Entrecard Another Loser
By Vic on Dec 12, 2007 in Marketing
Entrecard LMAO; yeah right. Entrecard is another one that soon you will see fade to the past but if you follow the 500 post a day on how good it is you would think not. As in every good story you have to go to the beginning, and no, Entrecard is not the beginning it is just another re-hash from the past.
There is a saying back home: El diablo sabe mas por viejo que por diablo this would roughly translate: the devil knows more for being old than for being the devil. I am only 39 but, as in professional football 39 on the internet, you are a senior citizen. I can say I connected to the first net version and through the years have seen it evolve.Back in the early 90’s, when the first banner exchanges came out, not only did I jump in but I also started one and, in a given moment, I had over 50k users. At the time people where still amazed at the internet and something like an animated gif would make peoples jaw drop, makes me smile thinking if we could travel back in time and place a flash advertising on the same page. What would people think lol. Anyway, sorry my ADD, back then it was a new and good form of advertising. Then came Microsoft and took it to the next level. In less than 5 years the fad was gone and it was just not as effective. Now people would join an exchange but would not buy additional impressions because it was cost effective for free but not if you had to pay, so as the Microsoft banner exchange disappeared so did mine.
Fast forward to 2007 and a NEW banner exchange comes out: Entrecard. And guess what, for the same reasons it died before it will again. In this case at a much faster rate than before. First we have to see who was the driving force in the first couple of days of Entrecard. The same asshole who sold you on the idea of Agloco and BlogRush, The Queen Of All Self Centered Bitches: John Chow. Now, John understood as with Agloco and BlogRush he could benefit hugely with selling the idea of this piece of shit service to all his 14597 MORONS who subscribe to his feed and in return they all would go rushing to there next John Chow blog and post on how good the Entrecard is LMAO.
Now, I understand why John Chow loves this shit service. I know John Chow is a self centered bitch, but I also know he is very smart and he could easily game the system with his MORONIC HEARD of JOHN CHOW WANNABES. He understood that due to his high page view in combination with all the morons putting this crap on their sidebars he could get more exposure for himself on every John Chow Wannabe Blog. The really funny and ironic thing is the one that gets screwed the biggest by how this system works is those same John Chow wannabes. If you notice he has been getting ads on obscured blogs especially Make Money crowd now lets look at who would win or lose or who benefits more on having this shit on their sidebars. The kid with the cheap theme on a shared host that can barely hold one request or the guy with the $800.00 theme and the sports car on the header next to the 15k moron feed count number? Mmmm, WHO? But yet the dumb kid probably either used up all his credits or bought some so he could be on John Chow dot com versus John Chow who only used the credits he has earned from all his page views supported by the same morons who placed the widget on the sidebar. Mmmm, see where I am going with this?
So where is the huge FLAW? Simple. You are advertising to each other, mmmm, know body figured this out yet? Example, why would I want to advertise a Make Money Blog on John Chow who he has already suckered to pay for the $450.00 review when I could get fresh none contaminated readers who are looking for a business somewhere else. FOLKS this is why adsense sucks on MAKE MONEY ONLINE blogs because they already know how it works. So while John Chow, the guy who tells you that you don’t need Google but what you need is the Entrecard, keeps building links with the keyword Make Money Online to get Google searches for organic traffic. At the same time you are wasting your time with your little dumb ass widget instead of building links. Mmm, who is the sucker here LMAO. BTW Yes he is still building keyword authority by building links, do a link trace backward so you can see he has gotten over 40 links. Some paid in the last 2 weeks.
In order to make money you need new readers. You need people who will click on ads. You need people who will buy the clickbank products. Ask yourself this: When was the last time you clicked on the Entrecard widget and clicked on the other bloggers ad or you bought a clickbank product after you visited his site? Well, guess what buddy, he is doing the same thing as you, this goes back to my Bloggers Are Self Centered Bitches post. In order for you to make money you need new fresh readers that come outside the blogging world, this is why we created Blogging Zoom. Our main goal is to get none blog readers in front of your blog, that is the whole point.
