Also, BlogCatalog has an approval system for blogs and MBL allows you to add any blog to your profile.
BC also allows people to admit a blog without being it's owner and offers no way to claim it if you are. :/
Good job on the comparison article. Both are worth joining.
Laura
· 2 years ago
Also, BlogCatalog has an approval system for blogs and MBL allows you to add any blog to your profile.
BC also allows people to admit a blog without being it's owner and offers no way to claim it if you are. :/
Good job on the comparison article. Both are worth joining.
Oscar
· 2 years ago
Laura is correct, blogcatalog has an approval system for all blogs to assure that only serious bloggers are admitted into the catalog. This helps fight blogs created specifically for spam or to make money. Only 1/3 of blogs submitted to blogcatalog on a daily basis are approved (on average).
Blogcatalog also requires a linkback to be submitted to the directory as it is assumed that only the owner of the blog should/would have access to the authoring of the blog's content. I could not really see how someone could submit a blog that wasn't theirs unless they had access to add a linkback or a widget in a post. In addition blogcatalog support for such owners is available by email, telephone, or even a letter in the mail as the BC address is listed on the Contact page.
Laura
· 2 years ago
Blogcatalog also requires a linkback to be submitted to the directory as it is assumed that only the owner of the blog should/would have access to the authoring of the blog's content. I could not really see how someone could submit a blog that wasn't theirs unless they had access to add a linkback or a widget in a post. In addition blogcatalog support for such owners is available by email, telephone, or even a letter in the mail as the BC address is listed on the Contact page.
Actually I am talking from experience here. I went to submit one of my other blogs and it was already in the blog catalog system. I emailed to find out how to claim my blog and I sent the appropriate links, but haven't heard back from them yet. I'm not complaining, I've gotten a bit of traffic on that blog from blog catalog, even though I hadn't submitted it. ;)
Oscar
· 2 years ago
Laura, please email me: oscar@blogcatalog.com so that I can help you resolve the issue.
Oscar
· 2 years ago
Laura is correct, blogcatalog has an approval system for all blogs to assure that only serious bloggers are admitted into the catalog. This helps fight blogs created specifically for spam or to make money. Only 1/3 of blogs submitted to blogcatalog on a daily basis are approved (on average).
Blogcatalog also requires a linkback to be submitted to the directory as it is assumed that only the owner of the blog should/would have access to the authoring of the blog's content. I could not really see how someone could submit a blog that wasn't theirs unless they had access to add a linkback or a widget in a post. In addition blogcatalog support for such owners is available by email, telephone, or even a letter in the mail as the BC address is listed on the Contact page.
Laura
· 2 years ago
Blogcatalog also requires a linkback to be submitted to the directory as it is assumed that only the owner of the blog should/would have access to the authoring of the blog's content. I could not really see how someone could submit a blog that wasn't theirs unless they had access to add a linkback or a widget in a post. In addition blogcatalog support for such owners is available by email, telephone, or even a letter in the mail as the BC address is listed on the Contact page.
Actually I am talking from experience here. I went to submit one of my other blogs and it was already in the blog catalog system. I emailed to find out how to claim my blog and I sent the appropriate links, but haven't heard back from them yet. I'm not complaining, I've gotten a bit of traffic on that blog from blog catalog, even though I hadn't submitted it. ;)
Oscar
· 2 years ago
Laura, please email me: oscar@blogcatalog.com so that I can help you resolve the issue.
Daniel
· 2 years ago
Thanks Andy, I think you pretty much nailed it.
Daniel
· 2 years ago
Thanks Andy, I think you pretty much nailed it.
www.BloggingMix.com
· 2 years ago
In behalf of the Blogcatalog Community, thank you very much. Your previous post has been a heated discussion at the Blogcatalog Community. I'm really glad that you've clarified everything because one of the Blogcatalog members misrepresented your previous review of Blogcatalog.
If I may add to your list. Blogcatalog is different from Mybloglog in the sense that the Community at Blogcatalog is different. Different in the sense that it's a real community of real bloggers, real people...
www.BloggingMix.com
· 2 years ago
In behalf of the Blogcatalog Community, thank you very much. Your previous post has been a heated discussion at the Blogcatalog Community. I'm really glad that you've clarified everything because one of the Blogcatalog members misrepresented your previous review of Blogcatalog.
If I may add to your list. Blogcatalog is different from Mybloglog in the sense that the Community at Blogcatalog is different. Different in the sense that it's a real community of real bloggers, real people...
Rob
· 2 years ago
Andy you old reactionary ;)
All I'd say in a general sense is that this is the internet. The end result of everything is there to be seen. There is no monopoly of ideas, unless patented.
Websites evolve and do things better/differently/worse.
I don't think BC is a clone of MBL either. They have similarities yes, as do pownce and twitter, digg and netscape, PlugIm and Sphinn, Google Search and Yahoo search.
Its the nature of the beast.Look at any SERP and you'll see similarities.
Rose seems to have a bit of a beef about it all, maybe I've misread her tone. Maybe she's simply engaging in some classical controversary marketing ;0)
Rob
· 2 years ago
Andy you old reactionary ;)
All I'd say in a general sense is that this is the internet. The end result of everything is there to be seen. There is no monopoly of ideas, unless patented.
Websites evolve and do things better/differently/worse.
I don't think BC is a clone of MBL either. They have similarities yes, as do pownce and twitter, digg and netscape, PlugIm and Sphinn, Google Search and Yahoo search.
Its the nature of the beast.Look at any SERP and you'll see similarities.
Rose seems to have a bit of a beef about it all, maybe I've misread her tone. Maybe she's simply engaging in some classical controversary marketing ;0)
Rose
· 2 years ago
Andy, well let us hope it has remained confidential though I wonder. How much did they pay you for this review? Easy to change your review when they are feeding your wallet isn't it. Look if I sign up for Payperpost they will pay me just to write about this post.
Your review does not change the fact that MyBloglog adds a feature BlogCatalog adds that same feature. It is like Monkey see Monkey do. Wow they added Full contact details including a toll free phone number." That is a real change isn't it.
Come on Andy could you not find any real unique features? Everything you have mentioned are minor. I'm talking about the real functions that actually run the site.
This review sounds like you just backpedaled your way out of things from your first review where you stated BlogCatalog was a clone. You said it. I just agree.
Rob, no beef. I'm just stating the facts and you missed one of the biggest- no privacy policy?
BloggingMix how can you say that when half of those that belong to Blogcatalog belong to Mybloglog too? Are you saying those that belong to MBL are not real people? Then what the heck are they?
Also MBL does not require you to link back. Is BlogCatalog a directly now or a network as I'm confused?
It has an approval system? Then how did a pedophile list his blog? How did the blog that promotes drug use get listed?
Oscar
· 2 years ago
We review hundreds of blogs daily, that being said we do not read every post or do detailed background checks on checks on our users. The approval process consists of looking for a back link, looking to see if the content is fresh and that there are at least a hand full of posts, and we try to make sure that the posts aren't just RSS feeds from somewhere else.
We cannot possibly read through every post on all the blogs, we just give them a quick glance to make sure they aren't spammy or pornographic and that the person is updating fairly regularly when they submit. After that we rely heavily on users like yourself who thankfully help us patrol the website.
Rose
· 2 years ago
Andy, well let us hope it has remained confidential though I wonder. How much did they pay you for this review? Easy to change your review when they are feeding your wallet isn't it. Look if I sign up for Payperpost they will pay me just to write about this post.
Your review does not change the fact that MyBloglog adds a feature BlogCatalog adds that same feature. It is like Monkey see Monkey do. Wow they added Full contact details including a toll free phone number." That is a real change isn't it.
Come on Andy could you not find any real unique features? Everything you have mentioned are minor. I'm talking about the real functions that actually run the site.
This review sounds like you just backpedaled your way out of things from your first review where you stated BlogCatalog was a clone. You said it. I just agree.
Rob, no beef. I'm just stating the facts and you missed one of the biggest- no privacy policy?
BloggingMix how can you say that when half of those that belong to Blogcatalog belong to Mybloglog too? Are you saying those that belong to MBL are not real people? Then what the heck are they?
Also MBL does not require you to link back. Is BlogCatalog a directly now or a network as I'm confused?
It has an approval system? Then how did a pedophile list his blog? How did the blog that promotes drug use get listed?
Oscar
· 2 years ago
We review hundreds of blogs daily, that being said we do not read every post or do detailed background checks on checks on our users. The approval process consists of looking for a back link, looking to see if the content is fresh and that there are at least a hand full of posts, and we try to make sure that the posts aren't just RSS feeds from somewhere else.
