thanks Yan (and PB for that ‘quiet reminder’…)
As to this post…
Hmm… I think the guy has a point.
I’ve looked at his blog before today and he has been encouraging comments and has some pretty interesting debates going on there. I certainly do not agree with everything he says (or with the way he says it), but can understand why people go there now and again.
So if I were him, I think I would get hacked off too if someone posted a link to my blog (not mine – his. I don’t care), telling people they could go there and get backlinks without asking me first if it was okay to do so.
Having said that, the article ‘Where to get quality backlinks’ was an excellent post, so I’m not knocking that. And let’s face it, had you not posted it, others would have [others have] done so (and not half as well). You offered some good information to your readers and got good recognition for it. Kudos.
And let’s face it, many of us offer similar advice without thinking of the consequences. Most don’t even care. I must admit that this has given me pause for thought…
However… the guy reacted badly by making the post the way he did, but he could say he was justified in that you didn’t ask him if you could link to him in the first place over this…. So, basically, it’s stalemate.
It did get to me, as it did to you, that he assumed that anyone going over to his blog from yours would be a spammer making irrelevant comments. But again, I can understand why he should feel that way.
So yes, the guy was pompous in the way he reacted. And yes, he may not have reacted the same way to Darren Rowse or another of the ‘A listers’, but there again, they probably wouldn’t have posted that article…
But I would just let it go now Yan. You’ve both had your say and (hopefully) both got it out of your system.
And either way, that post did give me ‘food for thought’ :)
zania’s last blog post..Depression Makes It Hard To Reach Out
@zania – He certainly has his points and that’s beyond any doubt. I should have asked him in the first place but it didn’t as I thought it’s OK. So being fair, I was wrong too and I did mention on his blog that I thought I had made a mistake but he didn’t have the courtesy to response.
BTW I let it go and forget about it till I went to his blog again yesterday to see what others had to say and I was kind of astounded by his latest comment.
I don’t sleep over any issue for long but since he’s entitled to bull his shit on his little playground, I’m enjoying the same bullshit over here as well and it’s been a real fun doing it.
Thanks, Lady for your opinions on the issue and as usual, you have always been very diplomatic about it.
Yan,
Totally agree with you. Guess some people don’t like comments on their blogs especially if they even feel its a little bit for link juice. You just carry on doing what you have to do and what is right. A simple rule I have always followed.
Hi Yan,
I don’ think that you even need to ask him out of courtesy that you are including him and linking to him. I link to many people all the time and I can’t imagine myself having to pay courtesy to get my job done. Nobody can stop you from any outbound linking under any circumstances, PR listing included. As a PR7 blog he just got to accept the fact that many will be doing what you did. If it’s not you someone else will. The pain of moderating comments just get more acute, but he just got to accept it. The fact that he could not and vent it on you is totally unaccpetable and beyond reasonable thinking.
But aside from this lousy episode I think you did the right thing to blog it and your readers will appreciate you even more, including yours truly.
Peter Lee
@Yan
Hmmm, I guess, I never really thought about it like that…I could see how someone would “assume” that posting a list like this could bring out the riff raff lol
But, askimet and comment moderation should handle any undesired comments. I don’t know…..how he responded was a little harsh but…if he felt taken advantage of or felt like the quality of his blog was being threatened then he responded out of that emotion.
No different than you responding out of your emotion from the comment he made about you. We all get protective over our little domains….it’s just how you protect it.
I would hope no one that’s here would go to any of the sites and offer less than quality comments, I don’t recommend anyone do that because that will follow you around.
I don’t know….I too can see why he responded that way, though, I wouldn’t mind, even if I had a huge pr number…some people take things like that a little more serious, especially if they feel it will lessen their site’s quality.
Either way, I loved the post you made, it was great info.
Normal Joe’s last blog post..Fret not citizens of Joeville, I am still here.
Good for you for having a go back at this person.
It really galls me how some people feel like they “own” the internet because they have been around longer and have happened to rank well on the Google-meter. I believe the quality of the content on the internet has gone up, not down, with the addition of professional bloggers (including those of us who only do it part-time). Many of us bring a wealth of writing skills and knowledge to the various blogs on which we choose to post.
New Orleans Recipes’s last blog post..Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce Dessert
@Rajiv – Thanks, buddy. No one dictates me what to do here but I do listen to feedbacks.
@Peter – He is certainly entitled to his own opinion and I understand it. I just don’t think the manner he reacted to it is acceptable and as you have said, beyond reasonable thinking.
Thank you for your support, Peter.
@Normal Joe – Hey, hey, hey, what’s up, buddy?
It was a real fun doing this kind of post with or without emotion. As I have said a couple of times, I was cool about it in the beginning as the old man has the rights to his opinions. However, the way he reacted to it later in his comment was simply unreasonable and unacceptable.
Ian. This is a really nice answer. You have the reason on your side and i totally agree with you. I have said in his site that he shouldn’t be so drastic, and in the end he looses, because now we see how disrespectful he is to his readers.
In the end, you are the winner because this generates buzz and you will be the real winner :)
Hugo Santos’s last blog post..RedEvo News – Free Wordpress magazine Template
@Hugo Santos – Thanks, buddy. I knew you are going to be on my side as I read your comment on his article which was not responded by him because your opinion differed from his.
I wrote this article not because I wanted to win but I’d like to see what others have to say about it – fairly and intelligently.
I’m still waiting for him to come in here and make another salvo of bullshit. Of course if he’s not too busy moderating his comments.
“Comments are what makes a blog thick and alive – brilliant or otherwise.”