I would say, as other services in the past, the fad for the Entrecard should be gone in six months or less and we will start seeing the widget disappear from the side bars just like the BlogRush and the Agloco ads.
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Entrecard Another Loser | Blogger Unleashed…
Entrecard Is way beyond a joke but again here comes the heard mentality and it seems more people keep writing the OMG how good is Entrecard this are the same people who wrote OMG how good is Agloco and OMG how good is BlogRush and the last one that jus…
Wow, what an opinion.
I think I’m starting to realize (on not quite as a radical scale as you) that Entrecard is becoming more and more worthless.
I am keeping for the time being - but will remove it soon if nothing revolutionary happens.
Great article though - I love how you just say it how it is without trying to “be nice”
Stumbled.
Brian
Hey, I happen to like Entrecard. As a matter of fact, I thought it would be a perfect way for me to find interesting posts to submit to BZ. Here’s why:
I feel like BZ is getting overrun by MM blogs and way too much meta stuff. I think that if bloggers from different niches (correct term?) could be pulled in to BZ it would take off. Unfortunately I haven’t seen a whole lot of new faces (and the same kind of posts lately, but that’s a whole other subject). But, as idiotic as you think Entrecard is, there are a slew of other blog categories (outside of MM blogs, that is) that are fabulous reads. My thinking is that I can find new and interesting blogs to frequent and somehow we can get more diverse blog posts submitted to BZ.
(To those following along, I’m a HUGE fan of BZ, in case you can’t tell.)
Now, back to Entrecard. You ask who has clicked on other bloggers ads. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I surfed that way today. I clicked on whichever ad I saw on the page of a blog I picked through the categories and then clicked on the ad in that next blog… I can’t say that I’ve found tons of new and interesting material, but I’ve found some good stuff. One was already zoomed and I zoomed another. Yet another will be zoomed as soon as I’m done with this long ass comment (sheesh, I’m long winded tonight).
At any rate, I realize that this was probably directed at bloggers different than I, but I thought I’d offer up my opinion. Ok, you can shoot me now.
Lizzie I have to approve comments I got tired of spam at BU so now I always approve. As you when I visit a website I always look at there adsense ads if something catches my eye I click on it to support the blog but it has to really be something I might be interested I have used adwords before so I know it hurts when people click for clicking.
As with services before if the stas are as they usually are 80% of people using it are looking to bring traffic to there sites for profit once they are not making huge improvements they will start to drop the service as it has happened with over 20 such services in the last few years. And the others services where not limited to blogs only.
As a tool to just have fun I have no doubt it might work for that. But for blogging to make money this is not the tool it is demographically wrong.
Brian at 39 I just do not have it in me to bullshit people or make the sour sweet.
I’ll have to go ahead and sort of disagree with you on this one.
The effect I’m seeing from EntreCard is similar to what I see from StumbleUpon, except the effect is smaller. I get a lot of quick lookers but I’m also getting some ad clickers, stumblers and commentators. Where BlogRush brought no traffic, EntreCard is performing rather well, about on par with what Blogging Zoom is doing. And, yes, I also click Adsense and occasionally stumble posts when I’m taking an EntreCard tour (although I don’t buy any Clickbank products). It looks good, so far…
But, there is a weak point in the EntreCard system and that’s the points economy. Already certain big name bloggers (not Chow, the Cow and a few others) are using it to game the system by tying up points with a bid and then canceling it at the last minute so that their slot can be resold at a higher point level. I think that this trading economy may be the eventual downfall of it.
You’re right about all the JC wannabes. Anything he says, they do but ultimately it’s JC who makes all the money. Another example is the million and euro dollar wikis.
In a way, he’s not lying when he says something makes money - for him. Until JC wannabes get a fraction of the kind of traffic he’s getting can they even hope to make money like him.