We cannot possibly read through every post on all the blogs, we just give them a quick glance to make sure they aren't spammy or pornographic and that the person is updating fairly regularly when they submit. After that we rely heavily on users like yourself who thankfully help us patrol the website.
PrettYlady
· 2 years ago
Andy, I notice your spam filter is catching my comment I wonder why that is?
Rob, no beef. I'm stating the facts and you missed one of the biggest. Blogcatalog has no privacy policy. They are also using Java in their redirect. Bots when not crawl the function on click.
Bloggingmix, how can you say that Blogcatalog is made up of real people when those same people are members of Mybloglog too.
If they approve all blogs how did a pedophile list his blog and how did the blog promoting drug use slip by editors? I'm sure if we went through the directory we would find other blogs too. We may even find blogs from those under 13 though I don't think we will. I hope not anyway for the sake of BC!
Andy, this review sounds like you backpedaled your way out of your first review. I sure hope that you have kept everything confidential, but I have my doubts. It is so easy to write glowing things about a community when they are putting money in your wallet, isn't it?
If I write a review of this review I can be paid 7.50 by Pay Per Post.
You neglected the fact that Mybloglog adds a feature Blogcatalog adds it right after. It is like monkey see monkey do.
Was this list all you could come up for unique? How about talking about the function that actually run BC and make it a community? You know the things that "YOU" called a clone in your first review. You called it a copycat clone first. We all digged it and linked to it. Even Andy Beal linked to it.
Blogcatalog may be beneficial to bloggers. There is no denial there. However, they have and continue to copy Mybloglog's every move. In my opinion the network part of BC is the clone!
The last time I checked I was entitled to my opinion was I not?
Thanks for the rebuttal, but my opinion stands!
AndyBeard
· 2 years ago
Rose a large number of those points I raised within my initial review, and whilst you are concentrating on the aspects that were copied (copying = flattery), I spent a lot more time on the differences, and have tried to continue concentrating on the most compelling unique features.
Some things I certainly miss in a review. I try to write them as comprehensively as possible, but things will always be missed.
If you did use the PayPerPost "Review My Post", we would both receive $7.50 and that for both of us would be the sum total of income from anything to do with any of the 3 services discussed.
I am not at liberty to discuss any of the email conversations so I can't reveal specific arrangements and that includes many of the discussions I have had with all 3.
I can state that one specific term I insisted upon with Bogcatalog was that I would be able to clearly disclose that there is a financial arrangement.
I honestly downplay that financial arrangement in my own mind, as I am not one to count my chickens before they hatch, but at the same time is does also pose very interesting ethical problems. I hope my open disclosure of the situation, and my continual support for all 3 competitors goes some way to alleviate any misgivings.
If I generally did consulting on a professional basis, the price many experts and peers have suggested I should be charging for my time would mean that even if Blogcatalog manage to pull off a 7 figure windfall, it would represent a huge discount on my time.
It is a good job that I look on any income from that, and blogging as a whole on this blog as a bonus.
My primary target for this blog has always been building reputation and relationships.
If your allegations of possible corruption were more than an isolated case expressed only by yourself, I would most likely resign from any financial connection with Bogcatalog, even though that was freely offered.
Fortunately your opinions appear to be just your own. No one else either publicly or in private has suggested they are uncomfortable with the situation.
As for the spam filter, it does start tripping if you hit too many comments over a fixed number of days, and the effect can snowball and rll back to previous comments. In one heated debate I actually lost all the comments from someone because they managed to get themselves totally blacklisted automatically, and I made an error in recovery.
PrettYlady
· 2 years ago
Andy, I notice your spam filter is catching my comment I wonder why that is?
Rob, no beef. I'm stating the facts and you missed one of the biggest. Blogcatalog has no privacy policy. They are also using Java in their redirect. Bots when not crawl the function on click.
Bloggingmix, how can you say that Blogcatalog is made up of real people when those same people are members of Mybloglog too.
If they approve all blogs how did a pedophile list his blog and how did the blog promoting drug use slip by editors? I'm sure if we went through the directory we would find other blogs too. We may even find blogs from those under 13 though I don't think we will. I hope not anyway for the sake of BC!
Andy, this review sounds like you backpedaled your way out of your first review. I sure hope that you have kept everything confidential, but I have my doubts. It is so easy to write glowing things about a community when they are putting money in your wallet, isn't it?
If I write a review of this review I can be paid 7.50 by Pay Per Post.
You neglected the fact that Mybloglog adds a feature Blogcatalog adds it right after. It is like monkey see monkey do.
Was this list all you could come up for unique? How about talking about the function that actually run BC and make it a community? You know the things that "YOU" called a clone in your first review. You called it a copycat clone first. We all digged it and linked to it. Even Andy Beal linked to it.
Blogcatalog may be beneficial to bloggers. There is no denial there. However, they have and continue to copy Mybloglog's every move. In my opinion the network part of BC is the clone!
The last time I checked I was entitled to my opinion was I not?
Thanks for the rebuttal, but my opinion stands!
AndyBeard
· 2 years ago
Rose a large number of those points I raised within my initial review, and whilst you are concentrating on the aspects that were copied (copying = flattery), I spent a lot more time on the differences, and have tried to continue concentrating on the most compelling unique features.
Some things I certainly miss in a review. I try to write them as comprehensively as possible, but things will always be missed.
If you did use the PayPerPost "Review My Post", we would both receive $7.50 and that for both of us would be the sum total of income from anything to do with any of the 3 services discussed.
I am not at liberty to discuss any of the email conversations so I can't reveal specific arrangements and that includes many of the discussions I have had with all 3.
I can state that one specific term I insisted upon with Bogcatalog was that I would be able to clearly disclose that there is a financial arrangement.
I honestly downplay that financial arrangement in my own mind, as I am not one to count my chickens before they hatch, but at the same time is does also pose very interesting ethical problems. I hope my open disclosure of the situation, and my continual support for all 3 competitors goes some way to alleviate any misgivings.
If I generally did consulting on a professional basis, the price many experts and peers have suggested I should be charging for my time would mean that even if Blogcatalog manage to pull off a 7 figure windfall, it would represent a huge discount on my time.
It is a good job that I look on any income from that, and blogging as a whole on this blog as a bonus.
My primary target for this blog has always been building reputation and relationships.
If your allegations of possible corruption were more than an isolated case expressed only by yourself, I would most likely resign from any financial connection with Bogcatalog, even though that was freely offered.
Fortunately your opinions appear to be just your own. No one else either publicly or in private has suggested they are uncomfortable with the situation.
As for the spam filter, it does start tripping if you hit too many comments over a fixed number of days, and the effect can snowball and rll back to previous comments. In one heated debate I actually lost all the comments from someone because they managed to get themselves totally blacklisted automatically, and I made an error in recovery.
Mark Stoneman
· 2 years ago
This dialog between you and the other blogger seems to assume that a list of features adds up to the sum total of the product. What about the way these features combine to produce a fundamentally different qualitative experience.
Also, if I were you, I'm not sure I'd get involved in a debate with R. It is not always best to answer assassination. Ignore it. Or are you finding you're getting extra readers out of this?
AndyBeard
· 2 years ago
Mark, the discussion was about specific features, so I kept to that.
The overall feel and use of the features is actually a lot more controversial. Many A list bloggers still regard MyBlogLog as a novelty that offers no value, and haven't even given Blogcatalog a cursory glance. That is despite having a community in the top50
I actually have no problem debating this with Rose - I am actually surprised that someone else hasn't raised a number of the points in the past.
A lot of the readers who are interested in MyBlogLog and more recently Blogcatalog have been with me for quite a while, and can remember when I was one of the sole voices in the blogosphere who was supporting MyBlogLog over certain issues, and that almost burnt a number of bridges permanently, though certainly fostered others.
It is hard to please everyone all the time, I honestly don't even try, but am quite willing to back up any of my own arguments with what I feel are key issues.
Mark Stoneman
· 2 years ago
This dialog between you and the other blogger seems to assume that a list of features adds up to the sum total of the product. What about the way these features combine to produce a fundamentally different qualitative experience.
Also, if I were you, I'm not sure I'd get involved in a debate with R. It is not always best to answer assassination. Ignore it. Or are you finding you're getting extra readers out of this?
AndyBeard
· 2 years ago
Mark, the discussion was about specific features, so I kept to that.
The overall feel and use of the features is actually a lot more controversial. Many A list bloggers still regard MyBlogLog as a novelty that offers no value, and haven't even given Blogcatalog a cursory glance. That is despite having a community in the top50
I actually have no problem debating this with Rose - I am actually surprised that someone else hasn't raised a number of the points in the past.
