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Six Reasons I Broke Up With Your Travelblog
Every now and then I go through the little graveyard that is my RSS reader. It makes me sad when a travel blog I loved just... stops. I understand; you stopped traveling. Maybe you ended up totally off the grid; that's cool for you but it's weird that you just disappeared. Perhaps it turned out that blogging wasn't your thing and you wanted to live in the trip instead of at the keyboard. It happens.When I'm engaged with your blog, I get surprisingly attached to you and your adventures. I love hearing your stories about that time on the train or that time with the guy with the hair or that time in Siem Reap when all the laundry came back the most delicate shade of pale pink. (Wait, that was my story.)
So when your blog goes dark – last post, February, 2010 – I wonder what became of you. After a few months, I sigh and unsubscribe. I hope that you are well and happy and, oh, by the way, I've moved on to other blogs but I promise, it won't be weird between us when you show up on my Twitter feed. We're cool.
But sometimes, it's not you, it's me. It's awkward and there are hurt feelings and I'm totally the bad guy. You're blogging away about your travels, perfectly content. But my reader's eye is roaming, over there, to that nice couple in camper van in New Zealand or that 20 something RTW guy who managed to keep his shirt on in his profile picture. Maybe there's a woman in her 60s who has incredible stories of traveling solo in Thailand on the beaten path, or a journalism student in Seoul who has a wicked eye with the camera. It comes down to that same stupid conversation we all hate having. "It's just not working out; I think we should read other people." Then, early one morning, when I'm up because I can't sleep, I hit unsubscribe. It's over and you never know why.
It's time for closure, that elusive feeling we hope for when a relationship ends. Here's the truth. It was you. It's time to clear the air, to go with the tough love. See, I didn't want to break up with your blog, it's just, well, you were driving me crazy. Here's why.
- You junked up your site. I didn't mind when you started selling text links, I really didn't. Your call. But when you cluttered up your site with ad links in the content, or added those horrible pop-ups on the posts, it became clear you were more concerned with the ad buyers than our time together. We both know you weren't doing me a service by adding links to cheap airport parking into a post about backpacking in the Rockies.
- You cheated on me. I know, we had a deal, you could write whatever you wanted and I'd read it. But our time together was supposed to be special. When I clicked on your blog and found stories that could have been lifted directly from a sales or promotional brochure, I felt like you'd let me down. The PR or visitor's bureau hosts were first and I got the writing equivalent of plastic sushi.
- You took advantage of me. Instead of giving me beautiful stories or useful information, you pestered me. To buy your eBook. To follow you on Twitter. To be your Facebook friend. I was a number, a statistic, no longer a loving reader. "Does this make my assets look big?" you'd ask, as though that was all that mattered. I didn't read you because of your size, you know.
- We grew apart. It's sad when this happens, and really, there's nothing to be done about it. You decided that travel wasn't really your thing and turned to the burgeoning universe of artisanal meats. I'm a vegetarian. While I respect your choice, there were one too many late nights when you'd show up stinking of bacon. I couldn't continue to support your new, uh, hobby.
- You shut me out. I wanted to read your post. But you blocked me with a newsletter sign up or some ridiculous navigation scheme or add-ons that take forever to load. Your tiny white text on a black background completely obscured anything you were trying to tell me by making your story physically unreadable. I wept with frustration, why would you draw me in like that and then, make it so difficult for me to read you? Why?
- You stopped caring. Maybe you never cared and I was initially attracted to your fly in the face of grammar rules bad boy ways. Your random use of commas was cute at first, but I hoped you'd grow out of it. Your mysterious word order and rambling sentences held my attention because I couldn't wait to see what you were going to do next. But then, I overheard you say these fatal words, "I don't care about writing, I'm just trying to get the blog updated five times a week." Your disregard of all that was dear to me was intentional. That noise you heard, it was my heart breaking.
I'm not saying we should get back together. You probably don't want to anyways, after I've turned out to be so unforgiving. "Hey, that thing with the hotel property, it was just that one time, I don't get why a little experimentation had to ruin everything between us." I know, I know, but I'm a promiscuous reader and there are so many travel blogs, so many. We were never exclusive. There are only 24 hours in a day and I can't read all the time.
Right now, you're probably blocking my Google+ posts and photoshopping Xeni Jardin over me in your Flickr feed. I don't blame you; Xeni is freaky smart. I just thought that maybe, if you are open minded about what I'm saying, your next reader won't have to go through the same kind of guilt and disappointment I felt when it came to that final unsubscribe moment.
Okay, maybe you're happy with the readers you have now, and they're not so critical, and really, who cares what I think anyways, we're SO not together any more. I get it. I know. It's not you, it's me.
