First of all I want to start by saying that I am not writing this article in order to offend or attack anyone, I’m writing this to express my opinion on the fact that a blogger is able to increase his/her followers by buying them. Also I’m gonna address the follow for follow phenomenon but once again, this is merely my point of view.
It is well known that the more followers you have, the more likely it is that firms are going contact you for collaborations and partnerships. That seems logical, the bigger the reach the better the publicity for them. There’s only this one problem: you can buy your likes/followers. Yes here I am especially talking about Facebook. I’m not writing about this without having tested it for myself. About a year ago I clicked on the button ‘Promote your Page’ and bought an add for 4€ a day. Half a day later I stopped the whole thing! Why? No not because it didn’t work and I didn’t get new Likes (I think the number of Likes increased by 15), No. I don’t always see who likes my page (I don’t really know/understand why that is) but sometimes I do see who likes it. When I do see it, I always take a look at who it is. Usually the people who like my page are either people who I know (Luxembourg is rather small and somehow you often know people without really knowing them), or young people from around the world. During the few hours my add was up however, all the new Likes I got (and where I could actually see who was that person who decided to push the Like button) were weird pages or rather old men. Seeing this I came to my senses and took down the add!
My point is: I don’t want ghost Likes, I want people to really like what I do and thus hitting the Like button. Yes sure, I wouldn’t mind having a few thousand followers, but I want to get them in a fair-minded, an honest way. I blog because I like blogging, not because I want to earn money! It is my hobby, I like to inspire people, share some parts of my life and get my thoughts out there. Sure it would be nice if my work got rewarded, but I am not gonna lose who I am to get there.
If you like what I am doing than please support me by following me on Facebook or Instagram but if you don’t then… just don’t. This brings me to the ‘follow for follow’ phenomenon, which I hate as much as the Like thing. I stopped counting how many times someone commented on my Blog or (even more) on my Instagram by saying ‘I follow you if you follow me’. Ehm!?! Why would someone say that?! I usually take a look at everyone’s page who leaves a comment and if I see something I really like I click on the Follow or the Like button. But if I’m not 100% convinced by what I see I don’t. And that is how I’d like to get my followers too; by convincing them with what I do.
This has been on my mind for a long time now and it really feels good just to put into words what I’ve been thinking all along.
Als éischt well ech soen, dass ech mat dësem Artikel keen perséinlech wëll ugräifen. Ech schreiwen dësen Post fier meng Meenung auszedrécken, meng Meenung iwwer de Fakt dass Blogger sech hier Likes / Followers kennen kaafen. Ech waert och kuerz op den ‘follow for follow’ Trend ze schwätzen kommen, mee wéi gesoot ass daat ganzt einfach just meng Meenung déi ech hai vertrieden.
Et ass bekannt, dass d’Firmen op d’Zuel fun Followers kuken ier si den Blogger eng Collaboratioun ubidden. Wat méi Follower, wat d’Blogger méi Lait mat enger Reklamm erreechen. Et kléngt also ganz logesch dass een als Blogger gaer vill Followers hätt. Do gëtt et just leider deen een Probleem deen dran besteet dass een dës Follower/Likes kaafen kann. Hai schwätzen ech e bëssen méi spezifesch fun Facebook. Ech hun mer d’Fräiheet hai driwwer ze uerteelen awer natierlech net geholl ouni et selwer aus probéiert ze hun. Ongeféier firun engem Joer hun ech op den ‘Promote your Page’ Knäppchen geklickt an hun mier fier 4€ den Daach eng Reklamm kaaft. En halwen Daach drop, hun ech se awer och schon erëm gestoppt. Nee net well daat ganzt net funktionéiert huet – daat huet et nämlech tatsächlech, ech kruut an deenen 12 Stonnen ongeféier 10-15 nai Likes. Fakt ass, dass ech net ëmmer gesinn ween meng Säit liked, dh. ech gesinn dass d’Zuel ropgeet awer ech kann net emmer gesinn duerch ween. Fun Zäit zu Zäit gesinn ech et awer – wisou daat sou konfus ass wees ech och net, do missten mer den Här Zuckerberg froen 😉 Falls ech awer d’Méiglechkeet hun an ech gesinn ween hannert dem naien Like steet dann kuken ech mer schnell emol un ween daat ass. Oft kennen ech d’Persoun (Lëtzebuerg ass sou kleng, do kennt een oft Lait ouni se wierklech ze kennen) oder et sin aaner jonk Lait fun rondrem d’Welt. Main Punkt ass, dass wärend ech meng Reklamm laafen haat, déi nai Likes déi ech kruut fun ganz komeschen Saiten oder fun aalen Männer waren. Dest ass mer sou lusch fierkomm dass ech eeben decidéiert hun d’Reklamm direkt erof ze huelen. Wisou zeelen ech eech dat? Ganz einfach: des Likes daat sin fier mech keng éierlech Likes, et sin eidel Likes déi ech net well! Ech well dass déi Lait déi meng Arbecht gudd fannen mier duerch een Like Ennerstetzung entgéint brengen. Wann een main Blog gudd fennt an well gesinn wéi an waat ech an Zukunft posten dann soll een meng Säit liken. Wann net, dann ass daat jiderengem sain gudd Recht an dann erwarden ech och keen Like.