A lot of the readers who are interested in MyBlogLog and more recently Blogcatalog have been with me for quite a while, and can remember when I was one of the sole voices in the blogosphere who was supporting MyBlogLog over certain issues, and that almost burnt a number of bridges permanently, though certainly fostered others.
It is hard to please everyone all the time, I honestly don't even try, but am quite willing to back up any of my own arguments with what I feel are key issues.
Theresa111
· 2 years ago
If PL was right about the clone matter...Would that Mean there is someone just like her at MyBlogLog.com ? Oh my. One was already Too Much. She should change her user name as it simply no longer fits. SourPuss is an apt description.
Theresa111
· 2 years ago
If PL was right about the clone matter...Would that Mean there is someone just like her at MyBlogLog.com ? Oh my. One was already Too Much. She should change her user name as it simply no longer fits. SourPuss is an apt description.
Rob
· 2 years ago
>...I'm stating the facts and you missed one of the biggest. Blogcatalog has no privacy policy.
I have to be frank and say to be honest I'm really not that bothered by that. If they ever did anything that harmed me in a malicious or exploitative way, I'd be more than happy to let the world know all about it when I found out. Just a personal thing though, I'm not so big on ripping things apart and spotlighting failures without offering a degree of constructivity. hell, they might just have even forgotten to formulate one. Should they be hung if they did?
Sometimes in life, you've just gotta trust people to behave correctly. Those that dont usually pay the price in one way or another. Personally, I'm happy to let karma and time deal with those who don't.
In terms of those bad blogs you identified, the scuzzy ones. If memory serves correctly, BC's existing owners bought the site at sitepoint with a hellava lot of existing content. I think they even said that they were going through the blogs included one by one and weeding and pruning inactives and sites of dubity.
Nope, no link, but I'm sure someone else will recall, or point to.
>They are also using Java in their redirect. Bots when not crawl the function on click.
I have to ask...why does that really matter? You get a vanilla html link from one of the profile pages and for me, that will suffice.Are you suggesting that they are commiting some kind of wrong un by doing this?
Rose, if you don't have a beef with bc or Andy then great, but I gotta speak as I find and say that IMO, your post and subsequent comments did little to help form an alternative conclusion in my mind other than the one I've settled upon. If I'm wrong in my conclusion then maybe my filter is a little skewed it is late here after all :)
Rob
· 2 years ago
>...I'm stating the facts and you missed one of the biggest. Blogcatalog has no privacy policy.
I have to be frank and say to be honest I'm really not that bothered by that. If they ever did anything that harmed me in a malicious or exploitative way, I'd be more than happy to let the world know all about it when I found out. Just a personal thing though, I'm not so big on ripping things apart and spotlighting failures without offering a degree of constructivity. hell, they might just have even forgotten to formulate one. Should they be hung if they did?
Sometimes in life, you've just gotta trust people to behave correctly. Those that dont usually pay the price in one way or another. Personally, I'm happy to let karma and time deal with those who don't.
In terms of those bad blogs you identified, the scuzzy ones. If memory serves correctly, BC's existing owners bought the site at sitepoint with a hellava lot of existing content. I think they even said that they were going through the blogs included one by one and weeding and pruning inactives and sites of dubity.
Nope, no link, but I'm sure someone else will recall, or point to.
>They are also using Java in their redirect. Bots when not crawl the function on click.
I have to ask...why does that really matter? You get a vanilla html link from one of the profile pages and for me, that will suffice.Are you suggesting that they are commiting some kind of wrong un by doing this?
Rose, if you don't have a beef with bc or Andy then great, but I gotta speak as I find and say that IMO, your post and subsequent comments did little to help form an alternative conclusion in my mind other than the one I've settled upon. If I'm wrong in my conclusion then maybe my filter is a little skewed it is late here after all :)
Rose
· 2 years ago
Mark, Andy and I are debating as adults here.
Rob, I have no beef with BC or Andy. I'm just pointing out things already noted by Andy in a previous review & by others. The privacy policy may not be a concern with you, but many internet users do care about privacy. Not only that but a Terms of Service & privacy policy would protect them legally.
If memory serves me right the link in profiles was no follow until Andy persuaded them to remove the no -follow and Blog Catalog does ask members to link back to them without passing on that PR. Why do so many people submit to any directory? They submit for the link back and because it is a high PR site, but what good would it do if the link from BC can not be crawled. The only reason I got a lot of traffic from BC was because I was active in the discussions.
Theresa, that shows your maturity level. Why are you unable to discuss my review without personally attacking me?
Oscar
· 2 years ago
In all honesty I don't think it ever occurred to us that we would even need a privacy policy. Partly because we respect the users of the website and the thought of doing wrong by the community is the last thing on our minds.
As far as I know you are the first and only person to mention this and in the future if we really thought it was an issue I don't see any problem adding such a policy.
Users sign up for blogcatalog by choice, if a user had any problem adding their information to a website that didn't have a privacy policy I would think that they would just not sign up to begin with.
I probably get 2 or 3 emails a week from users asking for their account to be deleted. Could this be because of the lack of privacy policy? Its possible...
I do thank you for bringing it up, if you had not mentioned it I can honestly say that we would never have even THOUGHT about adding a privacy policy. More than likely we will include a privacy policy in the future but we do not consider it to be a priority at this time.
If you are unhappy with blogcatalog feel free to send me an email personally and I will regretfully remove your information from our system.
Truth be told I would much rather chew off my own arm than to loose a valuable member of the community over a lack of trust.
Rose
· 2 years ago
Mark, Andy and I are debating as adults here.
Rob, I have no beef with BC or Andy. I'm just pointing out things already noted by Andy in a previous review & by others. The privacy policy may not be a concern with you, but many internet users do care about privacy. Not only that but a Terms of Service & privacy policy would protect them legally.
If memory serves me right the link in profiles was no follow until Andy persuaded them to remove the no -follow and Blog Catalog does ask members to link back to them without passing on that PR. Why do so many people submit to any directory? They submit for the link back and because it is a high PR site, but what good would it do if the link from BC can not be crawled. The only reason I got a lot of traffic from BC was because I was active in the discussions.
Theresa, that shows your maturity level. Why are you unable to discuss my review without personally attacking me?
Oscar
· 2 years ago
In all honesty I don't think it ever occurred to us that we would even need a privacy policy. Partly because we respect the users of the website and the thought of doing wrong by the community is the last thing on our minds.
As far as I know you are the first and only person to mention this and in the future if we really thought it was an issue I don't see any problem adding such a policy.
Users sign up for blogcatalog by choice, if a user had any problem adding their information to a website that didn't have a privacy policy I would think that they would just not sign up to begin with.
I probably get 2 or 3 emails a week from users asking for their account to be deleted. Could this be because of the lack of privacy policy? Its possible...
I do thank you for bringing it up, if you had not mentioned it I can honestly say that we would never have even THOUGHT about adding a privacy policy. More than likely we will include a privacy policy in the future but we do not consider it to be a priority at this time.
If you are unhappy with blogcatalog feel free to send me an email personally and I will regretfully remove your information from our system.
Truth be told I would much rather chew off my own arm than to loose a valuable member of the community over a lack of trust.
Robyn Tippins
· 2 years ago
As always, another great post. We appreciate your honest appraisal of MBL. Thanks Andy :)
Robyn Tippins
· 2 years ago
As always, another great post. We appreciate your honest appraisal of MBL. Thanks Andy :)
Rose
· 2 years ago
Andy, as soon as I raised these points I was shunned by some of the BlogCatalog community and by the staff. That is what I call ironic. Thank you for debating me in a respectful manner.
Rose
· 2 years ago
Andy, as soon as I raised these points I was shunned by some of the BlogCatalog community and by the staff. That is what I call ironic. Thank you for debating me in a respectful manner.
Derami
· 2 years ago
I have to admit that my OWN partiality, which is toward MyBlogLog, is informed (or tainted?) by my extremely positive experiences with them. Eric has both commented on my blogs and joined my blog community. Robyn has been extremely helpful as a community liason. Basically, every semi-personal interaction I have with MBL is resoundingly positive, while BlogCatalog, well, my own contact was after their site went down and their widget (while the site went down) changed shape and bled from my sidebar and into my content - ouch! I think it's important to recognize that we're all biased by something - from experience to money - but that's part of the game either way.
Derami
· 2 years ago
I have to admit that my OWN partiality, which is toward MyBlogLog, is informed (or tainted?) by my extremely positive experiences with them. Eric has both commented on my blogs and joined my blog community. Robyn has been extremely helpful as a community liason. Basically, every semi-personal interaction I have with MBL is resoundingly positive, while BlogCatalog, well, my own contact was after their site went down and their widget (while the site went down) changed shape and bled from my sidebar and into my content - ouch! I think it's important to recognize that we're all biased by something - from experience to money - but that's part of the game either way.
