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I’ve often written that using a linkbait is like signing a contract with your readers. You’re luring them in with the promise of a reward at the end of the hook. Sometime you can give people what you promise but it’s not in a soundbite format and your readers feel like they never got the payoff.
When Your Title is Linkbait and Your Post Isn’t »

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Hard to say which is more embarrassing or pathetic, the fact that their image hosting is over it’s bandwidth or the cheezy dating adsense banner. Sk-rt you make it hard for me to take you seriously.

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As a young American boy growing up in the 70’s Evel Knievel was one of my role models. Aside from being a daredevil Evel possessed a strong understanding of marketing and engaged in a level of shameless self promotion that would have made PT Barnum proud.

Evel Knievel and Social Media Promotion »

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I really find scandals interesting because people who are on the ball, plugged in, creative, not afraid to take chances and stir up a little controversy can do really well.

Case and Point Playgirl Magazine offered Ex-Governor Elliot Spitzer 1 Million Dollars to pose nude.

It’s a win-win scenario for Playgirl. Let’s go with the most likely outcome and assume client 9 says no, playgirl generated a decent amount of press, links, and attention, for the cost of a press release and some PR work.

Let’s enter dreamland and imagine he goes for the deal, I have no doubt that it would turn out to be the highest selling issue of Playgirl, attracting a huge amount of sales and advertising, more than enough to cover the $1 million dollar paycheck.

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I’ve mentioned using current events such as Britney Spears performance, and ghost riding the whip as ideas or jumping point for link bait. The recent scandal involving Elloit Spitzer and his involvement with a prostitution ring provide another opportunity, especially for sectors that are usually difficult to build links for.

Elliot Spitzer and Scandal Bait »

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Looks like Linkedin is going facebook offering status updates

Some of the options are:

Is working on
will be traveling to
is looking for advice on
is looking for a job
is reading

I think it’s kinda cool but don’t come to linkedin often enough update it regularly

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There that should just about do it

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You know there was a time I held out hope that Netscape/Propeller was a viable alternative to the lost boys club of Digg, however those days are long gone. Right now propeller is nothing more than a sham used to promote the most worthless spam and is completely infiltrated and overrun with manipulation. Case and point this story which is on the homepage right now

http://travel.propeller.com/story/2008/01/26/what-to-expect-at-the-disneyland-hotel

Which links to this page

http://guidesandinfo.blogspot.com/2008/01/disneyland-hotel.html

I’m something of a Disney expert and I can tell that content is about as useless as it can get. Propeller if you want people to take you seriously, and come to your website, stop letting the complete crap get through. I know you are having some big relaunch soon with a new design, but if you’re site sucks, and the content is crap, the only thing you’re doing is changing the drapes in my stateroom on the titanic.

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Most CMS systems today are capable of generating clean URL’s. Unless you are dealing with newspapers or magazines where existing legacy systems it’s almost a non issue. However I came across two incredibly horrible URL’s in the same day

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/commercial_aviation/TowersAndTarmacs/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a8427003a-9a63-4261-aa47-5e4b356bb224Post%3adc1b7f60-ab5d-4d6b-85cc-b81b43775a97

and

http://blog.stylehive.com/index.php/weblog/entry/everyones-got-posh-spices-bob-and-youre-next

while these URL’s are bad for search engines they are also bad for social media. Most social media platforms like Digg and Stumbleupon have limits of 255 characters for URL’s, making it impossible to submit them. URL shortening services like tiny URL are looked upon with disdain and suspicion. Tiny URL services are used to mask domains that look spammy or have been banned from the systems. Users are also weary of URL shorteners for fear of being rick rolled. So if you are still on a CMS with old multi parameter URL’s, you should look to get off them sooner rather than later.

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Here’s a prime example of how to ruin an otherwise amazing piece of linkbait. It’s hot, it’s fresh, it’s easy to get, but where are the damn pictures! A huge component of social media is the eye candy! You need it especially if you are playing the celebrity space. If someone produced this for me they’d be fired … twice … for not putting in the pictures … idiots … I swear idiots …

50 Most Powerful Men Under 45

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I love it when people use creative ideas to linkbait really boring subjects like how to match a shirt and tie

I’m totally OK with it being in flash. The only thing I’d do to improve it is include a bit of text below the flash app, funnel some of that inbound link juice around a bit. So for those of you in boring industries maybe a “how to” instructional video is for you …

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Stumbleupon is one of may favorite social media sites, Not only can it drive traffic that matches or often exceeds that of Digg, stumbleupon users are much less critical/confrontation/judgmental than the typical Digg user. In addition they are much more likely to subscribe to your blog/rss feed and click on advertising compared to other social sites. Last week they rolled out a updated toolbar that really takes social search to new level.