[flickr image via Nina Matthews Photography]
Filed under: Blogs
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Roy Marvelous Jul 29th 2011 6:21AM
Haha this is hilarious Pam and very true. I start to lose interest in blogs when they start selling out with promotional guest posts. I don't mind the text ads so much but when the content starts to sound like an informercial, I'm out!
Roy
http://cruisesurfingz.com
Julia Jul 29th 2011 6:22AM
Only one thing to say about this: hit the nail right on the head. I hate when my favourite bloggers sell out with sponsored posts that don't relate to their site and their personality or suddenly change tack and start writing in a different manner to what had attracted me in the first place. I understand that people want to try and make a go of it in the professional blogging world, but when you compromise your personality to do it, it's just plain disappointing and sad.
Bill Jul 29th 2011 7:26AM
Pam -- great post! Clever and well-written.
And right on the $.
Bev Jul 29th 2011 8:25AM
I can't help but notice the ads on this blog as well. But seriously, isn't it a bit unrealistic to expect everyone to entertain you for free, especially if you're being provided with high quality content? What about the cost of running the blog (particularly those who pay for private hosting in order to maintain their domain?) Or the cost of all of those amazing adventures or cameras for spectacular photos. I maintain an outdoor adventure blog that I try to keep advertising to a minimum on but it still hasn't paid for its own yearly cost of being maintained yet and that's really all I want. I can't stand flashy websites or pop-ups any more than the next guy, but I would like to break even one day.
I enjoy sharing my adventures almost as much as I enjoy going on them, but it does take time (which translates to money in today's world) to write out an article and then comb through hundreds of pictures looking for that handful that summarize the tale and do it justice. Those of us that do care are more starving artist than extortionist. Maybe if you like our minimalist blogs so much you might consider clicking on an ad once in a while so we don't trick it out with bling. Just sayin...
pam Jul 29th 2011 9:15AM
There's a significant difference between disliking content that's cluttered with junk links and "expecting to be entertained for free." That said, you know what? It never even occurred to me that I could help support the indy bloggers I love by clicking through an ad when they've produced something I enjoy. Consider it considered.
ConnerGo Jul 29th 2011 10:37AM
Ha! Great post Pam. I've struggled against the ad/click through/pop up/sponsored post wave. Sure it's a losing proposition for me but Im a writer. I want readers, not consumers. I need to keep my muscles flexed and my craft fresh. None of this seems to matter to much of the blogging reading public, but I do notice some of the blogs I love (eg www.rovinggastronome.com) are refreshingly ad-free and promoted as so. Maybe we're pre-curve?
Keep on keppin' on!
Amanda Kendle Jul 29th 2011 10:37AM
Love this, Pam. Can totally relate to the RSS graveyard, I've got one of them too! I give a blog a lot of (too many) chances before I break up with it but sometimes it's got to be done. I feel reasonably confident I'll not be breaking up with NEV though. If you go all weirdo-commercial on me then I will really feel like the internet is breaking.
kath Jul 29th 2011 10:52AM
I agree on all counts. Very well written. Lately, I've been losing interest in the blogs that seem to have become very clique-y and spend half of the post name-dropping other blogs that they're "friends" with, and the whole guest post phenomenon just irks me to no end. When it starts feeling like high school and the bloggers are acting like the "popular kids," it's time to drop them.
Caitlin Aug 6th 2011 8:36AM
Ouch! I had twins at the start of the year so I have been running quite a few guest posts from fellow travel bloggers (including one by Pam!) to keep my site ticking over. I thought that I was doing a service to my readers by introducing them to new writers and to my fellow bloggers by letting them reach new audiences and build in a few links. Sorry to be irksome. Oh wait, no I'm not!
Tim L Jul 29th 2011 10:52AM
Great stuff Pam! It's a tough call sometimes, but I always try to ask myself, "Will this annoy people? Would it annoy ME?" If so, no go.
For me, I don't think text ads or display ads in the sidebar cross this line, and press trips are fine as long as they result in interesting posts instead of fluff. But I've broken up with untold blogs because of pop-up ads, newsletter nags that obscure the text, automated in-content links, etc. And bloggers, keep deleting those "sponsored posts" pitches if you want to hold onto subscribers because if you lose your credibility, you've lost your main asset.
Steve Bennett Jul 29th 2011 10:52AM
Great post, Pam! Based on what you've outlined here, the team at Uncommon Caribbean thinks we should go steady. We don't play (navigation) tricks and won't sell-out with pop-up ads, text ad links, etc. We post new content each and every day, and we will NEVER stop traveling. Also, I'm a PR guy who takes great pains to make sure my writing is 180-degrees from any sales or promo brochure. Oh yeah, we're sexy and I'm sure we can provide for your "needs." What do you say?
http://www.uncommoncaribbean.com
Malerie Yolen-Cohen Jul 29th 2011 10:52AM
A wonderful, fun read. I subscribe to Gadling and just "met" you today, but you can be sure I'll read all of your future posts. I travel. I write. But I generally could care less about the clothes I take along. You make the virtues and failings of outerwear sound interesting. All my respect....