I did not join in the Entrecard craze as it is founded by the same guy who founded the million dollar wiki. He’s selling the site now after making a killing.
mbm
Well Frank if in your view this is the only problem I am sure that they should be corrected. Now from my point of view they have years of similar services failing because of the same flaw. I will like to remind you that this service is new and it is still a fad. The huge difference from BZ and this service is that we are already at over 70% organic traffic. In other words out of every 100 people who reach blogging zoom 70 are not bloggers coming from another blog in other words perfect customers
“blogging tips for beginners” I will be making a later post to cover this same subject you mention. But just snippet everything this guy writes there is something he is peddling, tell you what this guy would be a perfect car salesman but as a person to teach you something there is nothing this guy can teach. He also out right lies to his readers to try to sell his reviews but I guess ignorance is bliss.
Ah! That’s a different type of ad than I was thinking of. I was thinking of the little “free” ad in the EC widget. I understand now.
I saw that! Was that at your blog? At any rate, I don’t bother with the MM Online category. So, I guess this didn’t really mean me. I have noticed that more people from Entrecard are browsing my site than ever before. And someone even stumbled me. That was nice.
Because I’m reinventing myself (so to speak) I’m refusing to see the seedy side of this and will look for positives.
Also, Cow or Chow, I wouldn’t trust either one of them as far as I could throw them. It is funny to see the wannabes though. They’re running around like little ants trying to suck up bread crumbs. Bah! All the while they’re lining the pockets of these guys. It’s hilarious.
By the way, I meant to reply further to Frank. I don’t bother trying to get in with the scammy types of sites. I just don’t trust them. And I’ve decided that if an ad of mine isn’t accepted within 24 hours I’ll cancel. If I buy from someone who later cancels (as per your point) then I’ll learn and never deal with that blogger again. Unfortunately, some of the people that want to advertise on Chow or Cow will simply put their credits back in the queue and hope they get accepted the next time.
Lizzie I did my test on a money making mode have you tracked your actual results I would love to look at your numbers to compare to mine. So how much they differ in percentage. Also have you tracked time on site after click.
Also where are you guys taking the stats from? Just so you know I did this test on a non public blog so I could run test of stats there stats did not match my server log stats according to there stats they send me like 50% more than actual server log stats mmm some one lying??
Hot post…advertising on each other’s blogs, lol.
Frank C, nice like from Office Space
“Uhh, yeeahhhh, I’m going to have to go ahead and uhh, disagree with you there.”
Agreed, for some products, it’s good to get a noob who doesn’t know what a hoplink or Javascript is. They’re the ones who’ll sign up for “Project PayMeLotsaMoney”. But, then again, even self centered bitches have money to spend.
Right now I’ve got my EntreCard stuck in between two big honkin’ banner ads. The ads are at least getting clicks now where people ignored the 125×125 ads I had in my sidebar previously. It’s nowhere as good as a mini-site but at least it’s something.
Here are the Google Analytics stats I have on EntreCard vs. Blogging Zoom between Dec 4 when I installed EntreCard and now.
EntreCard sent 116 visitors, 90% of them new, with an average stay on site of 46 seconds and a bounce rate of 90.52%.
Blogging Zoom sent 55, 80% of them new, who stayed an average of 2:47 with a bounce rate of 61.82%.
It looks like most the EC traffic is very bouncy as in click the widget and go. However, that 10% that did stick around at least did some good.
Thanks Frank for sharing your stats. the 46 seconds is crazy that is way worst than SU I would have expected numbers around SU.
Erm..Vic,
With due respect, I do believe bloggingzoom is an asset to bloggers, especially after your explanation in my comments not too long ago, when I blogged that I am not getting the hits from bloggingzoom, but I do beg to differ on your views on Entrecard. Not on John Chow though
While I am still getting about 3 to 5 hits from bloggingzoom, (not considering the long term effect of bloggingzoom,) I receive about 20 or more direct hits daily from Entrecard, and a good portion comes from the blogs that I have bought “advertisement” from.
I feel that is something that a budding blogger desperately needs. It forms a kind of immediate solution for those who seriously lacks visitors to their blogs, but do not have the resources to pay for such “advertisements”
Of course i hope it will last forever, but hey, if it doesn’t and die an early death like Agloco, I lose nothing, but I can safely say I gained a lot.
Cheers!
