Traffic and Votes…
Posted on September 15, 2007
Filed Under Uncategorized
Almost finished with Part 3 of Screenwriting Structure… I hope you like it. Some of you out there that I have communicated with in the past just recently received an email from me about a new service called BlogRUSH — well if you’re wondering how well it works, I gotta tell ya that within the last 24 hours, I’ve had an additional BlogRUSH of over 300 unique visitors and I just started using the service… Best of all, it’s FREE.
Here’s the deal… If you’re even thinking of joining, join now before it’s too late. By too late, I mean the first comers to hear about it. In another month, everyone will have heard about it and it’s probably not going to do you a hell of a lot of good.
For those of you out there that don’t care anything about traffic… You can close your browser window now… LOL.
However, for those of you out there that have any kind of a blog and want some additional targeted traffic and more readers to read your stuff, go ahead and join BlogRUSH now — invite others who run their blogs to join under you — post your BlogRUSH referral link up on your sidebar along with the BlogRUSH Widget.
Build your own traffic referral system in a short period of time… Serious traffic. I don’t endorse much but I know a good thing when it comes to web site traffic. Just ask me.
Have you VOTED yet over at MyVisualPitch.com? The 6 finalists are up… Watching and voting should take no more than 10 minutes depending on your connection.
Ah… It’s only 4:00 in the morning…
Coffee… Offer me… Coffee.
Unk
Tags: BlogRUSH MyVisualPitch.com My Visual Pitch web site traffic blog traffic blog rush
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31 Responses to “Traffic and Votes…”
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Hey Unk! I took a look and decided to try it. Unfortunately, I don’t know what the heck a Feed URL is and their help desk is down. So I’m gonna poke you on the shoulder and ask — what’s a Feed Url??
Bah, forgot to sign up for comment notification. There ;)
The one thing I’m not sure I like is the inability to register with more than one subject. My blog is Entertainment AND Writing. If I pick ‘Entertainment’ (which I did) I get links to blogs writing about Lindsey Lohan. The writing blogs all look a little to introspective to be relatable.
More scribosphere blogs need to join this!
Ann,
A quick perusal of your blog reveals this:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/AnnWesleyHardinsEroticRomanceComedyBooklistExcerptsNews
to be your RSS FEED URL…
Go for it.
Shawna…
I hear you… I’ve actually been changing my category and then tracking the visitors to see who hangs around the longest… So far, the writers have it.
Unk
Thanks, Unkalish. I ‘preciate it!
300 uniques visitors from BlogRush! Wow. I installed it two or three days ago and have had no more than half a dozen visits directly from BlogRush. I guess it’s in the titles. I’m in the ‘writing’ section too.
Beaman,
The titles certainly help but it doesn’t hurt to have over a hundred in your 1st level and several hundred thousand credits waiting to be served… LOL.
Unk
When I started blogging I promised myself I wouldn’t get caught up in monitoring traffic & all that stuff. So far I’ve kept that promise.
I have no idea who, if anyone, visits my blog… except for the 1 or 3 people that leave the occasional comment.
I’m perfectly OK with that.
Just curious, Unk, why do you care so much about who’s visiting your site? It’s not really a commercial venture, is it?… and you don’t use your real name, so it’s not a promotional thing like for Joshua J. or Ann.
Are you just an incredibly anal…er, I mean avid hobbyist???
Laura,
First of all, I doubt if I’m anal about anything except spelling, proper screenplay format, eating after people, and shaking people’s sweaty hands…
Having said that…
In my other life, I am an internet marketer… This blog started out as a traffic-driving experiment. Most sites about the subject of screenwriting are lucky to get 20 unique visitors a day unless you have a site that’s been around long enough.
I had done enough immersion testing on the subject of screenwriting to know that to get a site to pull a lot of traffic would take some kind of commitment. One that I wasn’t sure I even wanted to make because quite frankly, I can toss up a site TODAY and have it turn a profit by the end of the month.
However, I love screenwriting and I had never messed around with Web 2.0 before so I thought this might be fun.
But for me personally, there’s got to be some kind of a payoff because unlike you, I’m not doing this without some kind of purpose or end result.
Not that having no purpose isn’t a bad thing but I am a great believer in killing as many birds with one stone as I can.
I cannot believe that this site has absolutely no benefit other than myself droning on and on and on about screenwriting… If that WAS in fact the case, I’d simply delete the site.
It just so happens that I have several other irons in the fire that also deal with the subject of screenwriting. Irons that will not benefit me but hopefully others but in order to make that happen, this site needs traffic…
The good news? It’s getting a lot of traffic. More than you would believe.
Unk
OK… This explains a lot.
This site IS a money-making venture.
