There are certain annoyances in life, which although they’re not illegal, you wish they were. You know the ones. Ah, alright, let me explain with a few examples, as I know some of you may be sleepily wondering what on earth I’m talking about.
How about rediculously slow drivers, particularly when you’re time restricted? Banks, which only open when you’re at work? Public transport services, which are always late except when you are? Internet users using IE6? Wives, which…ok, I better stop there; I think you catch my drift. Those times when you find yourself thinking, there should be a law against that.
There are certain unwritten rules in blogging too, and today we’re going to address the no-nos of using the url in the comments section of blogs. This is so obvious, I shouldn’t even have to write this post, but, I’ve noticed the need, so pay attention sirs…
1. It is not for your RSS subscription link
When I see a comment left on either my own, or someone elses blog, sometimes I check to see their website. For example, let’s say the comment is left by ‘Kevin’. Kevin is a fairly common name, so I hover over the name to check out the url, and if I see ‘http://www.bloggingtips.com/’ then I know it’s Kevin from Blogging Tips. But, what if I had never been to Blogging Tips before? It’s a pretty cool url, and maybe it’s worth a visit, so I click.
Here is what I definately do not want to see…
Why on earth would I want to subscribe to a site I’ve never visited before? Or, if I have visited it before, then if I wanted to subscribe, I would. Don’t place your subscription link in the url.
2. It is not for other peoples url
If you place a link to your name, then I will assume you own the site. That might be a silly presumption on my part, but, I would assume I’m not the only one. Why do it? To advertise a site you like? Find another way.
3. It’s not for words
Please do not type in “donthaveoneyet” or even, “donthaveoneyet.com”. Don’t worry, your name will appear without a url, that’s why it doesn’t have “(Required)” beside it.
In short
I actually don’t even care that much if you link to your nasty looking MySpace page. At least it’s your url (sort of), and links to some sort of presence you have on the web. Just try notto do the above, or variations of the above. They are unwritten rules.
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Added Commentary
By MrCorey
on 01.11.07
Amen, brother!
By Jermayn Parker
on 01.11.07
Ive never seen people using the rss feed before, tricky!
By Armen
on 01.11.07
Jermayn - I could tell you of a fairly promenant Aussie blogger, which I caught at this
By Jermayn Parker
on 01.11.07
well now you must tell us
By ses5909
on 02.11.07
Ok, I’m doing what I was told and leaving a comment
I agree with your point though. I have seen this myself and wonder if it is in fact the person commenting or if someone is commenting for them.
By Armen
on 02.11.07
Jermayn - Nah…couldn’t do that. I respect them as a blogger.
ses5909 - Welcome! I’m glad the invitation was accepted
I never thought of that. I’d say in most cases though, it’s just the blog owner.
By Jermayn Parker
on 02.11.07
aaahhhhh you cannot do this…
You’ve built up the tension and now your walking away
was it pro blogger???
Freelance Switch?
By Armen
on 02.11.07
Jermayn - Neither, my friend. I won’t name them, but, I don’t mind using them to motivate a post.
By Marko Novak
on 02.11.07
First three examples are so true. The fact that I’m always in a hurry on the road makes first one my favorite.
By Armen
on 03.11.07
Marko - I feel your pain. It’s not coincidental that it came up first.
By Myo Kyaw Htun
on 03.11.07
Armen, You’re right. I got that kind of comment from a one guy. He’s really big name in blogging world. It makes me annoying when I see his url that link to feedburner. Some guys they use alexa redirect link. I’m so wondering of why they trying to do such kind of thing. To increase feed count or alexa rank ?
Thank for your comment in my blog, Armen.
By Armen
on 03.11.07
Myo - Yeah, I forgot about the Alexa redirect which some use too. I think the purpose if that is to simply help aid their Alexa rank. A bit silly, and undesirable.
No problem. I hadn’t visited in some time.
By Rob O.
on 09.11.07
Frequently I “deep link” to a specific post on my blog rather than simply point to the top level of my domain. If the post you’re linking to is specifically relevant to the post you’re commenting on, this seems sensible. And it can help you get a little more exposure for an older post that didn’t seem to garner much attention when it was first published.
By Armen
on 10.11.07
Rob - There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing that.
Since I’ve written this post, I’ve come across a fairly popular blog which has it’s header image linking to RSS subscription, rather than ‘Home’.
Haven't you got anything to say?