SU was actually quite good during the same time period with average time on site at 3:14, 87.67% new visitors and a bounce rate of 45.67%. Only Google traffic was better.
Costa I invite you to do a test. You should have domain that is laying around doing nothing all those of us that live from the internet do
.
Install a blog now make this blog about plumbing which has one of the highest Adsense CPC for example there are competitions for words of $45.00 a click get some organic traffic place your advertising and place the Entrecard. Now do not buy advertising on any other website with the card just built credit with it.
Give it a week which is what I did in my test. These numbers will be the real numbers once you actually do this you will see how it really works.
For right now you folks are advertising to EACH OTHER LMAO and I guess you folks again just do not get it lol.
Below are Franks stats which is great because it proves my point.
AVG 46 Seconds lol mmm Why do you think this is Costas??
Again I guess this might be new to you guys but I have been using banner exchanges since they started and after the few years that there was no other type of advertising and users where still not banner blind but even the mighty Microsoft had to shut down there service because it just stopped working.
Costas if you do not have a domain or do not know how to get organic traffic from Google in a week then I also recommend to use your own current stats to compare against the stats from Entrecard. Avg out your CTR on all the 125×125 on your site and now compare this with the Entrecard 125×125 lol now ask yourself why the huge difference.
Now my question is do I really have to explain why the traffic? Or do you folks understand why right now Costas you are getting the 20 hits daily?
I think Vic is going to end up being right on this one. I’ve had a lot of people ask me about Entrecard so I signed up on Sunday and did the widget and everything. I’m a bit of a numbers person so I’ll be watching the stats. I don’t plan to spend a lot of time on it really so it may not be a fair test but I guess we’ll see. BloggingZoom has been really good to me. I don’t see Entrecard comparing to that.
Hmm.. thanks for the lengthy clarification Vic.
I really did not take into account all the numbers and all the in depth analysis of the traffic that my blog receives.
Like all noobs, I am happy just to see that someone has visited my blog, no matter how long they stay.
Guess that’s the difference between a successful, serious blogger and a casual struggling blogger huh.
Thanks again. I’m happy I learned something new today.
Costa my main concern is that Bloggers focus so much on this service that they stop building there real traffic which should be organic. Blogging Zoom has a pourpouse to help you use BZ as a bridge for organic traffic but this does not mean that you stop building your link campaigns and such. At the end of the day each blogger needs to keep building keyword authority to get direct traffic from Google and not need Blogging Zoom at that day he should only use BZ for keywords he does not rank high enough.
The way I look at it Costa is if you as your own man think this benefits you great if it does not great. What my goal is to give bloggers real numbers and you decide what is best for you not be like John Chow that sells services not based on facts but on his self service of his pocket.
I have on my post list why it is that this service can give you more problems than service and I will make the post faster so people could understand the bigger picture. I will make the post tonight for tomorrow.
39? Damn I’m 50, but I have always respected anyone who says what they mean and means what they say, at what point in time will people realize, leading is better than following?
Great post Vic!
We take a look at these latest and greatest traffic generating devices that come onto the market and wonder how they are going to help the little guy. It sounds like some of your readers are experiencing a slight traffic bump from Entrecard, but the real people who benefit are the John Chows of the world!
We just found your blog and we love how you speak your mind. Keep up the great work!
Ok, well I’ve been using Entrecard for three weeks now, they’ve sent me 600 unique hits, about 35 comments on posts, and its improving my alexa.
For a free widget that takes up only 125×125 I don’t see what more a blogger could ask for.
Steve because if you are looking to monetize a site you just gave your user another focus point mmm don’t you know that? Also who givers a fuck about 800 hits if they are going o have a bounce rate of 90.52 and 46 seconds on your site. But don’t you know that? I mean for a guy who has a site about traffic you seem to not really understand traffic.
My suggestion Steve visit my friend Frank at opTempo, he wrote a great stat breakdown post focused on actual numbers and what the numbers really stand for. Traffic Analysis: Blogging Zoom vs. EntreCard
When dealing with traffic Steve there are other things to consider besides the hits.