Malerie
Adam Jul 29th 2011 11:18AM
Excellent analysis of what travel blogs are increasingly looking like (or maybe I'm just looking closer these days). I know I'm guilty of just about every single one of these things (including being a 20 something RTW guy who DIDN'T manage to keep my shirt on in my profile picture - oops)!
If there's one thing that won't change, it's that the Internet is fleeting.
Rapid Travel Chai Jul 29th 2011 11:27AM
Words to live by for all us bloggers out there - readers come first! I will post it on my wall next to George Orwell's 5 Rules for Effective Writing.
Rapid Travel Chai
Travel fast and smart...linger only in memories
http://www.rapidtravelchai.com
Ana Jul 29th 2011 12:04PM
I really enjoyed reading this post. It's spot on!
Emily Jul 29th 2011 12:18PM
Brilliant! As a very new travel blogger, I will be sure to stick your travel-blog-relationship-rules by my laptop.
pusangkalye Jul 29th 2011 12:28PM
a wake up call for travel and photobloggers like me.thanks for this one.well said.:D
Tiffany Jul 29th 2011 2:25PM
Fantastic writing! Very informative as well.
Ian [EagerExistence] Jul 29th 2011 2:29PM
I stopped before I really started. My laptop got stolen. Now 3 months into the trip, and Im finding it hard to sit down and make the time to write about the AWESOME adventures. Living IN the trip... how does everyone else do it?
Mikeachim Jul 29th 2011 2:26PM
Hey, what is this? WHAT THE HELL?
Well, whoever you are, "Pam" (if that's even your real name, I know how you people work), how DARE you condemn my blogging style. Obviously you need putting in your place - or rather, my place. Empathy fail, "Pam".
Time for a few home truths.
1) The longer a person spends on my site, the better my ranking. That's why I have pop-ups galore, a full-screen hairtrigger newsletter subscription box with a really, really small X-button *that's in a completely unexpected corner* (I'm proud of that one), and lots of things you have to click through to get to other things, *especially* unsubscription forms. The longer they have to click through my site, the more it takes the fight out of them and the more vulnerable they are to my sales team. Grind them down and they're mine (that's what some blogging gurus refer to as "core audience" - everything stripped away). And when they're after an unsubscribe, you need them to really give up. You know? Every "OH FOR..!!!.....FINE, I just can't be BOTHERED" is a victory of retention.
2) Advertising is less about meaningful, fitting relationships and more about acreage. My readers don't want to be faced with "choices" or "thinking", that just confuses their tiny minds. A really great way to prevent this kind of muddied content is to have pop-over adverts (Google it, you'll love it), where they don't even need to click, they just infringe a certain amount of page-space with their mouse and the screen instantly fills with crud. *My* crud. That's a real earner.
3) Content. Let's talk about content. Actually, let's not. I'm less interested in what content is and more interested in how frequently it goes up, ie. how often I can share it on social media. Do the math: 3 posts a day retweeted every hour all day long is 72 chances to get eyeballs. I don't care what that content is. Nobody should. It's about width, not depth. Anything else is vanity.
4) You know what the answer is to your "I can't read everything" problem? It's this: Don't Try. The road to success is sharing everything you see without even clicking on it. Who can *possibly* read all of that, especially this endless "longform" nonsense? (My motto: if you can't say it in 140 characters, it's not worth saying). I certainly can't keep up. So I don't. I just share it around, Stumble it and Digg it and Tweet it until all the coffee in the world can't keep my eyes open. Because that's what it's *for*.
(And I just bet you're one of these "narrative" people too. Ugh).
5) Comments. Another time-saving tip for you here, "Pam". You only need to remember two ways to comments:
(a) "LOL".
(b) < repeating what was said in the original post >
Just don't forget to end that comment with a link to a site you want to get traffic to. That's a real n00b error, not doing that. I laugh and laugh when I see people "engaging with the spirit of the material" and all that malarkey. Don't these people have jobs? REALLY? But frankly, they're usually being paid to do it. (That's a nice little earner, I know people who swear by it).
I could go on, but I get the feeling it would be wasted on you, "Pam". Even though you seem to have your own blog and seem to be quite well-regarded, so you *must* have cashed in on all of that approval by now, because who wouldn't? What is there to lose?
Yeah, I reckon you're having your cake AND eating it.
I'll be ignoring your advice. All the best.
http://Mike-Is-Shirtless-In-Chiang-Mai.com
http://Mike-Is-Shirtless-In-Cancun.com
http://Mike-Is-Shirtless-In-Glasgow.com