Subscribe Feed (RSS)What Bothers You Online? (meme-worthy?)
April 28th, 2007 by Joshua Dorkin | Filed under Commentary, Content.
This is where I jump out there and rant a bit about all the annoying crap going on today online! Care to join in?
On Making Money Online “Experts” . . .
I can’t believe all the “making money online” blogs out there. Most are from people who have never made any real money online. I think that anyone with a blog about making money online needs to prove their salt by showing everone how much they’ve actually made online. How are you going to give advice about making money online when you’ve never even made the bare minimum from any affiliate or ad program to get your first check?
On Website Copycats . . .
I can’t believe how many people think that by copying the strategies, design and content of other sites they will have instant success. People think that by simply stealing somone else’s ideas that they will somehow have a good site. It doesn’t work that way people! It is sad that we’ve become a world of drones, copying the few leaders out there who have the originality and imagination to actually do something individual and unique. Just because you see the top sites in your space doing something doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to see gains from doing it. Even the big boys do it . . . read my recent post on how MySpace has gone from the copied to the copycat with their MySpace News failure.
On Blogging Imitators . . .
I can’t believe the number of blogging imitators out there. It seems that John Chow is a favorite amongst the blogging bootleggers; John is an original, like him or not. It is unbelievable how many people have created blogs that simply copy what he does. I realize that imitation is the highest form of flattery, but re-read my first point on copycats.
On Every One Who Gives Online Advice About Something They Know Nothing About . . .
I was recently reading a blog where someone was trying to tell people how to run a successful forum. When pressed, they admitted that they were not currently and have not ever run any successful forums. How can you give advice on something you have no experience with?
The problem we all face now is that anyone can give advice. Before listening to anyone out there, find out a bit about them. Ask about their experience. Do they really know what the hell they are talking about?
The best is reading many of the websmaster forums out there where people are offering help to others when they are in no position to be doing so . . . e.g. I saw a thread where someone admitted getting only a handful of visitors per day, yet their signature said something like “get tons of website visitors” and their link went to a new, empty directory site.
On People With No Common Sense or Basic Netiquette . . .
This is my finaly rant of the day. I’m shocked that in this day and age people:
- Still think it is okay to POST IN ALL CAPS IN FORUMS
- Still post their link in blog comments
- Still send business emails with no contact information or signature, just their name
- Still think I’m going to do business with them after the send repeated, unsolicited, SPAM
- Still think I’m going to link to their completely unrelated and haphazardly thrown together website
- Still think I’ll do business or ever work with them after they insult me publicly (yes, I have only one person in mind here)
- Still think it is okay to sell CDs or DVDs online and then charge $9.99 for S&H
Ok . . . I’m tired of ranting. I feel much better!
I guess this post is best summed up by the following:
Care to extend the rant? (Is this post meme-worthy?)
Keep going, I’ll stop you when you say something I disagree with….
I did a little post on blogging irritants a couple of weeks ago, not unlike this-It’s good to vent! I am still amazed by the sheer number of people who think that by copying John Chow word for word, template for template, that they’re going to match his income. Good luck with that…
[...] from TimeForBlogging.com is asking the question what bothers you online? and then buckles up for a good old fashioned rant. He hits it square on, on every point about [...]
Unfortunately I gotta agree with every point you made. The lack of basic common sense and (n)etiquette is not limited to the internet, though. That’s something you see offline too.
Its good to see that I’m not alone in my rants!
Agree agree agree….I am saddened that web 2.0 seems to be filled with copycat sites, copycat social networking sites and content seems to be superfluous.
I can’t believe I miss the good old days before the big crash.
Design even seems secondary nowadays.
Everything looks the same and says the same thing….
Nice post, Josh.
For me, it’s the majority of SEO folk I keep finding on MyBlogLog and elsewhere. How many are there?
I’m know a few *must* be genuine. But either most of them are copying one or two originals, or there’s a helluva lot lot of snake oil being sold out there.
[...] just read What Bothers You Online?, and Joshua Dorkin had me shaking my head in complete agreement! He makes a list of all the [...]
man i so agree with you! hehe it’s always nice to vent in a post! and with good reasons!
“Do they really know what the hell they are talking about?”
those kinds of blogs usually don’t last for too long especially if they’re on blogger.. i mean if someone is really making money, why run a blog on blogger? get a hosting plan, and install wordpress, simple as that
Everyone seems to be trying to copy John (evil) Chow, i mean it’s not about “doing exactly as him” but more about “take what you think is good, and leave the rest behind” but a lot of people didn’t get that, and are copying John.. oh well lol
and i agree with Baxter SEO experts blogs that have a PR2 or are on blogger definitely don’t appeal to me
make money online
Great post! Looking forward to many more…