Natierlech wäer et flott ech hätt e puer dausend Followers an d’Demanden fun Firmen gengen reegelméisseg eran kommen, mee ech well dëst net op eng fier mech onéierlech Art a Weis ereechen, mat Likes déi null ze bedaiten hun. Daat sin net ech an daat wëll ech net gin. Op mengem Blog wäert dier och ni Produiten oder aaneres gesinn, hannert deenen ech net 100 % stinn. Main Blog ass main Hobby, eng Platz wou ech meng Ideen kann ausdrécken an aner Lait wëll inspiréiren. Mier geet et net ëm Suen maachen oder bekannt ze gin. Geng deen Fall iergendwann optrieden, wäert ech secher net nee soen, mee dann wees ech opmanst dass et duerch main egenen Verdingscht ass.
Hai kommen ech dann och op den ‘Follow for Follow’ Trend, deen ech grad sou haassen wéi den ‘Kaafen fun Likes’ Phänomen. Ech hun opgehaal ze zeelen wéi oft ech Kommentarer hai um Blog, oder op mengem Instagram kréien déi den Satz enthalen ‘wanns du mier follows dann followen ech dier’. Ech verstinn deen Moment d’Welt net méi! Wannste mech wëlls followen, ma dann lass. Wann net, dann mach et net! Ech gin normalerweis emmer all Profil/Blog kuken deen mei Kommentarer hannerléist. Wann ech dësen gudd fannen dann followen ech dësen och ganz gäer, mee wann net dann net. An genau sou wëll ech och dass aner Lait et bei mier machen!
Ech hat dësen Sujet schon imens lang am Kapp an d’fillt sech lo wierlech gudd un des Gedanken an Wierder gefaast ze hun. Mee wéi ech schon am Ufank soot, dëst ass nëmmen meng Meenung.
20 Comments
Preach. I couldn't have said it better!
These are exactly my thoughts on this topic, so glad to have found a person that thinks the same way as I do! I think I'm gonna have to stop by here more often in the future!
– Lola / http://www.ixmlola.com
Preach. I couldn't have said it better!
These are exactly my thoughts on this topic, so glad to have found a person that thinks the same way as I do! I think I'm gonna have to stop by here more often in the future!
– Lola / http://www.ixmlola.com
Ech hu schonn drop gewaart, dësen Post kënnen ze liesen 😉 Wéis de wees sinn ech absolut denger Meenung an ech fannen dat bezuelen fir Reklamm och ganz furchtbar. Meeschtens maachen dann och nach grad déi Blogger et, déi soss emmer den Moralapostel spillen an ganz haart jäizen, datt si jo nëmmen aus Spass un der Freed bloggen. Natierlech kéint e soen datt et jo dann dem seng Saach ass, wann en mengt en hätt et néideg fir seng Follower ze bezuelen, mee ech denken dobäi och emmer un déi Blogger déi réicht grad ugefong hunn, an déi dann d'Säit vun engem mëttelméissege Blog gesinn an gesinn datt déi 3000 Likes huet an dann mengen, si selwer wieren einfach net gutt genuch. Iwwerhaapt gëtt vill ze vill op d'Followerzuelen gekuckt, déi nu wierklech kee Garant vu guddem Contenu sinn. Verschidde Leit hunn et eben net néideg hiere Blog an 300 Foren an Facebookgruppen ze spammen an sinn dowéinst (oder vläit grad dofir) awer keng schlecht Blogger 😉
Also gutt geschriwwen an ech freeë mech op méi sou Posts!
xx
Ech hu schonn drop gewaart, dësen Post kënnen ze liesen 😉 Wéis de wees sinn ech absolut denger Meenung an ech fannen dat bezuelen fir Reklamm och ganz furchtbar. Meeschtens maachen dann och nach grad déi Blogger et, déi soss emmer den Moralapostel spillen an ganz haart jäizen, datt si jo nëmmen aus Spass un der Freed bloggen. Natierlech kéint e soen datt et jo dann dem seng Saach ass, wann en mengt en hätt et néideg fir seng Follower ze bezuelen, mee ech denken dobäi och emmer un déi Blogger déi réicht grad ugefong hunn, an déi dann d'Säit vun engem mëttelméissege Blog gesinn an gesinn datt déi 3000 Likes huet an dann mengen, si selwer wieren einfach net gutt genuch. Iwwerhaapt gëtt vill ze vill op d'Followerzuelen gekuckt, déi nu wierklech kee Garant vu guddem Contenu sinn. Verschidde Leit hunn et eben net néideg hiere Blog an 300 Foren an Facebookgruppen ze spammen an sinn dowéinst (oder vläit grad dofir) awer keng schlecht Blogger 😉
Also gutt geschriwwen an ech freeë mech op méi sou Posts!
xx
Hey! Funny that one of the two comments I see here is already a spam… Even weirder than follow for follow as this one is meant to trick people while "at least" f4f is honest…
I had small ads of a few days on FB in the pas but it never really paid off indeed. So I would say I completely understand you and furthermore agree with you!