This is so true. Comments can provide so much for a blog. They can spark debates or offer different views and perspectives on the article.
They are also a great method to communicate between the writer and the reader.
well Ian, i think you can wait well sitted, because i doubt he will come here….
Hugo Santos’s last blog post..RedEvo News – Free Wordpress magazine Template
Let me first say that I found your blog through Uncle Che’s AZ Blogging. I was so impressed with your words of encouragement that I followed the link to your blog.
And to be fair, I do not know of the site of which you speak of, I have never been to the site of which you speak of, I have no idea the site of which you speak of even exists (in other words, I have never been to this site and have never heard of it.)
However…
The first commenter was completely right. If he were a PR 3 or below, he would allow those comments and those links. My understanding is it’s the links that raise the Technorati. So at the very least his traffic flow and comments were raising his Alexa and Technorati rankings (granted, not exactly the “Holy Grail” of network marketing) It’s the searchable content that determines the PR and quite frankly maybe he’d better look at bettering his content.
Maybe he was mad because a high page impression with a low Adsense “click through rate” was decreasing his earnings, therefore cutting in to his pocketbook.
Now maybe I’m wrong, I’m a newbie in this. But like other commenters to this post, I don’t comment for backlinks. I comment because something catches my eye and, being who I am, I feel the need to say something about it. The backlinks are merely a “bonus.” I hope when I comment maybe just maybe someone will come and read a few of my posts. But it’s not the motivation at all and because of the way things are, it’s certainly not expected.
The fact is I love discovering new blogs, new ideas, new experiences, new cultures, new information…that’s the beauty of the WORLD wide web and that’s what it was INTENDED to be.
It’s almost sad to me really. I’ve been on the Internet for a long, long time, though not in this capacity. Back then, everybody had your back and it wasn’t about egos or PR or anything like that. In fact, this has become almost diametrically apposed to what the Internet was built to be: a FREE exchange of information and ideas.
Thanks for listening…as always ;-)
lala’s last blog post..Murals and Sidewalk Art—#4
@lala – Yes, I’m listening and I listen well. Internet wasn’t like this anymore. Gone are the days where the information flows freely and the community is more personal.
The fact is I wasn’t angry at all. This post wasn’t an attempt to vent my frustration. It was written with the intention to share with my readers the value of humility and respect.
I do believe that success sometimes may just get over your head and you start to disrespect those below you. They say, “Give a man the power and you’ll see his true character”. How true!
He should have been aware that with PR7 and rewarding his commenters with a piece of valuable real estate on his sidebar will ultimately be a target of spammy comments. Imagine Google with a PR10 with a Top Commentator list, what would be the consequence?
Firstly, he shouldn’t share it if he cares too much about his PR and secondly, he should be too harsh on his criticism and over generalization.
Anyway, I’m glad you drop by, Lala and I hope you join us here more often and share more of your thoughts. What a heartfelt comment!
I don’t think there is anything I have to add to all what have been said above.
I think the whole problem here lies in the domain of attitude.
“And yes, he may not have reacted the same way to Darren Rowse or another of the ‘A listers’”
This reminds me of an article I have prepared to post on Friday. It has to do with change of attitude relative to growth
I am happy you really didn’t sound crossed.
That’s what makes a man.
Cheers!!!
AZ Blogging’s last blog post..Rambling – A journey to Niche-blogging
@AZ Blogging – Exactly, success can change a person’s attitude and character – for better or for worse.
Nope, I wasn’t crossed at all; he’s entitled to his opinions the way I’m entitled to mine..:-)
You must respect and appriciate your commentator -what so ever be the motive they have. You always have this comment moderation tool in your hands , so you are very much right in quoting that ‘Don’t Cut the Whole Forest Because of One Bad Tree” .
Shanker Bakshi’s last blog post..Meet The Shanker Bakshi Junior
@Shanker Bakshi – Appreciate your kind words. The choice is surely in our hands – to moderate or not.
I’m pretty satisfied with the Askimet so moderation is never an issue for me, though I receive about 30+ spammy comments each day. One click and they’re all gone.
He doesn’t appreciate readers who comment for the sake of link-love, we understand how it is, especially when his blog is a PR7.
Nevertheless, all traffic is good and the readers of this blog are not low-beings or spammers either. So it is a matter of being more tactful.
jeflin’s last blog post..Overhead Supply Can Trap Your Money
great pool of thoughts in here.. in summary, i am all into the respect and humility thing. i guess your case is one of the bunch out there a blogger has to face. but the thing is, we always have the ability to put our patient and democratic self above everything. keep on blogging!
@jeflin & @dimaks – Thanks for the inputs, guys. I appreciate it. Feel free to join us again here at thoushallblog.com.
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The thing is that a lot of bloggers are vain shellfish ditches. If you’re going to dofollow a blog don’t complain if people take advantage of it by leaving anchored links. If you don’t want people to do this then don’t dofollow, it’s that simple.
If you look at my Top Commentators list you’ll see a lot of links to BANS sites and the like. I don’t mind this since they people who left these comments left on topic, keyword rich, comments.
Frank C’s last blog post..Doll Stands – Buying Guide
@Frank C – That’s exactly my point but filling in his shoes, I do understand his frustration of having to moderate flood of spammy comments.
Isn’t that the trade-off for getting a PR7 and opening up your sidebar with the Top Commentator list? He should have taken it off completely but he chose to let it be ‘nofollow’ instead. To me, that’s not clearing the root of the problem.
Thanks for your thought, Frank. I appreciate it.