So you’re an internet marketer. I always assumed you were a full time working screenwriter just posting stuff cuz you had an OPINION.
That’s not a criticism, just a mistake on my part.
I see the various little banners/links you have on the side there, & I’ve noticed you post a lot of links in the body of your posts. I just never put two & two together.
I honestly don’t pay attention to all that ad shit on web sites unless it’s really something i’m interested in.
I’m not a techie & only have a vague idea about how people make money from advertising & traffic. I’m guessing that the more traffic you generate on your site, the more money you get from these big advertisers.
Thanks for the info!
Laura,
You’re wrong again… This site is NOT a money-making venture… Not by a long shot… LOL. You’re kidding, right? For this to be a money-making venture, I really would need to be selling something and I AIN’T selling anything.
I became an internet marketer back in ‘97 instead of going out and getting a job because I had just worked a job for 20 years and really didn’t want to start doing that all over again.
I didn’t want a job because I wanted to write screenplays… So I ventured into that arena and within 3 years, I was able to start writing full time which I now do… So yes, I am in fact, a full time screenwriter.
A full time screenwriter with an opinion…
I am NOT trying to drive a ton of traffic to this site to turn around and make money from other sites… If I was doing THAT, you’d find a hell of a lot of links to sites in the sidebar leading visitors to money-making sites… i.e., sites that sell stuff.
As far as I know… The ONLY sites I have listed in the sidebar that sell stuff are in fact screenplay/screenwriting related but you’ll also notice that the links to those sites are hardcoded and not any kind of affilate link.
As for advertisements on web sites… On this you are correct. Ads are not meant to be clicked on UNLESS a visitor FEELS it might have special meaning to him or her… If not, you don’t click the link. LOL. Pretty simple. You vote with your mouse.
What I meant by other irons in the fire however, were not sites to make MONEY… I was in fact talking about other sites that have to do with screenwriting. So obviously, the more traffic I get to this site, the more visitors that MIGHT click on one of those future links… But those links are not even up and running.
Neither of those two sites that I am working on when I have the time are sites that are being built to make money. They are being built to help screenwriters…
This site was built to help screenwriters…
And I am.
Maybe not YOU but trust me, there are plenty out there getting the help they need… How do I know? Because hundreds (okay, not hundreds but it’s up there) write to me every month. That would normally never happen unless you were of course helping someone out.
On top of that, I ALWAYS take the extra time to write back and offer whatever help I’m asked for as long as it’s within my power… And, as long as it’s knowledge… No problem. I share that freely.
What I meant in my reply back to you above was that by writing on this blog, I have learned the ins of outs of blogging and how to squeeze a little more traffic out of a post by resource linking and tagging.
If there’s something wrong with that… I don’t give a shit.
Unk
Unk,
In your first response to me you wrote this:
“But for me personally, there’s got to be some kind of a payoff because unlike you, I’m not doing this without some kind of purpose or end result.
Not that having no purpose isn’t a bad thing but I am a great believer in killing as many birds with one stone as I can.
I cannot believe that this site has absolutely no benefit other than myself droning on and on and on about screenwriting… If that WAS in fact the case, I’d simply delete the site.”
You used the expressions “payoff” & “killing birds with one stone” etc etc… & you identified yourself as an internet marketer (plus you have all those stupid ass links on the side there)…Which lead me to think you set this site up in part as a money-making venture. You say that’s not the case, fine. You gave a clearer & more definitive answer in your 2nd response.
It’s really not a big deal. If you want to use this site to earn extra cash or to promote other ventures, that cool. I don’t mind.
I just came from http://www.lucyvee.blogspot.com which is run by a Reader out of the UK. She uses this site to drum up clients for her consulting business. Lots of people are doing this. I don’t shun sites giving screenwriting advice and providing business services at the same time. It’s all cool.
Except the black. I still don’t like the black background.
And I’m one of the many people you’ve helped with your advice. Thanks!
Good luck with your new sites! :-)
Geez… I guess I have to be a little more explanatory with my responses… LOL.
When I used the word, “payoff” — I didn’t mean in the financial sense… If you knew me personally, you’d know that right off the bat.
I spend many hours of my day helping people I have never even MET (in person) before doing everything from dealing with attorneys, selling their homes, dealing with their ex, writing their screenplays, using software, building a web site, how to be aggressive on their taxes, how to make money from the web, how to install WordPress, WordPress themes, and WordPress plugins, what’s wrong with their cars or motorcycles… Wow… Until I wrote all this down, I didn’t realize how long the list really is because there’s a lot more I could easily add to it.
The point is that for ME, payoff doesn’t mean money. I have money. I have a lot of money coming in from a myriad of sources… I can pretty much buy anything I want but who fuckin’ cares about that?
I don’t.