Judy Andrews
· 2 years ago
Interesting debate and I see a lot of Pretty Lady's comments on BlogCatalog and she seems like a very intelligent person and always has a lot to say.
I never really looked for a privacy policy because it just seemed like a business such as they are would be ethical, but maybe it is a good policy to have for everyone's protection on such a site.
I enjoy reading your reviews and have respect for the things you say and I really don't see why you have to explain yourself. You have a disclosure policy and unless they are paying you to be under exclusive contract to them I don't understand why there is a conflict.
I belong to both and they are both okay except the one doesn't have a forum and a place where people can really interact and since I think of myself as a real person I didn't really understand the one comment. Maybe I am missing something here? Okay enough from me.
Judy Andrews
· 2 years ago
Interesting debate and I see a lot of Pretty Lady's comments on BlogCatalog and she seems like a very intelligent person and always has a lot to say.
I never really looked for a privacy policy because it just seemed like a business such as they are would be ethical, but maybe it is a good policy to have for everyone's protection on such a site.
I enjoy reading your reviews and have respect for the things you say and I really don't see why you have to explain yourself. You have a disclosure policy and unless they are paying you to be under exclusive contract to them I don't understand why there is a conflict.
I belong to both and they are both okay except the one doesn't have a forum and a place where people can really interact and since I think of myself as a real person I didn't really understand the one comment. Maybe I am missing something here? Okay enough from me.
Rose
· 2 years ago
Thanks Judy. I appreciate that.
Rose
· 2 years ago
Thanks Judy. I appreciate that.
Blog Strokes
· 2 years ago
Am I missing something here? Is this a zero sum game? Andy seems to be pretty healthy working all three of theres programs and Phlippppp or whatever the other one ( ;) ) is all at once.
Seems to me that when we first started hearing about Google there were already several other companies "doing that" and they have made billions "cloning" other companies offerings, just as they have made Billions pioneering new ground.
You know the primary reason I pretty much use just BUMPzee? I don't need any more metrics. I have that handled. I have lots of places to bookmark stuff. I have plenty of space to write my thoughts for the adoring public to read.
Most of the stuff you can do at BZ you can probably do at the others (at least I would suppose you can).
But Scott is real to me. He messages me. He emails me. He "flips switches" for me when I ask another "Hey Scott, is there any way i can ____________".
It's all about community for me, and **for me** I get that sense most at BZ. Others probably get it most at MBL, and still others get it most at BC.
But ultimately, the features ain't all that important. it's how you sell yourself on the benefits.
I know people who insist that the Trans-Am was a better car than the Camero.... Huh???? It's about the benefits and how they are sold. The features is just laundry lists. And if they weren't similar these wouldn't be competing sites.
As long as we compare features between these three sites that propose to be about building community, we be missin' da boat, mon.
Vlad
· 2 years ago
Blog Strokes wrote: "But Scott is real to me. He messages me. He emails me. He "flips switches""
Thats is exactly the reason I will be going exclusively with bumpzee myself. Thanks Dan! You just helped me to make the decision. :)
Blog Strokes
· 2 years ago
It's definitely worth trying. ;) And it allows you to focus and make a more concerted entry and contribution to the community you decide to go with. I'm glad you like BZ too, but other's should be certain to understand that I can allow that they might want to do the same thing, but end up at one of the others.
Blog Strokes
· 2 years ago
Am I missing something here? Is this a zero sum game? Andy seems to be pretty healthy working all three of theres programs and Phlippppp or whatever the other one ( ;) ) is all at once.
Seems to me that when we first started hearing about Google there were already several other companies "doing that" and they have made billions "cloning" other companies offerings, just as they have made Billions pioneering new ground.
You know the primary reason I pretty much use just BUMPzee? I don't need any more metrics. I have that handled. I have lots of places to bookmark stuff. I have plenty of space to write my thoughts for the adoring public to read.
Most of the stuff you can do at BZ you can probably do at the others (at least I would suppose you can).
But Scott is real to me. He messages me. He emails me. He "flips switches" for me when I ask another "Hey Scott, is there any way i can ____________".
It's all about community for me, and **for me** I get that sense most at BZ. Others probably get it most at MBL, and still others get it most at BC.
But ultimately, the features ain't all that important. it's how you sell yourself on the benefits.
I know people who insist that the Trans-Am was a better car than the Camero.... Huh???? It's about the benefits and how they are sold. The features is just laundry lists. And if they weren't similar these wouldn't be competing sites.
As long as we compare features between these three sites that propose to be about building community, we be missin' da boat, mon.
Vlad
· 2 years ago
Blog Strokes wrote: "But Scott is real to me. He messages me. He emails me. He "flips switches""
Thats is exactly the reason I will be going exclusively with bumpzee myself. Thanks Dan! You just helped me to make the decision. :)
Blog Strokes
· 2 years ago
It's definitely worth trying. ;) And it allows you to focus and make a more concerted entry and contribution to the community you decide to go with. I'm glad you like BZ too, but other's should be certain to understand that I can allow that they might want to do the same thing, but end up at one of the others.
Blog Strokes
· 2 years ago
PS.
To suggest that Andy might actually flog something that he didn't feel was above the snuff, for a little silver is simply incomprehensible to any one who has been following this blog as long as I have.
I don't comment as much as some other readers here. I usually just read and learn, but I've been reading Andy for a good long time now.
I've watched him pass money by when he could have taken it, and no one would have blinked if he had.
Blog Strokes
· 2 years ago
PS.
To suggest that Andy might actually flog something that he didn't feel was above the snuff, for a little silver is simply incomprehensible to any one who has been following this blog as long as I have.
I don't comment as much as some other readers here. I usually just read and learn, but I've been reading Andy for a good long time now.
I've watched him pass money by when he could have taken it, and no one would have blinked if he had.
Life is Colourful
· 2 years ago
This is pretty elaborative analysis of MBL and Blogcatalog. I have joined MBL recently, and now will decide between two taking help of this article.
Life is Colourful
· 2 years ago
This is pretty elaborative analysis of MBL and Blogcatalog. I have joined MBL recently, and now will decide between two taking help of this article.
Tim Nash
· 2 years ago
I never really looked for a privacy policy because it just seemed like a business such as they are would be ethical, but maybe it is a good policy to have for everyone's protection on such a site.
Judy Andrews
I think you hit the problem on the head, joe average doesn't check these things we take it for granted, we don't read TOS but what if the company goes bust, gets bought out by a spam company? suddenly your details which did remain private are up for grabs.
We tend to only look for these things when it goes wrong, by then its normally to late.
Tim Nash
· 2 years ago
oops meant to also say Thanks for the Link Andy :) and as a side issue I can't edit my comments, clicking my name takes me to my blog :) clicking the text does nothing
Tim Nash
· 2 years ago
I never really looked for a privacy policy because it just seemed like a business such as they are would be ethical, but maybe it is a good policy to have for everyone's protection on such a site.
Judy Andrews
I think you hit the problem on the head, joe average doesn't check these things we take it for granted, we don't read TOS but what if the company goes bust, gets bought out by a spam company? suddenly your details which did remain private are up for grabs.
We tend to only look for these things when it goes wrong, by then its normally to late.
Tim Nash
· 2 years ago
oops meant to also say Thanks for the Link Andy :) and as a side issue I can't edit my comments, clicking my name takes me to my blog :) clicking the text does nothing
AndyBeard
· 2 years ago
I am not a lawyer, but from my understanding one of the primary reasons to use some kind of Terms of Service is to protect yourself from having to defend in a court jurisdiction that is inconvenient and possibly more costly.
In many cases that frequently doesn't help you, for instance spam complaints are frequently handled in the district in the US that the ISP is located and some marketers have run into problems with that
AndyBeard
· 2 years ago
I am not a lawyer, but from my understanding one of the primary reasons to use some kind of Terms of Service is to protect yourself from having to defend in a court jurisdiction that is inconvenient and possibly more costly.
In many cases that frequently doesn't help you, for instance spam complaints are frequently handled in the district in the US that the ISP is located and some marketers have run into problems with that
Daniel
· 2 years ago
Andy thanks for creating this post and allowing us to get such great feedback.
We've recently drafted up a TOS for BlogCatalog that should be published before the end of the day, you can take a sneak peek and voice any concerns at: http://www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/propos...
Daniel
· 2 years ago
Andy thanks for creating this post and allowing us to get such great feedback.
We've recently drafted up a TOS for BlogCatalog that should be published before the end of the day, you can take a sneak peek and voice any concerns at: http://www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/propos...