How Stumbleupon is Beating Google, Yahoo, and MSN in Social Search »

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I was reading a post earlier this week by Seth Godin about the New York Times Bestseller List and was reminded how social media sites like Digg, Reddit, Propeller really aren’t a shift in the way of thinking and doing things, they are just a shift in the places it gets done.

New York Times Best Seller List and Billboard Top 40 were the Original Digg Homepage »

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Here’s an interview I did with Kara Ratliff of Web Pro news

You can check out more videos from SMX social in the archives

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So the Ron Paul supporters have shown they are an online force to be reckoned with (see An Open Letter to the Ron Paul Faithful via CNBC). Rand wonders what would happen if they started an SEO campaign and started linkbombing for key terms. I of course believe when it did happen like it did for Stephen Colbert Google will employ some hand edits like they did for Greatest Living American. If you don’t think it’s a hand edit I’d love to hear your theory why Stephen still ranks for [living greatest american] or [american living greatest] algorithmic solution indeed …

But I digress, can a legion of joystick wielding and mouse clicking armchair generals actually get off their asses and vote. Can you actually motivate a group of people who sit idly by with indifference while security group of security guards taser an already subdued man get up and do something? Do you think onlookers in the 60’s would have sat there while “the man” was tasering someone?

Like Andy I think I think Ron’s a bit out there, but I do admit to having an extreme amount of impish glee in the way he and his supporters are using UGC, social media, grassroots politics, and technical savvy to turn the current political structure upside down and upset the apple cart.

If I were the Ron Paul Group I’d really start working voter registration into the mix sooner rather than later, it’s much easier to create an account online account and vote for a story as opposed to getting in your car and driving to your local school to vote. If I were a Ron Paul opponent I’d get some game developers started right now on something like Halo 4 and release it a week before the election, it’s an almost foolproof plan to otherwise occupy a large section of Ron Paul’s supporters. Heck I’d even make online play free for election week …

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One of the problems I have with people who work in the social media space is that they use it simply to boost their own ego. It’s time for some tough love, creating linkbait in the SEO social media space is like joining in an incestuous circle jerking link orgy. While there is some content that has value, 95% of the work is meaningless for any thing other than self satisfaction.

Stop Abusing Social Media to Create Digital Vapor and Boost Your Ego »

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When Digg.com launched it’s improvements last week plenty of sheeple who don’t use Digg regularly applauded the move toward a more facebook like model. However other people who do use Digg called the update what it truly was, a mistake. Not to worry the Digg editorial staff squelched the negative feedback and continued on the path dictatorial control under the guise of democratic voting. One of the issues that didn’t get enough coverage in my opinion was the crippling of the “friends view”.

How Digg Castrated My Friends »

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If you were lucky you managed to see a Digg security hole get exposed on September 12th

Digg Security Hole Promotes Story with 2 Votes »

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One of the keys to being good at social media and linkbaiting is keeping in tune with the trends and having people who can jump on an opportunity when it presents itself. If you are a player in job or employment space you missed an opportunity earlier this week when Britney Spears performed at the VMA awards

27 New Career Choices for Britney Spears »

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So yesterday I claimed my profile at Spock, I was sitting at #4 or #5. Today I’ve dropped to page 12. If you are running a social search engine who’s success is tied to ego searching and navel grazing, don’t penalize me for doing what you want …

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Recently I’ve been doing some testing and experimentation and have come to the conclusion that not only are there poison URL’s in the digg system but poison accounts as well.

Digg.com Poison URL’s and Poison Accounts »

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Yesterday Rae mentioned You’re Damn Right It’s a Popularity Contest as response to all the whinny posts about Sphinn being a popularity contest, if you haven’t read it go check it out. I’d also like to add the reason nobody votes for your stories and they never go popular is because your personal marketing plan sucks!

Your Stories Never Go Popular Because Your Personal Marketing Plan Sucks »

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Danny Sullivan’s new social website Sphinn.com launched today.

Spinn.com A New Search Social Website »

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One of the people I met a SMX was Lisa Ditlefsen of SEO Chicks (did I mention I totally need an SEO Chicks shirt for when I start video blogging again). During the SMO session she asked a question about how to use social media for B2B clients. Since it’s taken me a week to write this up she’s actually gotten up a post about it Social Media Optimisation - just linkbaiting?. It’s a question I hear fairly often I asked Lisa if it would be OK to respond in a blog post, she agreed, so here’s my take.

Social Media and B2B »

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Curiously enough during the Digg event last week I was writing my How to Use Digg. It’s up now in the Social Bookmarking section on WMW, yes it’s in the subscriber section. It’s part I of II which will be up shortly.

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While everyone concentrates on content linkbait one thing many people over look is physical linkbait.

Building Linkbait Outside of the Box »

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Traditionally Digg hasn’t been centered around politics but the upcoming page on Saturday May 5th about 9am EST showed a pretty strong political bias.

Is Digg Going Political »

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