I get a much more sense of PAYOFF when I help someone out i.e., teach someone something they didn’t know 5 minutes earlier. The PAYOFF with this site is exactly that… I’m only telling what I know and what I know to be true. If it helps someone — anyone — then that’s my payoff.
Unk
Just started up on BlogRush. Thanks for the tip.
Um…so what you’re REALLY saying is… ?
Wait a minute… am I the only one who pays for Unk’s advice? $9.99 per paragraph was alright, but I thought it was weird when he started charging ME to look at advertisements. This comment alone just cost me $45. Unk’s been gouging me for years, but at least his wisdom has transformed me into a professional screenwriter. I haven’t actually WRITTEN anything yet, per se, but under his advisement I DID turn down writing the latest Spielberg flick, which makes me look uber-important… turning down offers does wonders for the image in this industry. Now I turn down offers all the time!
/sarcasm
“The point is that for ME, payoff doesn’t mean money. I have money. I have a lot of money coming in from a myriad of sources… I can pretty much buy anything I want but who fuckin’ cares about that?”
Well, I’m glad you’re doing so well, Unk. I’d hate to think you were reduced to pimping for Google and Yahoo on this site just to make ends meet.
Good luck with your many ventures!
haha. i’ve written unk at least 13 times in the past year and he (she?) always writes me back. in fact now that i read some of the stuff i wrote him earlyon i wonder why he even took the time. he sent me back to the basics for at least 10 of those emails but i have a really hard head and i;m just now beginning to see the light.
thanx unk i love your analness.
Wow Laura… It’s kinda hard for me to understand your feelings about my promotion of BlogRUSH.
On top of that, you seem to be putting words into my mouth via your comments… LOL.
Last time I checked, we live in America. Which means I can do pretty much whatever I want with this blog. I don’t promote HATE or any topic having to do with hate. I tend to curse a bit but again, those that don’t like it can vote with their mouse.
The majority of the links in the sidebar are other people’s blogs… Of which YOURS is one… LOL. I will gladly take it down since you don’t care about traffic or where your traffic comes from…
But you do notice that I don’t come over to your blog and ask you why you don’t care about traffic, right?
You know why?
Because I don’t give a shit.
Unk
Oops, what did I step into here? I’m normally just a lurker but I just have to chime in a little and then I will scurry back into the shadows. I for one would purchase anything that Unk put up for sale on his site as long as it has something to do with screenwriting but no, he gives everything away. I cannot tell you how much your character arc series has helped me and my screenwriting group here in Tuscon, Arizona. Go Wildcats! But seriously, I’ve written to Unk on more than once occasion asking for clarification on one thing or another and I always get a very detailed reply back with said clarification. If I could send a million visitors to your site Unk, I would.
Very many thanks,
Jessie
Anyone else having problems seeing the BlogRUSH widget in Firefox?
Oh, and speaking as someone Unk has helped tremendously, I appreciate the content driven ideal behind this site.
Nick,
The only problem I’ve been experiencing is the widget not loading up every once in a while. According to BlogRUSH, you’re not losing impressions however AND they are going to be awarding bonus credits… So it’s basically growing pains at this point.
It’s growing so fast that they have to keep tweaking to keep up but as soon as the initial growth spurt dies down, it’ll all be good.
But let me ask you a question…
Why do you care about traffic?
Just kidding.
Unk
Because I thought Benicio Del Toro was fantastic in it.
I just come in for the testosterone high.
If you ever bottle it Unk, dibs on an affiliate link!
Nick,
Touché.
Ann,
Always a pleasure to contribute to your high… LOL
Unk
Hi all,
First Unk, thanks for the heads up on Blogrush. Like many film maker/bloggers my blog is there partly to build a profile for my projects and extra traffic is always welcome.
But that’s not the reason I’m posting a comment.
Laura, in my years as a film maker and screen writer I think I’ve seen pretty much every internet scam going, from phoney agencies to screen writing gurus offering to turn you into brilliant screenwriter and all the other nonsense.
UNK IS NOT ONE OF THOSE GUYS.
Basically, if he wanted to set him self up as a screen writing guru, write books and charge for seminars he easily could and he’d make a fortune doing it. I know that I’d be in the front row, notebook in hand at any seminar he set up, anywhere in the world.
However, instead of which, he’s quite literally given away for FREE on this site information that is worth a fortune.
He is without doubt one of the most generous and genuine people I know and I feel honoured to know the guy.
On a personal level, pretty much all the success I’ve had as a screenwriter and 90% of my development from wannabee to professional has been as a result of knowing Unk. And just to put that in context, I’ve had option offers on every single screenplay I’ve ever written (OK, a few years back I did once option a movie for the price of a Chai Tea Latte at Starbucks… and in fact that unnamed person, who is a regular here, still owes me the coffee in question!)