Rose
· 2 years ago
Blog Strokes I don't agree with you totally.
Rose
· 2 years ago
Blog Strokes I don't agree with you totally.
Blog Strokes
· 2 years ago
hehehe... I don't always agree with me *totally*. Dig into the archives at How To and you can find threads of me arguing with myself, lol.
that said, though, I have to say that the features and who copies who and who follows who are really unimportant when compared against the one core thing in these sites.
Where feels like home? Really think about it. These sites are about building communities. That's what's important. We used to do that on FIDO with 600b modems, crazy software patching and volunteers passing the packets from one hub to the next. Installing 16 phone lines into an 80186 that didn't have enough ports for four without crazy mods.
And when you've seen one wildcat BBS you've seen them all, but people had their favorites. And their favorites were based on where they felt like home.
My path is find a home, ask for features I want and count my blessings to have been smart enough to pick a place that has such a great community.
Obviously, my path isn't for everyone, but I would submit, that if one of these communities seems hostile or unfriendly it might be best to just be shut of them and start keeping house in one of the others that feels more like home. it's gotta be worth a try at the least, right?
Blog Strokes
· 2 years ago
hehehe... I don't always agree with me *totally*. Dig into the archives at How To and you can find threads of me arguing with myself, lol.
that said, though, I have to say that the features and who copies who and who follows who are really unimportant when compared against the one core thing in these sites.
Where feels like home? Really think about it. These sites are about building communities. That's what's important. We used to do that on FIDO with 600b modems, crazy software patching and volunteers passing the packets from one hub to the next. Installing 16 phone lines into an 80186 that didn't have enough ports for four without crazy mods.
And when you've seen one wildcat BBS you've seen them all, but people had their favorites. And their favorites were based on where they felt like home.
My path is find a home, ask for features I want and count my blessings to have been smart enough to pick a place that has such a great community.
Obviously, my path isn't for everyone, but I would submit, that if one of these communities seems hostile or unfriendly it might be best to just be shut of them and start keeping house in one of the others that feels more like home. it's gotta be worth a try at the least, right?
Crissy
· 2 years ago
Hmm... I never realized that there was much of a difference in the two.
Crissy
· 2 years ago
Hmm... I never realized that there was much of a difference in the two.
Matt Keegan
· 2 years ago
Andy, thank you for the time to show us the differences between the two communities. Admittedly, I am tilted toward MBL at the moment, but this article serves to remind me that BC has some attributes to it worth exploring. I thought I would be more involved with BUMPzee, but StumbleUpon is eating up all of my time!
Matt Keegan
· 2 years ago
Andy, thank you for the time to show us the differences between the two communities. Admittedly, I am tilted toward MBL at the moment, but this article serves to remind me that BC has some attributes to it worth exploring. I thought I would be more involved with BUMPzee, but StumbleUpon is eating up all of my time!
Rose
· 2 years ago
I think unique feature is what help makes a community stand out and there is nothing unique about BlogCatalog. Just my opinion!
Rose
· 2 years ago
I think unique feature is what help makes a community stand out and there is nothing unique about BlogCatalog. Just my opinion!
RoarinRow
· 2 years ago
I just discovered BC yesterday and had no idea what it was. I just following a link from another blog site.
By the time I was done registering and all, then of course I had no choice but to compare it to MBL.
I haven't paid much attention to the details, but I do the like the layout and real members at MBL.
I get spam once in awhile and there a lot of money making type blogs out on MBL, but nothing I can't handle. That's just the nature of the blog beast.
At this point I'm not saying that one is better than another, I believe it comes down to personal choice and whatever you're comfortable with.
RoarinRow
· 2 years ago
I just discovered BC yesterday and had no idea what it was. I just following a link from another blog site.
By the time I was done registering and all, then of course I had no choice but to compare it to MBL.
I haven't paid much attention to the details, but I do the like the layout and real members at MBL.
I get spam once in awhile and there a lot of money making type blogs out on MBL, but nothing I can't handle. That's just the nature of the blog beast.
At this point I'm not saying that one is better than another, I believe it comes down to personal choice and whatever you're comfortable with.
Maher
· 2 years ago
i currently make traffic mostly from BC
Maher
· 2 years ago
i currently make traffic mostly from BC
Vienna
· 2 years ago
I am a memeber of both but I didn't realize that there so much difference between them.
Vienna
· 2 years ago
I am a memeber of both but I didn't realize that there so much difference between them.
NoHeat
· 2 years ago
Ugh is PrettyLady everywhere? She was pushed out of BlogCatalog so now she is mad, the end. I use both and why not. I pay for MyBlogLog to get excellent tracking and a occasional contact. I use BlogCatalog for the forums and the community, which is a little too controlled for my taste lately but there is occasionally some good stuff there. They recently added groups which are really functional but limit communication to the masses. Their first level of forum is garbage about "how to pluck eyebrows" which their admins would rather have littering their main discussions rather than link requests which a probably more relevant seeing as most of the sites are PR3 and below. Personally I feel both services will be irrelevant after a while. Someone else is going to beat the pants off of MyBlogLog's stats by offering up to the minute stats for free instead of $5 a month and BlogCatalogs admins will kill Blog specific communication, instead it will be a bunch of Mommy blogs that never get above a PR1.
Thats my two cents, (can't believe I say PrettyLady's screen name on the internet again). I thought the internet banned her. ;)
NoHeat
· 2 years ago
Ugh is PrettyLady everywhere? She was pushed out of BlogCatalog so now she is mad, the end. I use both and why not. I pay for MyBlogLog to get excellent tracking and a occasional contact. I use BlogCatalog for the forums and the community, which is a little too controlled for my taste lately but there is occasionally some good stuff there. They recently added groups which are really functional but limit communication to the masses. Their first level of forum is garbage about "how to pluck eyebrows" which their admins would rather have littering their main discussions rather than link requests which a probably more relevant seeing as most of the sites are PR3 and below. Personally I feel both services will be irrelevant after a while. Someone else is going to beat the pants off of MyBlogLog's stats by offering up to the minute stats for free instead of $5 a month and BlogCatalogs admins will kill Blog specific communication, instead it will be a bunch of Mommy blogs that never get above a PR1.
Thats my two cents, (can't believe I say PrettyLady's screen name on the internet again). I thought the internet banned her. ;)
funny t shirts
· 1 year ago
I am a huge fan of blog catalog, they are active and ready to help u out such as with subscribing, technorati exchange, leaving comments, etc. There are tons of groups u can join where everyone is ready and willing to jump in and help u out as long as u return the favor. I have really jump started my blog with this community. My blog log is not even on the same map in my eyes. They simply dont have it together when you try to compare. If you are a blogger and are trying to improve ranking and numbers, blog catalog is the place to be.
funny t shirts
· 1 year ago
I am a huge fan of blog catalog, they are active and ready to help u out such as with subscribing, technorati exchange, leaving comments, etc. There are tons of groups u can join where everyone is ready and willing to jump in and help u out as long as u return the favor. I have really jump started my blog with this community. My blog log is not even on the same map in my eyes. They simply dont have it together when you try to compare. If you are a blogger and are trying to improve ranking and numbers, blog catalog is the place to be.
jason wallace
· 1 year ago
They recently added groups which are really functional but limit communication to the masses. Their first level of forum is garbage about "how to pluck eyebrows" which their admins would rather have littering their main discussions rather than link requests which a probably more relevant seeing as most of the sites are PR3 and below. Personally I feel both services will be irrelevant after a while. Someone else is going to beat the pants off of MyBlogLog's stats by offering up to the minute stats for free instead of $5 a month and BlogCatalogs admins will kill Blog specific communication, instead it will be a bunch of Mommy blogs that never get above a PR1. well i didn't get that Noheat ?
jason wallace
· 1 year ago
They recently added groups which are really functional but limit communication to the masses. Their first level of forum is garbage about "how to pluck eyebrows" which their admins would rather have littering their main discussions rather than link requests which a probably more relevant seeing as most of the sites are PR3 and below. Personally I feel both services will be irrelevant after a while. Someone else is going to beat the pants off of MyBlogLog's stats by offering up to the minute stats for free instead of $5 a month and BlogCatalogs admins will kill Blog specific communication, instead it will be a bunch of Mommy blogs that never get above a PR1. well i didn't get that Noheat ?
All Comments
BC also allows people to admit a blog without being it's owner and offers no way to claim it if you are. :/
Good job on the comparison article. Both are worth joining.
BC also allows people to admit a blog without being it's owner and offers no way to claim it if you are. :/
Good job on the comparison article. Both are worth joining.