When you consider how much time, money and energy I invest in doing what I do and realizing that actually nobody "likes" it, comment it or even see it… I swear, I am a 32 grown up solid boy but there were times I was that close to end up with a burn out. It's a love / hate relationship with myself and my own will.
I recently chose to become a full time photographer in the great region of Luxembourg, now good quality followers will seriously matter. I am not entirely sure what to do. It is going to be a challenging try and error move…
I wish you all the success you deserve,
– Edouard that you know under the nickname arteographie 😉
Hey! Funny that one of the two comments I see here is already a spam… Even weirder than follow for follow as this one is meant to trick people while "at least" f4f is honest…
I had small ads of a few days on FB in the pas but it never really paid off indeed. So I would say I completely understand you and furthermore agree with you!
When you consider how much time, money and energy I invest in doing what I do and realizing that actually nobody "likes" it, comment it or even see it… I swear, I am a 32 grown up solid boy but there were times I was that close to end up with a burn out. It's a love / hate relationship with myself and my own will.
I recently chose to become a full time photographer in the great region of Luxembourg, now good quality followers will seriously matter. I am not entirely sure what to do. It is going to be a challenging try and error move…
I wish you all the success you deserve,
– Edouard that you know under the nickname arteographie 😉
I agree with your opinion! Though I haven't ever tried to buy adds and I don't intend to do that, I would like to gain followers in fare way and because they would be interested for real in my blog. Follow for follow, just drives me nuts, it feels like nothing else is important for other people/bloggers than to gain thousands of followers no matter what way..
I agree with your opinion! Though I haven't ever tried to buy adds and I don't intend to do that, I would like to gain followers in fare way and because they would be interested for real in my blog. Follow for follow, just drives me nuts, it feels like nothing else is important for other people/bloggers than to gain thousands of followers no matter what way..
Merci dass du dier Zäit geholl hues fier et ze leesen. An ech sin frou dass och aaner Lait denken wéi ech 🙂
Merci dass du dier Zäit geholl hues fier et ze leesen. An ech sin frou dass och aaner Lait denken wéi ech 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to write a comment!:) Just stay true to who you are and everything will turn out just fine!
Thank you for taking the time to write a comment!:) Just stay true to who you are and everything will turn out just fine!
It's good to see that there are other blogger who share my opinion! Thank you for leaving a comment 🙂
xx Claude
It's good to see that there are other blogger who share my opinion! Thank you for leaving a comment 🙂
xx Claude
I totally agree with you. Better to have few interested reader then 10000 likes from people that never visit your page or are not interested in what you write.
I totally agree with you. Better to have few interested reader then 10000 likes from people that never visit your page or are not interested in what you write.
Gutt geschriwwen. Ech wonnere mech och heiansdo, wann ech Bloggen gesinn, déi menger Meenung wierklech ganz schlecht gemaach sinn an déi awer vill Follower hunn. Wousst net dass een Follower kann kafen. Ech wonnere mech och heiansdo, wien mäin Blog sou "followed", wou dach d'Interessi'en ganz offensichtlech net déi selwecht sinn. Ech fannen, dass villzevill Wäert op eng grouss Followerzuel geluet gëtt am Plaatz dorop, ob de Blog gefält oder gutt gemaach ass. lG
Gutt geschriwwen. Ech wonnere mech och heiansdo, wann ech Bloggen gesinn, déi menger Meenung wierklech ganz schlecht gemaach sinn an déi awer vill Follower hunn. Wousst net dass een Follower kann kafen. Ech wonnere mech och heiansdo, wien mäin Blog sou "followed", wou dach d'Interessi'en ganz offensichtlech net déi selwecht sinn. Ech fannen, dass villzevill Wäert op eng grouss Followerzuel geluet gëtt am Plaatz dorop, ob de Blog gefält oder gutt gemaach ass. lG
I totally agree with you point of view! I have been blogging for almost 5 years now and I have never had more then a handful of loyal readers/viewers. But that has never stopped me from blogging 🙂
I totally agree with you point of view! I have been blogging for almost 5 years now and I have never had more then a handful of loyal readers/viewers. But that has never stopped me from blogging 🙂