The Great Technorati Favorites Exchange

Blogging is no longer ‘just an online diary’ experience. Today it has transformed into a mind-boggling mini-industry with blogs and posts devoted to help you popularize your site, pregnancy and the best part – gather a huge traffic and on the side earn some money (well, make that lot’s of money, sample – Steve Pavlina’s site on Personal Development – this post here will set you reeling for sure!) There are more, but I will reserve that for a later post. Frankly, after reading all that the web has to offer on blogs/blogging I feel insecurely a novice, and the past three years look wasted, especially since I spent two precious years on the horrendously primitive Rediffblogs service. Even though I say it, I feel some of my finest writings came from that period, and though now I have transferred a vast majority of those posts to this site, I hope new readers will also check them out from the archives!

From the multiple ways of gaining readership, one such means is through Technorati – a social networking site, and almost considered the Mecca for Bloggers! Technorati is a blog search engine, content aggregator, social website and ranking system which attracts a large number of bloggers, and well, let’s be honest – everyone craves for additional readership! Technorati ranking is almost a social prestige, and it isn’t really that difficult to climb in its rating. In the past few weeks, since I started to observe it (though I had become a member in 2005!) I have seen my own rank climb from an obscure 1,00,000 plus to a more respectable 62,826 60922 53,317 50,054 46786 40,090(as on date); considering that there would be at least 71 million blogs out there, it isn’t all that bad!

There are two main ways to make your blog ‘hot and happening’. One is through the links that you get. Needless to say the entry barrier in this one is pretty high. Other blogs/popular sites will have to link you up, and if I have read it correct, ‘link exchange’ to top ranking sites is really not very ethically correct and google doesn’t perceive it very highly as well! ( unless of course, it is done voluntary for the love of your site). So for the time being we’ll just keep the Top 100 Most Linked Blogs aside.

We’ll now move on to the next best method ie to reach the Top 100 Most Favorited Blog!

Being a social network site, Technorati obviously offers users to ‘favorite’ each other up. Sophistically put, it means you love that blog and would like to read it very often; crudely stated, it simply means you pat my back and I’ll do the same to you. But the benefit to both is that your ranking on Top Favorited Blog climbs upwards.As of now, entering the top 100 will only require your blog to be favorited by more than 115 members. Fairly easy, I guess.

I first read about the Favorite Exchange Program on Doshdosh’s Blog. A little investigation revealed that it is currently a very active program. So what are the benefits from this? I will quote Dosh’s words:

• Provides social proof. Getting in the Top 100 provides social proof of your blog’s popularity. This will increase the attractiveness of your site in the eyes of advertisers and blog readers if mentioned or displayed prominently.
• Expands your blog readership. You are more likely to receive visitors from Technorati if you are listed in the Top 100 most favorited list. Visitors are bloggers,which means that they are potential feed subscribers if you have quality content

While Dosh wants to do an in-depth study into the way the blog rank works, I have no such motives (and honestly, I don’t even have the requisite knowledge; after all he runs an excellent blog on Make Money Online!) With such benefits I see no harm in entering the program. Plus, it is not against Technorati’s Terms of Service.

So, what do you need to do? It’s pretty simple actually. The ground condition is that you should own a blog (and not some copyrighted or spam site, and certainly no pornographic/obscene or shady contents).

1. Just log on to Technorati and create your profile, in case you don’t have one there. Trust me, registration there is a simple two-minute exercise. It would be good if you ‘claim your blog’ too since it will help your site getting forever associated with you (of course, you are going to love it).

2. Alternatively, you can simply click here and it will lead you direct to making my blog a favorite (via a route of login or registration, depending whether you are registered with Technorati or not).

3. Leave your Tecnorati username or link to favorites on the comments below.

My Technorati username is deepakjeswal. Another way is to simply type my blog’s url onto the search bar and search in ‘blog directory’. You will be greeted with stats of my blog, along with a ‘Favorite this blog’ button. (Just in case you need similar buttons on your blog, you can get them here).

I will favorite all the links as soon as possible. I won’t be leaving any comments to confirm this because I’ll just be repeating myself constantly over the comment section.

4. Read this blog – okay, this is not really part of the main program, but then my main purpose is to get readers to actually read what I write, so I would love if you would spend a few minutes on the site. As stated above there is a comprehensive archives page that will help you out. By the way, this blog is not only about Hindi film reviews, though if you are a fan you will get lots of it as well! A good place to start of is to read the ‘Golden Expressions’ (right hand, on the main page side bar), what I consider some of my best posts. If you love them and want to read everytime, subscribe to RSS here.

A few optional guidelines and notes:

• You can create a post on your blog announcing that you are participating in this program. If you do so, please do include a prominent link back here so that readers are aware that similar program is on at Random Expressions.
• I’ll try to reciprocate immediately, but just in case I miss out please feel free to inform me at deepak@deepakjeswal.com

So, let’s start rolling in the grand Technorati hay and create traffic and social prestige for each other! Happy ‘favoriting’!

P.S. – Just in case you are wondering who all are in it – take a look at these links (I will try to update them as soon as possible, but please do give me some time) & these are the only ones that I have managed to visit! Some of them will give you newer perspective on TFX :

1.Doshdosh – From where, I guess, it all started and multiplied!
2.Gaurav – He’s already made it to the Top 100, and he was the first one to ‘favorite’ me up when I learnt of TFX
3.Gary Lee
4.Apogee
5.AskAx
6.Calvin Warr
7.Vinod Ponmadiyil
8.Nenad
9.Brian Patt
10.BetShopBoy
11.Iszo
12.Beth
13.Nirmal TV
14.Deborah
15.Ram
16.Atul Dogra
17.ShankriLa
18.Nash Trout
19.Wampago
20 TechnoSpot
21.AnitoKid
22.Brian Lee
23.Karen
24. Adam-Blogosphere&Life
25. MilesBusinessBlog
26.HomeOfficeWomen
27.SyafTheGeek
28. Ms Q
29.RishiRaj
30.David Greene
31.Webduck
32.Indra
33.Linda Martin
34.RomanceTracker
35.The Troll
36.William Toomey
37.Simon Barker
38.Garry Conn
39.Rahul Asthaana
40.Shaarique
41.Planet Apex
42.Digital Phocus
43.LindaJM
44.Sizlopedia
45.EJCooksey
46.Star500K
47.Rahul
48.Yogesh
49.ShadowScope
50.DMiracle
51.Tanguy
52.TechChee

Additional Reading (Non Related) – Blog Carnival on ‘Observations of Life’– Some very interesting posts, and yes, my post ‘Sycophants in office’ is also featured.