Blogcatalog also requires a linkback to be submitted to the directory as it is assumed that only the owner of the blog should/would have access to the authoring of the blog's content. I could not really see how someone could submit a blog that wasn't theirs unless they had access to add a linkback or a widget in a post. In addition blogcatalog support for such owners is available by email, telephone, or even a letter in the mail as the BC address is listed on the Contact page.
Actually I am talking from experience here. I went to submit one of my other blogs and it was already in the blog catalog system. I emailed to find out how to claim my blog and I sent the appropriate links, but haven't heard back from them yet.
I'm not complaining, I've gotten a bit of traffic on that blog from blog catalog, even though I hadn't submitted it. ;)
Blogcatalog also requires a linkback to be submitted to the directory as it is assumed that only the owner of the blog should/would have access to the authoring of the blog's content. I could not really see how someone could submit a blog that wasn't theirs unless they had access to add a linkback or a widget in a post. In addition blogcatalog support for such owners is available by email, telephone, or even a letter in the mail as the BC address is listed on the Contact page.
Actually I am talking from experience here. I went to submit one of my other blogs and it was already in the blog catalog system. I emailed to find out how to claim my blog and I sent the appropriate links, but haven't heard back from them yet.
I'm not complaining, I've gotten a bit of traffic on that blog from blog catalog, even though I hadn't submitted it. ;)
If I may add to your list. Blogcatalog is different from Mybloglog in the sense that the Community at Blogcatalog is different. Different in the sense that it's a real community of real bloggers, real people...
If I may add to your list. Blogcatalog is different from Mybloglog in the sense that the Community at Blogcatalog is different. Different in the sense that it's a real community of real bloggers, real people...
All I'd say in a general sense is that this is the internet. The end result of everything is there to be seen. There is no monopoly of ideas, unless patented.
Websites evolve and do things better/differently/worse.
I don't think BC is a clone of MBL either. They have similarities yes, as do pownce and twitter, digg and netscape, PlugIm and Sphinn, Google Search and Yahoo search.
Its the nature of the beast.Look at any SERP and you'll see similarities.
Rose seems to have a bit of a beef about it all, maybe I've misread her tone. Maybe she's simply engaging in some classical controversary marketing ;0)
All I'd say in a general sense is that this is the internet. The end result of everything is there to be seen. There is no monopoly of ideas, unless patented.
Websites evolve and do things better/differently/worse.
I don't think BC is a clone of MBL either. They have similarities yes, as do pownce and twitter, digg and netscape, PlugIm and Sphinn, Google Search and Yahoo search.
Its the nature of the beast.Look at any SERP and you'll see similarities.
Rose seems to have a bit of a beef about it all, maybe I've misread her tone. Maybe she's simply engaging in some classical controversary marketing ;0)
Your review does not change the fact that MyBloglog adds a feature BlogCatalog adds that same feature. It is like Monkey see Monkey do. Wow they added
Full contact details including a toll free phone number." That is a real change isn't it.
Come on Andy could you not find any real unique features? Everything you have mentioned are minor. I'm talking about the real functions that actually run the site.
This review sounds like you just backpedaled your way out of things from your first review where you stated BlogCatalog was a clone. You said it. I just agree.
Rob, no beef. I'm just stating the facts and you missed one of the biggest- no privacy policy?
BloggingMix how can you say that when half of those that belong to Blogcatalog belong to Mybloglog too? Are you saying those that belong to MBL are not real people? Then what the heck are they?
Also MBL does not require you to link back. Is BlogCatalog a directly now or a network as I'm confused?
It has an approval system? Then how did a pedophile list his blog? How did the blog that promotes drug use get listed?
We cannot possibly read through every post on all the blogs, we just give them a quick glance to make sure they aren't spammy or pornographic and that the person is updating fairly regularly when they submit. After that we rely heavily on users like yourself who thankfully help us patrol the website.
Your review does not change the fact that MyBloglog adds a feature BlogCatalog adds that same feature. It is like Monkey see Monkey do. Wow they added
Full contact details including a toll free phone number." That is a real change isn't it.
Come on Andy could you not find any real unique features? Everything you have mentioned are minor. I'm talking about the real functions that actually run the site.
This review sounds like you just backpedaled your way out of things from your first review where you stated BlogCatalog was a clone. You said it. I just agree.
Rob, no beef. I'm just stating the facts and you missed one of the biggest- no privacy policy?
BloggingMix how can you say that when half of those that belong to Blogcatalog belong to Mybloglog too? Are you saying those that belong to MBL are not real people? Then what the heck are they?
Also MBL does not require you to link back. Is BlogCatalog a directly now or a network as I'm confused?
It has an approval system? Then how did a pedophile list his blog? How did the blog that promotes drug use get listed?
We cannot possibly read through every post on all the blogs, we just give them a quick glance to make sure they aren't spammy or pornographic and that the person is updating fairly regularly when they submit. After that we rely heavily on users like yourself who thankfully help us patrol the website.
Rob, no beef. I'm stating the facts and you missed one of the biggest. Blogcatalog has no privacy policy. They are also using Java in their redirect. Bots when not crawl the function on click.
Bloggingmix, how can you say that Blogcatalog is made up of real people when those same people are members of Mybloglog too.
If they approve all blogs how did a pedophile list his blog and how did the blog promoting drug use slip by editors? I'm sure if we went through the directory we would find other blogs too. We may even find blogs from those under 13 though I don't think we will. I hope not anyway for the sake of BC!
Andy, this review sounds like you backpedaled your way out of your first review. I sure hope that you have kept everything confidential, but I have my doubts. It is so easy to write glowing things about a community when they are putting money in your wallet, isn't it?
If I write a review of this review I can be paid 7.50 by Pay Per Post.
You neglected the fact that Mybloglog adds a feature Blogcatalog adds it right after. It is like monkey see monkey do.
Was this list all you could come up for unique? How about talking about the function that actually run BC and make it a community? You know the things that "YOU" called a clone in your first review. You called it a copycat clone first. We all digged it and linked to it. Even Andy Beal linked to it.
Blogcatalog may be beneficial to bloggers. There is no denial there. However, they have and continue to copy Mybloglog's every move. In my opinion the network part of BC is the clone!
The last time I checked I was entitled to my opinion was I not?
Thanks for the rebuttal, but my opinion stands!
Some things I certainly miss in a review. I try to write them as comprehensively as possible, but things will always be missed.
If you did use the PayPerPost "Review My Post", we would both receive $7.50 and that for both of us would be the sum total of income from anything to do with any of the 3 services discussed.
I am not at liberty to discuss any of the email conversations so I can't reveal specific arrangements and that includes many of the discussions I have had with all 3.
I can state that one specific term I insisted upon with Bogcatalog was that I would be able to clearly disclose that there is a financial arrangement.
I honestly downplay that financial arrangement in my own mind, as I am not one to count my chickens before they hatch, but at the same time is does also pose very interesting ethical problems.
I hope my open disclosure of the situation, and my continual support for all 3 competitors goes some way to alleviate any misgivings.
If I generally did consulting on a professional basis, the price many experts and peers have suggested I should be charging for my time would mean that even if Blogcatalog manage to pull off a 7 figure windfall, it would represent a huge discount on my time.
It is a good job that I look on any income from that, and blogging as a whole on this blog as a bonus.
My primary target for this blog has always been building reputation and relationships.
If your allegations of possible corruption were more than an isolated case expressed only by yourself, I would most likely resign from any financial connection with Bogcatalog, even though that was freely offered.
Fortunately your opinions appear to be just your own. No one else either publicly or in private has suggested they are uncomfortable with the situation.
As for the spam filter, it does start tripping if you hit too many comments over a fixed number of days, and the effect can snowball and rll back to previous comments.
In one heated debate I actually lost all the comments from someone because they managed to get themselves totally blacklisted automatically, and I made an error in recovery.
Rob, no beef. I'm stating the facts and you missed one of the biggest. Blogcatalog has no privacy policy. They are also using Java in their redirect. Bots when not crawl the function on click.
Bloggingmix, how can you say that Blogcatalog is made up of real people when those same people are members of Mybloglog too.
If they approve all blogs how did a pedophile list his blog and how did the blog promoting drug use slip by editors? I'm sure if we went through the directory we would find other blogs too. We may even find blogs from those under 13 though I don't think we will. I hope not anyway for the sake of BC!
Andy, this review sounds like you backpedaled your way out of your first review. I sure hope that you have kept everything confidential, but I have my doubts. It is so easy to write glowing things about a community when they are putting money in your wallet, isn't it?
If I write a review of this review I can be paid 7.50 by Pay Per Post.
