Everybody does it, but nobody wants to talk about it. I am talking about ego-surfing: that shameful act of vanity that occurs in the private of our own home or office, when we type our own name on Google (or Yahoo, or any other search engine we like to use) and look through the list of pages listed in search of love, fame, and recognition.
When you have a blog, ego-surfing gets to an all different level. Now we have people linking to our blog and posts, link ranks, and many more sites to explore: Technorati, Google Blog Search, IceRocket, TalkDigger, and oh, so many more. We can collect on del.icio.us all the sites that link to our blog and posts and while we are there check if anybody else has tagged our posts. We can look at our site logs to see how many people visited, which posts they read, how long they were on our site, and where they came from.
So, is this all about vanity? Is it a bad thing? Should we be ashamed of it? Or is ego-surfing just a new twist on a very old human need: finding recognition and building our social identity? (As we do in the physical world when we check ourselves in a shop window, just to see how we look from the outside: do I look too fat? how is my hair? are my clothes too baggy, or to tight?)
Until recently, I felt ashamed of checking myself on Google or Technorati as I obsessively-compulsively analyzed my blog logs. I felt ashamed, but I did it anyway.
I am no longer ashamed. You shouldn’t be either. As long as it doesn’t take more than 50% of your waking time and doesn’t impair your normal social functioning, ego-surfing may be a good thing, and here is why.
- Blogging is largely a social activity. Knowing where people are coming from when they visit your site is almost an act of courtesy, part of the social interaction with other bloggers. A blogger is actually meant to know who links to him or her. It’s part of the social conversation going on in the blogosphere. Sometimes this conversation is captured by pings and trackbacks, sometimes is not. By looking at who links to your blog, you can find other related and friendly blogs, explore affinity, and create new connections. It’s part of the social cyberspace exploration, and it’s not very different from looking around during a party and exchanging smiles, greetings, and small talk with people who share the same physical space with us.
- Everybody looks for confirmation and recognition. Online, this means knowing who talks about you and what they say. Is there anybody interested in what I write? What do they say about me? It’s the back and forth of reciprocal recognition that creates our online identities. Nobody is immune.
- Cyberspace can be a lonely place. Sometimes you discover that somebody who linked to you or visited your blog needs a hug or a kind word. Give back the love. Visit their sites, leave a comment, show support, cheer, link to, and recognize your fellow bloggers.
Technorati Tags: blogging, ego-surfing, identity, recognition, social behavior
February 11, 2006
Terrific post Antonella. I agree with your thoughts on blogging and what importance it has to all of us. And, I definitely agree with the warmth, generosity, and sense of community it generates. You’re one of our most shining examples. -Joy
February 12, 2006
I completely agree. I don’t think of checking for links to my blog as a vanity search or an ego search–I do it so I can see who might want to socialize with me.
February 13, 2006
I wrote on my blog a few months ago ( http://www.eddiejames.com/?p=86 ) about how I finally made it to number one on Yahoo when someone searched for Eddie James. My blog used to be always number 11 (the second pages of search results) behind a gospel singer, lead singer of a garage band, and an adult film star — all of whom share my name.
For three months I was obsessed with becoming the number one Eddie James online. And now I am. I’m number one on Google and Yahoo and most other search engines I’ve tried.
I don’t think I ever thought of it as a bad thing to be that concerned with being number one. I just felt that I put a lot of work into my site and that being number one in the search rankings was a small reward.
Interesting enough, I’m not as concerned about getting people to link to me or that people leave comments (although I do love it when my posts get commented on or tracked back!).
Perhaps my goal for the rest of the year should be to get 10 people to link to me each month.
If anyone reading this hasn’t linked to eddiejames.com yet, please do! Thanks!
February 13, 2006
Eddie! I think we might be able to work something out.
Antonella! This is an awesome post. Thank you! I recently killed my StatCounter account, because tracking my hits was driving me nuts. Of course, I immediately went to BlueHost and started pulling my numbers from there. There must be something primal about it. Certainly, the need to feel important is real. If not in this space then work or home or somewhere else. And some have a quite competitive nature, as well. That factors in.
But ultimately, for me, it’s about relationships… the whole blogging thing. Meeting new people. Conversations. Building relationships… connecting with people who dig the same stuff.
It’s pretty simple really.
February 13, 2006
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