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DazzlinDonna’s take on SEO news, tips and theories.
Motivations of a Blogger
Motivation. Motivation is one of those slippery things. You can’t always grasp it. It often seems within reach, easily understandable, but in reality, someone’s motivation for his or her actions are very likely to be completely different than what you or I may think.
Bloggers are motivated by…what? The obvious answers would include things like fame, publicity, traffic, linkbait, ego, altruism, etc. We tend to jump to conclusions when assigning motivation to a blogger’s post. Hey, that’s human, I suppose, but that doesn’t necessarily make it “right”.
What is the motivation of a blogger who raises issues with Google? I’ve seen nearly all of the above answers listed although “linkbait” is the one I’ve seen most often. I don’t have a clue what Aaron’s motivation is. As SEO’s, I’m sure linkbait is ingrained within us, so that’s probably a part of everything we do, even if it is unconscious. But is that the primary motivation behind Aaron’s recent posts? Maybe…maybe not. What “reward” does Aaron receive for bringing these issues up? Regardless of his motivation, are his points valid? Are they worth considering? Should they be asked? Should they be answered?
What is the motivation of a blogger who takes offense at someone who raises those issues? What if that blogger is a prominent Google employee? Does that make the motivation question different than if Joe Schmo, SEO were to take offense with those issues? Why indeed would Matt make an issue of this? It seems odd, doesn’t it? What “reward” does Matt/Google receive for drawing attention to Aaron’s posts? Is it merely a matter of hurt feelings? Frankly, that was my very first impression and the one that is hardest to shake. That doesn’t mean I’m right, however.
As a blogger and an SEO, it’s easy for me to at least think I understand Aaron’s motivations. It’s our “job” as a blogger to voice our opinions about our topic of experience, and since SEO is that topic, and Google is the big cheese of search engines, it only makes sense that we would voice our opinions about Google. Sometimes, those opinions are negative. So it seems natural for an SEO blogger to write the occasional negative blog post about Google. The motivation in that would seem to be as simple as “being recognized for doing your job”.
As a blogger and an SEO, it’s more difficult for me to understand Matt’s motivations. Why make an “issue” over Aaron’s posts? Why point out that he once “did some extra work to help Aaron last year”? That’s the one statement that makes all of this sound personal to me - as though Matt had his feelings hurt. But leaving that aside for now, I can’t quite come up with a reasonable motivation for asking readers how to respond. Frankly, that smells more like linkbait than anything Aaron has ever written. But is it? I don’t know. Why would Matt Cutts of all people need to worry with linkbait? The truth is, he doesn’t.
I don’t have the answers. I have no way of knowing what the motivation is behind either Aaron’s or Matt’s posts. But the quick assumptions that others are making really don’t feel right to me.
Personally, regardless of Aaron’s motivation, I think he makes some valid points, and raises some important issues. I don’t even know what to say about Matt’s side of it. I just stare at his post and wonder what the heck it’s all about.
Motivation. What’s the motivation behind this post? Probably a little of all of the above and who knows what else, but my primary motivation is simply to question…and ponder…and spend a little time thinking.
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November 15th, 2007 at 9:24 am
If it walks like a linkbait and talks like a linkbait…
Cmon, Donna, there’s 2 levels you need to know about in people… the sincere level and the insincere level. I would venture that most people who do SEO don’t do it because they dreamed about it all day long as little children. I would venture that they do it because they didn’t have what it took to be the football hero or the prom queen but gosh forbid we actually say that.
The point is that it doesn’t REALLY matter what their motivations are. What matters is how you can profit from it. Does that sound cold? If so, please tell me if they really care about you or me OR if they came to you or me for help.
In fact, I applaud your article if your motivation is linkbait. If you really care about the topic then I’m going to save my thoughts on that unless you actually come to me for help.
Btw, kudos, I’ll be linking to this article in my next blog as an example of the lesson. And it has nothing to do with the topic of this blog.
(If it helps to know, its because I think you’re an excellent blogger who is supremely under-appreciated and when those conditions converge they make for excellent opportunity).
November 15th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
I recall as a teenager driving through Tulsa, OK with my grandmother one day. Tulsa is the home of the Oral Roberts University http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_Roberts. The complex is a huge gleaming temple to American religious capitalism.
As we drove past the campus I asked my mamaw, (a devout pentecostal holiness christian), if she thought someone with that much power and money was really sincere or just doing it for the money. My mamaw, as usual, had a very pragmatic response.
She said, “it doesn’t matter WHY he does what he does. What matters is all the people going to heaven because of what he’s done”.
I feel the same way about Aaron and this post in particular.I think the effect of his actions is more important than his reasons for taking the actions in the first place.
November 15th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
So, Bob, how do you feel about the other side of the coin? Matt and his post?
November 16th, 2007 at 6:53 am
he has a job to do and he does it well
November 18th, 2007 at 9:56 am
Link baiting is an obvious ploy to try and get attention. As often is blog commenting.
I haven’t seen an actual reply from Matt Cutts, in your link he just ran a POLL to ask if he should respond. Sadly, the majority clicked the I like to watch a fight vote. And sadly that seems to sum a lot of people up. Bored and mindless!
I respect Matt as he genuinely seems to care about what he does and he is one of the few unofficial mouths of Google. That is rare and valuable and I’m not sure why Google let him! I’m sure his employment contract has NDA and PR cencorship clauses in it.
I totally understand why Matt would want to stop google bashing, especially when it questions his bosses integrity.
aka love me, love my dog…
Anyway I’m glad he does. It makes google seem almost human - and maybe that is why they let him.
The global landscape for blog comments should be for things people care about, not linkbait to make people rise to a fight.
Is your post here linkbait? O rare you simply asking peopel to debate and give their opinions?
I think that’s the difference. In a nice world, with sustainable readership (vs the todays death match blog fight) there is a request for opinion, debate and mental GROWTH for all.
In the linkbait, it is just an arena where there will always be losers and probably, in the long term, ZERO winners.
If these 2 guys get in to a slanging match, they are just 2 guys who got in to a slanging match.
Without the linkbait, they are 2 experts with different opinions.
In my personal case, the one I will continue to read, is not the jumpstart who wants to moan and pick a fight.
Have I bothered even bookmarking Jasons site - no I have not.
Do I still respect Matt for not rising to the bait, yes I do.
Do we need to respond to out attackers to justify our own standing - IMHO no we do not!
I’m too busy thinking of my own corner, to worry about 2 guys having a spitting contest…
November 18th, 2007 at 10:02 am
@peter: Jason? Jason who? Have you even read the posts in question? Anyway….
November 22nd, 2007 at 2:51 am
Ya, as you said it is the way of increasing our traffic, popularity and pr, it is a well-written piece about motivation of bloggers. Nice conversation.
November 30th, 2007 at 1:42 am
Bloggers are motivated by a combination of factors which are dependent upon the individual. Bloggers getting paid is a form of extrinisic motivation. While effective over shorter periods in its own right, financial renumeration is sub optimal especially if the pay is perceived as non-contingent.
The IM of bloggers, as mentioned at the beginning of this missive is responsible for the advent of blogging as self expression and connecting with others are internally derived characteristics. The implication here is that by creating an environment in which bloggers are intrinsically motivated, you will evolve bloggers who will be more loyal to the task on a daily basis and over time.