You neglected the fact that Mybloglog adds a feature Blogcatalog adds it right after. It is like monkey see monkey do.
Was this list all you could come up for unique? How about talking about the function that actually run BC and make it a community? You know the things that "YOU" called a clone in your first review. You called it a copycat clone first. We all digged it and linked to it. Even Andy Beal linked to it.
Blogcatalog may be beneficial to bloggers. There is no denial there. However, they have and continue to copy Mybloglog's every move. In my opinion the network part of BC is the clone!
The last time I checked I was entitled to my opinion was I not?
Thanks for the rebuttal, but my opinion stands!
Some things I certainly miss in a review. I try to write them as comprehensively as possible, but things will always be missed.
If you did use the PayPerPost "Review My Post", we would both receive $7.50 and that for both of us would be the sum total of income from anything to do with any of the 3 services discussed.
I am not at liberty to discuss any of the email conversations so I can't reveal specific arrangements and that includes many of the discussions I have had with all 3.
I can state that one specific term I insisted upon with Bogcatalog was that I would be able to clearly disclose that there is a financial arrangement.
I honestly downplay that financial arrangement in my own mind, as I am not one to count my chickens before they hatch, but at the same time is does also pose very interesting ethical problems.
I hope my open disclosure of the situation, and my continual support for all 3 competitors goes some way to alleviate any misgivings.
If I generally did consulting on a professional basis, the price many experts and peers have suggested I should be charging for my time would mean that even if Blogcatalog manage to pull off a 7 figure windfall, it would represent a huge discount on my time.
It is a good job that I look on any income from that, and blogging as a whole on this blog as a bonus.
My primary target for this blog has always been building reputation and relationships.
If your allegations of possible corruption were more than an isolated case expressed only by yourself, I would most likely resign from any financial connection with Bogcatalog, even though that was freely offered.
Fortunately your opinions appear to be just your own. No one else either publicly or in private has suggested they are uncomfortable with the situation.
As for the spam filter, it does start tripping if you hit too many comments over a fixed number of days, and the effect can snowball and rll back to previous comments.
In one heated debate I actually lost all the comments from someone because they managed to get themselves totally blacklisted automatically, and I made an error in recovery.
Also, if I were you, I'm not sure I'd get involved in a debate with R. It is not always best to answer assassination. Ignore it. Or are you finding you're getting extra readers out of this?
The overall feel and use of the features is actually a lot more controversial. Many A list bloggers still regard MyBlogLog as a novelty that offers no value, and haven't even given Blogcatalog a cursory glance.
That is despite having a community in the top50
I actually have no problem debating this with Rose - I am actually surprised that someone else hasn't raised a number of the points in the past.
A lot of the readers who are interested in MyBlogLog and more recently Blogcatalog have been with me for quite a while, and can remember when I was one of the sole voices in the blogosphere who was supporting MyBlogLog over certain issues, and that almost burnt a number of bridges permanently, though certainly fostered others.
It is hard to please everyone all the time, I honestly don't even try, but am quite willing to back up any of my own arguments with what I feel are key issues.
Also, if I were you, I'm not sure I'd get involved in a debate with R. It is not always best to answer assassination. Ignore it. Or are you finding you're getting extra readers out of this?
The overall feel and use of the features is actually a lot more controversial. Many A list bloggers still regard MyBlogLog as a novelty that offers no value, and haven't even given Blogcatalog a cursory glance.
That is despite having a community in the top50
I actually have no problem debating this with Rose - I am actually surprised that someone else hasn't raised a number of the points in the past.
A lot of the readers who are interested in MyBlogLog and more recently Blogcatalog have been with me for quite a while, and can remember when I was one of the sole voices in the blogosphere who was supporting MyBlogLog over certain issues, and that almost burnt a number of bridges permanently, though certainly fostered others.
It is hard to please everyone all the time, I honestly don't even try, but am quite willing to back up any of my own arguments with what I feel are key issues.
I have to be frank and say to be honest I'm really not that bothered by that. If they ever did anything that harmed me in a malicious or exploitative way, I'd be more than happy to let the world know all about it when I found out. Just a personal thing though, I'm not so big on ripping things apart and spotlighting failures without offering a degree of constructivity. hell, they might just have even forgotten to formulate one. Should they be hung if they did?
Sometimes in life, you've just gotta trust people to behave correctly. Those that dont usually pay the price in one way or another. Personally, I'm happy to let karma and time deal with those who don't.
In terms of those bad blogs you identified, the scuzzy ones. If memory serves correctly, BC's existing owners bought the site at sitepoint with a hellava lot of existing content. I think they even said that they were going through the blogs included one by one and weeding and pruning inactives and sites of dubity.
Nope, no link, but I'm sure someone else will recall, or point to.
>They are also using Java in their redirect. Bots when not crawl the function on click.
I have to ask...why does that really matter? You get a vanilla html link from one of the profile pages and for me, that will suffice.Are you suggesting that they are commiting some kind of wrong un by doing this?
Rose, if you don't have a beef with bc or Andy then great, but I gotta speak as I find and say that IMO, your post and subsequent comments did little to help form an alternative conclusion in my mind other than the one I've settled upon. If I'm wrong in my conclusion then maybe my filter is a little skewed it is late here after all :)
I have to be frank and say to be honest I'm really not that bothered by that. If they ever did anything that harmed me in a malicious or exploitative way, I'd be more than happy to let the world know all about it when I found out. Just a personal thing though, I'm not so big on ripping things apart and spotlighting failures without offering a degree of constructivity. hell, they might just have even forgotten to formulate one. Should they be hung if they did?
Sometimes in life, you've just gotta trust people to behave correctly. Those that dont usually pay the price in one way or another. Personally, I'm happy to let karma and time deal with those who don't.
In terms of those bad blogs you identified, the scuzzy ones. If memory serves correctly, BC's existing owners bought the site at sitepoint with a hellava lot of existing content. I think they even said that they were going through the blogs included one by one and weeding and pruning inactives and sites of dubity.
Nope, no link, but I'm sure someone else will recall, or point to.
>They are also using Java in their redirect. Bots when not crawl the function on click.
I have to ask...why does that really matter? You get a vanilla html link from one of the profile pages and for me, that will suffice.Are you suggesting that they are commiting some kind of wrong un by doing this?
Rose, if you don't have a beef with bc or Andy then great, but I gotta speak as I find and say that IMO, your post and subsequent comments did little to help form an alternative conclusion in my mind other than the one I've settled upon. If I'm wrong in my conclusion then maybe my filter is a little skewed it is late here after all :)
Rob, I have no beef with BC or Andy. I'm just pointing out things already noted by Andy in a previous review & by others. The privacy policy may not be a concern with you, but many internet users do care about privacy. Not only that but a Terms of Service & privacy policy would protect them legally.
If memory serves me right the link in profiles was no follow until Andy persuaded them to remove the no -follow and Blog Catalog does ask members to link back to them without passing on that PR. Why do so many people submit to any directory? They submit for the link back and because it is a high PR site, but what good would it do if the link from BC can not be crawled. The only reason I got a lot of traffic from BC was because I was active in the discussions.
Theresa, that shows your maturity level. Why are you unable to discuss my review without personally attacking me?
As far as I know you are the first and only person to mention this and in the future if we really thought it was an issue I don't see any problem adding such a policy.
Users sign up for blogcatalog by choice, if a user had any problem adding their information to a website that didn't have a privacy policy I would think that they would just not sign up to begin with.
I probably get 2 or 3 emails a week from users asking for their account to be deleted. Could this be because of the lack of privacy policy? Its possible...
I do thank you for bringing it up, if you had not mentioned it I can honestly say that we would never have even THOUGHT about adding a privacy policy. More than likely we will include a privacy policy in the future but we do not consider it to be a priority at this time.
If you are unhappy with blogcatalog feel free to send me an email personally and I will regretfully remove your information from our system.
Truth be told I would much rather chew off my own arm than to loose a valuable member of the community over a lack of trust.
Rob, I have no beef with BC or Andy. I'm just pointing out things already noted by Andy in a previous review & by others. The privacy policy may not be a concern with you, but many internet users do care about privacy. Not only that but a Terms of Service & privacy policy would protect them legally.
If memory serves me right the link in profiles was no follow until Andy persuaded them to remove the no -follow and Blog Catalog does ask members to link back to them without passing on that PR. Why do so many people submit to any directory? They submit for the link back and because it is a high PR site, but what good would it do if the link from BC can not be crawled. The only reason I got a lot of traffic from BC was because I was active in the discussions.
Theresa, that shows your maturity level. Why are you unable to discuss my review without personally attacking me?