Unk’s taught me more about screenwriting than anyone else I know. And, he’s never asked for anything in return.
On top of that, over the years he’s been incredibly generous with his time. He’s also put more time into independent film maker’s script development than any other person I know and never charged anyone for that time, or asked for a piece of the production or even for a credit on the finished film.
Personally I don’t know why or how he does it. He must drink way more coffee than me and I drink LOTS! LOL
The truth is, it’s incredibly difficult to get high quality information about professional screen writing written by a professional screen writer.
Where Unk stands out from the others around is he’s able to explain how and why he approaches scripts the way he does.
It’s always a good idea to be suspicious of people on the net, because there are so many scam artists out there… but, I’ve found that you can spot them fairly easily because the bill is always presented BEFORE you get the information.
That’s not what’s happening here.
I happen to know for certain that Unk is a guy who is fascinated by screen writing, how it works, how to get it to work better. Like me he’s discovered that you learn more about a subject by publishing your thoughts and seeing what pops up as a result from that.
His pay off is that as a result he gets to be a better screen writer and actually that’s the biggest pay off of all.
Clive,
Much appreciated…
I think Laura and I will just have to agree to disagree OR quite possibly we’ve simply misunderstood each other? Who knows…
In any case, IF I really was too hard on you Laura, I apologize — I pretty much write this stuff stream of consciousness. Today, with approximately 4 hours of sleep, IT’S ALL GOOD.
What I can tell you is that we’ve managed to get (so far) 9 or 10 non-screenwriter writers here via BlogRUSH who want to write screenplays.
I think that’s pretty cool.
Unk
Hey UNK!
How are ya man! I been busy.
Wow, that was a hell’ve a comment thread. I’m not quite sure what got lost in translation, but it was something, I mean, I got ya, I even know why you use a nom de’ plume, to be honest, i totally get that.
I get the payoff thing, too . . . Karma, dude.
I just thought I’d clarify . . . I didn’t really set up my site for promotional purposes, per se . . . I think Laura mentioned that . . . It does serve that purpose (which helps me write it off via tax-time) and I can sure see why someone would think it, but it was never about it, I guess . . . for me, having the blog and the site is simply an office to go to, online . . . and my blog is a word gym to go to and do verbal pushups and situps.
It’s one reason why I never have advertisers there, nothing against those who do, but it just ain’t what I want . . . and another reason I didn’t do blogrush . . . I just ain’t that into pushing it . . .
I push my writing, I do . . . I promote the hell out of it . . .but my blog is really just the place where I can do my thing and my thing only, bitch about the government, post pics of my kid, write about writing . . . It’s my personal internet place and if only a few know about, just like the cool cafe or bar or dojo those in the know frequent but the tourists don’t know about . . . I like that.
Nothing against the high traffic money-maker places, not at all.
I just never want to care about that stuff, for me. So much of what we do in screenwriting is, in a way, for other people. The nice thing about having a blog and a site, if can be only what the author wants it to be, no more and no less.
I used to moniter my traffic, but now I don’t bother . . . it’s cool. I don’t even write about only writing and entertainment, either . . . it’s only my word gym, nothing else, and I kinda like it quiet.
I mean, that’s my payoff, in a sense . . . the dojo is only for the true heads, so to speak . . .
But I love me the Unk site, and I have also gotten good info here and I’d also add that Unk is very generous with his time and views, absolutely.
So that’s my two cents, for what it’s worth.
Josh,
Your comments are always appreciated… And, I think, you’ve actually helped me make my point here.
That the sole reason of writing this stuff is not for traffic… Not to make money. But to clarify said subject matters to yourself and hopefully SHARE with others.
As I said in the post that started this thread…
“For those of you out there that don’t care anything about traffic… You can close your browser window now… LOL.”
I totally understand that there are some of us out here that could care less about traffic and just to clarify, I never started this for that purpose but as it grew, I saw the opportunity to actually expand it with some other related functions.
The bottom line however is that we do it because we do it. Our reasons could fucking change on a daily basis and so what if they do? Who cares? It’s still America. The web is the closest thing to the WILD WILD WEST that we’re gonna be able to actually take part in so in a sense, everyone is carving out their own niche.
But just as Laura incorrectly used your site as an example of a site used to push your writing, I think she made that same mistake here.
You have to remember… Just because YOU see things the way YOU see them doesn’t mean other people will or even the majority of people will.
It’s simply your opinion. To then take YOUR OPINION and theorize that it is THE OPINION that matters is quite possibly the wrong way to go.
But who the fuck am I?
Unk
Who the fuck are you?
Unk, YOU DA MAN, that’s who!