Lizard Wisdom welcome I have read a your work through BZ and I am a fan.
Oh Steve my bad LMAO now I understand your comment lol. You are one of the MORONIC HEARD of JOHN CHOW WANNABES. I just read your post on how proud you are that John Chow bought your ad space.
[...] EntreCard - Another Loser [...]
[...] lovers, you should read Entrecard Another Loser by Vic. I would say, as other services in the past, the fad for the Entrecard should be gone in six [...]
Thanks for posting this blog entry. I was looking into Entrecard today to help my advertising efforts for http://ww2db.com but now will think again. Since it’s free, however, even if it really is worthless like you say it is, it doesn’t hurt to try, right?
You certainly do live up to your blog’s name with posts like this lol. I agree with the underlying sentiments though - there isn’t anything at EC that hasn’t been done 10 times over already, and undoubtedly it will eventually fizzle out.
If anything, it takes the idea of networking, and de-values it by not letting people properly communicate with each other. I don’t want to visit other blogs when I network, I want to be able to effectively network and discuss ideas with the people behind them (which is why the forum derivative will never die!).
[...] future of Entrecard has two paths. Either: 1) Make the changes with Alexa and RSS subscribers for the determining [...]
At least for blogs with not the highest traffic in town currently, I think Entrecard is pretty good.
It works for me, but then again my blog isn’t about making money - making money is just what supports my blogging.
I’m not sure about that Blogrush, Agloco, or any other ad exchange sites, but Entrecard is the only one I’ve ever heard of that provides valuable incentives (non-monetary) for visiting others sites.
I have found some great people and some great people have found me, likely because of that incentive.
David was in your bounce rate and time on site. The fatc is all of us that have actually run real numbers all get back about the same.
90+% bounce
30-45 seconds on site
This means that they are not clicking your ads as such no they are not supporting your blogging because it is not monetize traffic.
In other words you are wasting your time.
I wanted to try entrecard as everyone is “in it” and being new in the blogging world I thought it would help be but eww… wasting more than an hour just to drop my card @ 40-50 blogs is so time consuming and not really worth it. I’ve noticed that most entrecarders will just pass by drop and go, not even spending more than a few seconds checking your contest. Entrecard is a big waste of time imo.
Much more important things to do that actually provide residual results
I do agree with you about entrecard, but not quite as passionately. I am fairly new to blogging and entrecard, blog explosion, digg, and so on have help me hook a few dedicated readers. I do not plan on using the “pyramid schemes” bringing me a lot of useful traffic, but its helpful when you start I think. Great post!!
[...] an easy way. While there are positive comments about the whole thing, you may be also interested in reading this article from BloggerUnleashed, bashing the system. Some solid arguments [...]
Nobody seemed to mention that a lot of this traffic is the same repeat visitors every day. Day after day. Also, many Entrecard clickers click all the ads in their inbox every day. So, if a person in your inbox does the same thing you each click each others ads every day.
There are even sites that teach how to set-up drive by traffic so you can rack-up 300 credits in 40 minutes.
As you say, if you want to go places, you need to break out of the co-blogger dependency for traffic and get “real people” to your site. ie people who consume product, not produce content.
I still have the EntreCard widget on, but I am guessing that will go right after the queued adverts have run over. Not because of this post, even though it was a very good one, but because I too noticed - nothing has changed. Just that with this banner exchange program (I might have been a member of yours years ago) there is more social features to it - so I thought. I gave it a go at least, but noticed that bloggers are self centred bitches, and even though I commented on their blogs they won’t comment on yours like I thought they might. I mean, I’m like this; if I read something interesting (like this post) I have to say something. That’s what I do. I am constantly amazed that people don’t do the same - and I refuse to take that as a sign that my posts are so uninteresting that they are not worth a comment! (Some of them are for sure, but not all of them.) So, I’ll keep on looking.
All I have to say, as I dropped 300 cards a day, I realized that I hated Stay at home moms, and work from home moms. How many @&*$(^@@@$$@ blogs do we need about Little Johnny and his ADD problem.
[...] Entrecard another loser [...]