As far as I know you are the first and only person to mention this and in the future if we really thought it was an issue I don't see any problem adding such a policy.
Users sign up for blogcatalog by choice, if a user had any problem adding their information to a website that didn't have a privacy policy I would think that they would just not sign up to begin with.
I probably get 2 or 3 emails a week from users asking for their account to be deleted. Could this be because of the lack of privacy policy? Its possible...
I do thank you for bringing it up, if you had not mentioned it I can honestly say that we would never have even THOUGHT about adding a privacy policy. More than likely we will include a privacy policy in the future but we do not consider it to be a priority at this time.
If you are unhappy with blogcatalog feel free to send me an email personally and I will regretfully remove your information from our system.
Truth be told I would much rather chew off my own arm than to loose a valuable member of the community over a lack of trust.
I never really looked for a privacy policy because it just seemed like a business such as they are would be ethical, but maybe it is a good policy to have for everyone's protection on such a site.
I enjoy reading your reviews and have respect for the things you say and I really don't see why you have to explain yourself. You have a disclosure policy and unless they are paying you to be under exclusive contract to them I don't understand why there is a conflict.
I belong to both and they are both okay except the one doesn't have a forum and a place where people can really interact and since I think of myself as a real person I didn't really understand the one comment. Maybe I am missing something here? Okay enough from me.
I never really looked for a privacy policy because it just seemed like a business such as they are would be ethical, but maybe it is a good policy to have for everyone's protection on such a site.
I enjoy reading your reviews and have respect for the things you say and I really don't see why you have to explain yourself. You have a disclosure policy and unless they are paying you to be under exclusive contract to them I don't understand why there is a conflict.
I belong to both and they are both okay except the one doesn't have a forum and a place where people can really interact and since I think of myself as a real person I didn't really understand the one comment. Maybe I am missing something here? Okay enough from me.
Seems to me that when we first started hearing about Google there were already several other companies "doing that" and they have made billions "cloning" other companies offerings, just as they have made Billions pioneering new ground.
You know the primary reason I pretty much use just BUMPzee? I don't need any more metrics. I have that handled. I have lots of places to bookmark stuff. I have plenty of space to write my thoughts for the adoring public to read.
Most of the stuff you can do at BZ you can probably do at the others (at least I would suppose you can).
But Scott is real to me. He messages me. He emails me. He "flips switches" for me when I ask another "Hey Scott, is there any way i can ____________".
It's all about community for me, and **for me** I get that sense most at BZ. Others probably get it most at MBL, and still others get it most at BC.
But ultimately, the features ain't all that important. it's how you sell yourself on the benefits.
I know people who insist that the Trans-Am was a better car than the Camero.... Huh???? It's about the benefits and how they are sold. The features is just laundry lists. And if they weren't similar these wouldn't be competing sites.
As long as we compare features between these three sites that propose to be about building community, we be missin' da boat, mon.
Thats is exactly the reason I will be going exclusively with bumpzee myself. Thanks Dan! You just helped me to make the decision. :)
Seems to me that when we first started hearing about Google there were already several other companies "doing that" and they have made billions "cloning" other companies offerings, just as they have made Billions pioneering new ground.
You know the primary reason I pretty much use just BUMPzee? I don't need any more metrics. I have that handled. I have lots of places to bookmark stuff. I have plenty of space to write my thoughts for the adoring public to read.
Most of the stuff you can do at BZ you can probably do at the others (at least I would suppose you can).
But Scott is real to me. He messages me. He emails me. He "flips switches" for me when I ask another "Hey Scott, is there any way i can ____________".
It's all about community for me, and **for me** I get that sense most at BZ. Others probably get it most at MBL, and still others get it most at BC.
But ultimately, the features ain't all that important. it's how you sell yourself on the benefits.
I know people who insist that the Trans-Am was a better car than the Camero.... Huh???? It's about the benefits and how they are sold. The features is just laundry lists. And if they weren't similar these wouldn't be competing sites.
As long as we compare features between these three sites that propose to be about building community, we be missin' da boat, mon.
Thats is exactly the reason I will be going exclusively with bumpzee myself. Thanks Dan! You just helped me to make the decision. :)
To suggest that Andy might actually flog something that he didn't feel was above the snuff, for a little silver is simply incomprehensible to any one who has been following this blog as long as I have.
I don't comment as much as some other readers here. I usually just read and learn, but I've been reading Andy for a good long time now.
I've watched him pass money by when he could have taken it, and no one would have blinked if he had.
To suggest that Andy might actually flog something that he didn't feel was above the snuff, for a little silver is simply incomprehensible to any one who has been following this blog as long as I have.
I don't comment as much as some other readers here. I usually just read and learn, but I've been reading Andy for a good long time now.
I've watched him pass money by when he could have taken it, and no one would have blinked if he had.
I think you hit the problem on the head, joe average doesn't check these things we take it for granted, we don't read TOS but what if the company goes bust, gets bought out by a spam company? suddenly your details which did remain private are up for grabs.
We tend to only look for these things when it goes wrong, by then its normally to late.
Thanks for the Link Andy :) and as a side issue I can't edit my comments, clicking my name takes me to my blog :) clicking the text does nothing
I think you hit the problem on the head, joe average doesn't check these things we take it for granted, we don't read TOS but what if the company goes bust, gets bought out by a spam company? suddenly your details which did remain private are up for grabs.
We tend to only look for these things when it goes wrong, by then its normally to late.
Thanks for the Link Andy :) and as a side issue I can't edit my comments, clicking my name takes me to my blog :) clicking the text does nothing
In many cases that frequently doesn't help you, for instance spam complaints are frequently handled in the district in the US that the ISP is located and some marketers have run into problems with that
In many cases that frequently doesn't help you, for instance spam complaints are frequently handled in the district in the US that the ISP is located and some marketers have run into problems with that
We've recently drafted up a TOS for BlogCatalog that should be published before the end of the day, you can take a sneak peek and voice any concerns at: http://www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/propos...
We've recently drafted up a TOS for BlogCatalog that should be published before the end of the day, you can take a sneak peek and voice any concerns at: http://www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/propos...
that said, though, I have to say that the features and who copies who and who follows who are really unimportant when compared against the one core thing in these sites.
Where feels like home? Really think about it. These sites are about building communities. That's what's important. We used to do that on FIDO with 600b modems, crazy software patching and volunteers passing the packets from one hub to the next. Installing 16 phone lines into an 80186 that didn't have enough ports for four without crazy mods.
And when you've seen one wildcat BBS you've seen them all, but people had their favorites. And their favorites were based on where they felt like home.
My path is find a home, ask for features I want and count my blessings to have been smart enough to pick a place that has such a great community.
Obviously, my path isn't for everyone, but I would submit, that if one of these communities seems hostile or unfriendly it might be best to just be shut of them and start keeping house in one of the others that feels more like home. it's gotta be worth a try at the least, right?
that said, though, I have to say that the features and who copies who and who follows who are really unimportant when compared against the one core thing in these sites.
Where feels like home? Really think about it. These sites are about building communities. That's what's important. We used to do that on FIDO with 600b modems, crazy software patching and volunteers passing the packets from one hub to the next. Installing 16 phone lines into an 80186 that didn't have enough ports for four without crazy mods.
And when you've seen one wildcat BBS you've seen them all, but people had their favorites. And their favorites were based on where they felt like home.
My path is find a home, ask for features I want and count my blessings to have been smart enough to pick a place that has such a great community.
Obviously, my path isn't for everyone, but I would submit, that if one of these communities seems hostile or unfriendly it might be best to just be shut of them and start keeping house in one of the others that feels more like home. it's gotta be worth a try at the least, right?
By the time I was done registering and all, then of course I had no choice but to compare it to MBL.
I haven't paid much attention to the details, but I do the like the layout and real members at MBL.
I get spam once in awhile and there a lot of money making type blogs out on MBL, but nothing I can't handle. That's just the nature of the blog beast.
At this point I'm not saying that one is better than another, I believe it comes down to personal choice and whatever you're comfortable with.
By the time I was done registering and all, then of course I had no choice but to compare it to MBL.
I haven't paid much attention to the details, but I do the like the layout and real members at MBL.
I get spam once in awhile and there a lot of money making type blogs out on MBL, but nothing I can't handle. That's just the nature of the blog beast.
At this point I'm not saying that one is better than another, I believe it comes down to personal choice and whatever you're comfortable with.
Thats my two cents, (can't believe I say PrettyLady's screen name on the internet again). I thought the internet banned her. ;)
Thats my two cents, (can't believe I say PrettyLady's screen name on the internet again). I thought the internet banned her. ;)
well i didn't get that Noheat ?
well i didn't get that Noheat ?