I Saw Something Today I Think is Patently Stupid - Are You Making This Mistake?

13 replies
I was visiting a website this morning, and I saw something that is almost unbelievably stupid.

First off, without naming names, I'll tell you that this website is in a dying industry.

It's an industry some want to see continue.

It's an industry some people think is vitally important.

It's an industry that some wanted a government bail-out for. (They didn't get it.)

It's an industry that sometimes likes to think it's caught up with the times, but they still don't get it.

Anyway, a couple months ago, I noticed that this website got rid of comments. First, they started by turning off comments on selected articles. Typically, these would be the articles that would generate the most comments.

Maybe they just didn't want the hassle of dealing with comments or whatnot, because sometimes such conversations can degrade into name-calling and "you're a Nazi!" and everything else that happens when a discussion turns ugly.

Okay, fine.

Next, they disabled commenting on all articles.

Bear in mind that this is an industry that relies on advertising for revenue. Fewer eyeballs on a site would seem to be counterproductive. And eliminating commenting would seem to be one way of reducing traffic.

But, whatever.

So, today, I visited the website. Lo, and behold!, they want you to comment on articles again. But they insist on shooting themselves in the foot.

You see, you have a captive audience right in front of you. You've drawn them to your site. You've engaged them with your content. And now they want to join your discussion.

But, instead of having comments on the site, they want you to go to their Facebook page to leave comments.

To clarify, they are not giving you the option to login with your Facebook account to leave a comment on their site (as some sites do).

No, they are asking you to leave their site and leave a comment elsewhere.

When people go to Facebook and click an ad, who is getting that ad revenue? Well, it's not the site that sent them there, is it?

It boggles the mind.

Why, oh why, once you have a user on your site, once you've lured them in, once you've got them itching to participate, why, why, why would you send them off of your site?

Use Facebook to draw people to your site--not the other way around!

No wonder this particular industry is dying. They don't get it!


Or am I the one that doesn't get it? Because I'm just not seeing why I would want to send people away after I've worked hard to get them to my site to begin with, unless I was sending them to an affiliate, CPA or other offer that might generate income for me.
#making #mistake #patently #stupid #today
  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    Good points, one and all.

    You do realize dinosaurs died out for a reason don't you?

    They simply did not know how to adapt to a changing environment.
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    Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Shook
    Sometimes I see things like this on other sites and I think to myself thta they have hired a Web 2.0 consultant.

    And they wind up with results from a web 2.0 strategy because they hired a Web 2.0 consultant instead of someone who would help them try various things to improve their marketing position.

    Once you have the visitors on your site, I do not understand why anyone would make them go away.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
    Originally Posted by LD Carter View Post

    Why are you so worried about them though?
    I'm not. Some of them may soon be my competition, so, if they continue to shoot themselves in the feet, I'll just enjoy watching them dance.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonmorgan
    I'm guessing.... newspapers?
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    I'm all about that bass.

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  • Profile picture of the author ArticlePrince
    In all fairness, Facebook needs traffic and isn't making money either :-p
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      Originally Posted by jasonmorgan View Post

      I'm guessing.... newspapers?
      I will not confirm or deny.

      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      Your email address has won!!!
      He has won the "United Nation Yearly Lottery." Unfortunately, his ATM card preloaded with his ten million dollars in winnings is being held by Homeland Security pending documentation of his identity. Fortunately, all he needs to do is fill out a form, provide a photocopy of a government-issued photo ID card and pay a $600 processing fee to clear things up with Homeland Security and get his winnings.

      Originally Posted by ArticlePrince View Post

      In all fairness, Facebook needs traffic and isn't making money either :-p
      It's not my job to drive traffic to them or make them money.
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      Dan's content is irregularly read by handfuls of people. Join the elite few by reading his blog: dcrBlogs.com, following him on Twitter: dcrTweets.com or reading his fiction: dcrWrites.com but NOT by Clicking Here!

      Dan also writes content for hire, but you can't afford him anyway.
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  • Profile picture of the author TelexTape
    I saw one of those "leave comments on Facebook" the other day and I immediately went somewhere else, and it wasn't Facebook. Yup, I agree it's totally stupid.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonmorgan
    Fortunately, all he needs to do is fill out a form, provide a photocopy of a government-issued photo ID card and pay a $600 processing fee to clear things up with Homeland Security and get his winnings
    Lemme guess, an ID10T forum?

    And back on track... 100% agree, everything I do is to get traffic to my site. I don't like leaks and once I've captured my traffic I want to gently nudge them towards whatever it is that makes me money.

    Facebook comments are quite yummy. Yes, please leave a comment and social proof my site for all of your friends... I like their money too.
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    I'm all about that bass.

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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by jasonmorgan View Post

      Facebook comments are quite yummy. Yes, please leave a comment and social proof my site for all of your friends... I like their money too.
      That's my guess.

      Leave a comment on a story, and the only people who see it are the ones who read the story and care enough to read the comments.

      Leave a comment on their fan page, and it's my understanding that the comment is broadcast to all the other fans, regardless of their interest in the story itself.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    Rinnert, you need to mind your own beeswax. You're all up in other people's bidness way too much. Dang snoop.

    Maybe they just want to get some serious "like" action on their FB page. I hear that's big now among all you FB addicts. That and leaving your kid to drown in the tub while you play that Cafe game or tend to your farm or whatever.

    Facebook is online Jerry Springer. Wait. What was this thread about again?
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonmorgan
    Leave a comment on a story, and the only people who see it are the ones who read the story and care enough to read the comments.

    Leave a comment on their fan page, and it's my understanding that the comment is broadcast to all the other fans, regardless of their interest in the story itself.
    Nope, if you are running facebook comments on your site, that comment is also posted on the commenter's wall. *their is a checkbox to not post the comment on your wall but I don't think most people are checking it.

    You're getting community interaction on your site plus those commenter's are advertising and social proofing your site on their wall. It's a direct backlink to the page on your site they commented on similar to when somebody 'likes' a page.

    By sending them off to a facebook fan page you've lost them. They can leave a comment on the fan page but that doesn't create a direct link back to your site.
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    I'm all about that bass.

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