Entrecard is the New Trend to Get Traffic to Your Website
I just joined Entrecard yesterday and in less than 24 hours, I have gained a fair amount of extra unique visitors for this blog.
Every website needs traffic, especially blogs. I guess joining this is one way to improve a site’s traffic. However, as a mathematician, I have seen some drawbacks in the system.
My view about the concept behind Entrecard is similar to any Multi-Level Marketing scheme, which are all based on Pascal’s triangle. The Pascal’s triangle is a pyramid of numbers where top-level entries have more privileges and authorities than lower-entries.
In Entrecard, the concept of economic power rules the game. He who has more credits (wealth) can buy more ads. He who has less, has to work his butt off to get to the top of the ladder. This is done by actually clicking and visiting the websites of previously registered users. In other words, you don’t get extra credits and ads on your own site will not increase in value if you don’t work like a click robot (if you really want to get to the top the quick way).
For this site, the starting credit for ads to be placed here is 2 credits. I was amazed to see how many other bloggers would want to advertise on my site because placing ads here is cheap. You have the option though to reject/approve the blogs to be placed in your ad box. Also, other bloggers seem to be “forced” to click on your site, bringing you extra traffic for a simple economic reason – to earn extra credits. This goes to show that you will be visited not because of your blog’s content but because of extra credits they will earn from visiting your blog and dropping their business cards onto your ad box.
I am not against this actually. But, this system has a weakness. If your site becomes too expensive to place ads in, lesser number of individuals can afford to place ads on your site, hence lesser people will visit. This is a huge tendency despite the fact that people would be “forced” to click on your site and drop their own business cards onto your Entrecard ad box to earn credits. In my observation, based on site statistics, other bloggers who simply want to earn points will not spend more than a minute in your site even if you have good posts that they will actually enjoy reading. The mentality is to click and visit as many sites as they can in the shortest time possible. However, this could be advantageous on your part as a blogger especially if your site does not enjoy high page hits from search engines and other referrers. At one time, 8 unique visitors were on this site sent from Entrecard. And like I said, they were here not because they like my posts, not because this site is informative and definitely not because they love me. They were here for to earn their juice.
The return visit is low in this system. For an obvious viral marketing technique, loyalty (return visits) is not given importance. Traffic is all that matters. For a somewhat idealistic individual like myself, this can be a disadvantage. If people don’t go back and visit your site again, then there must be something wrong with your content, presentation or just the layout of your site. “Content is King” as gurus will always tell you. It is what search engines will look for, hence we optimize our sites for search engines to crawl, and for our readers to enjoy.
I do not want to sound pessimistic about Entrecard because I am still part of it. But how long can this system last? How loyal can people be to your site? Clicking and visiting sites every minute or every 10 seconds will take its toll. At some point, some bloggers will be more concerned with clicking and visiting other sites than with writing good posts (if in fact they consider writing good posts as a priority).
For my overall take of things, Entrecard is a social networking tool with very little or no personal touch at all. You might as well try it to see if it will help you with your site stats. But for me, posting good articles will always be my first love. PR or no PR, writing and communicating with others, making friends and finding some enlightenment by reading sensible and usable articles will be on top of my to-do list. As for Entrecard, it will be a second fiddle I think I can live without.
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Tags: Entrecard, get traffic
Great analysis! It’s so sad blogging is, I must say, too commercialized now. Bloggers write and bloghops because they want to acquire credits. I’m happy a few bloggers like you is around!No-nonsense blogger at that! Keep it up!
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@ Scotty’s Princess,
thanks… you see, bloggers should also bear in mind their social obligations… a blog is not just a diary these days… it’s a very good source of information and bloggers must have in mind the welfare of readers as well.
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ang galeng naman
but still the main reason on why some people join entrecard is for the traffic and not the friendship, i guess, 
and entrecard is giving it to us right? so its up to the blogger if they’ll be friendly to co-droppers but I can say that I gain many friends from it. And upon visiting all sorts of sites I myself want to prove them that my blog is worth reading. In the end the content of the blog is up to the author, we dont blog for entrecard’s traffic but for the readers and our satisfaction. Entrecard dont force us to drop to the max each day it is still up to you if you want to have high credits to buy lots of ad space to the most popular to the least, if you want to be on top or not.
haba? my sense ba? xenxia na
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@ JOANJOYCE
ok lang sis, i find your comment very healthy and relevant. keep rocking, girl!
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I agree with you on this one! Well said. At the end of the day, you are driven to do what you’re passionate about and loving what you do, like blogging, more than the extras of getting a good traffic, is what would matter. And because of that you get to improve yourself on your craft and as opposed to remaining to be a sucker for a PR or what have you’s. Well, we all could use some of the PR’s and traffic, the point is it shouldn’t be what drives us.
Maligayang Pasko po Kuya!
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hehehe mali nga lang spelling nung sites naging sights
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@ JENNIE,
i agree with you there, my dear. although it’s up to the blogger to prioritize, i.e., to increase his traffic or improve his blog contents, my take on things is simple. Improve traffic in whatever emans you can but DO NOT forget to improve quality of contents. Well, that’s just me… Some may not feel the same way but I could only care less. Content will always be on top of my list.
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@ joanjoyce,
duly noted and edited amiga…
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1. You’re forgetting one single most important thing in traffic: Recommendation by eyeballs. You get to see other blogs na ka-niche mo. Honestly, I got linked to by PR5 blogs, got tagged with a meme from a blog that I never knew existed. If I have to take 100 “just-drop” traffics before I got linked by a PR-5 blog, it’s ok. Traffic is traffic, and traffic here doesn’t mean cars. These are people who can read. So make them.
2.Karma. Give some to receive some. How hard is it to drop a card, scan the blog and say “hey, she talks about the same things I talk about” and leave a comment? Your comment is saved, she follows you to your blog and if she likes what she sees, she comments there too. If you’re polite to her and your blog is in a language she understands, she might even link you. Again, if I have to wade through thousands of “junk traffic” to gain one real blogging friend who shares my interest, I’m ok with it.
3. “to increase his traffic or improve his blog contents” doesn’t even make sense at all. If you get traffic, it means people are coming in. If people are coming in, you start asking yourself if they like what they see. Is your header presentable, is your theme loading easily, are your ads a turn-off? etc…. and most of all, since you know that at least one or 2 of these hundreds who come by scan your titles, will you write about something that’s stupid? Of course not, kasi mahihiya ka. Pag may mga pulutong ng bisita kayo sa mga bahay nyo, hindi ba kayo maglilinis man lang para presentable? Hindi ba kayo maliligo muna para mabango ang amoy nyo sa bisita? This issue of content vs. traffic isn’t even worth the argument.
I’ll blog about this because you inspired me jessie. *wink* You’re all invited to flame me there.
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inspired by your post.
100 people will visit, 10 will read, 1 will comment.
its like all advertising out there, no system is perfect, but before entrecard there was no way to discover new blogs. for me at least.
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I like the last paragraph best, professor, hehe! I’ve read on one blogger that he has earned more traffic, too, thru entrecard. But I did not buy his opinion directly. Wheww, good to know there’s mathematician around to explain how 123 and xyz works
Merry Christmas! Hinto muna ako sa kararaket, time to rest muna ang isip. Hope you do the same.
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thanks
Merry Christmas Jessie 
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@ SERGEY,
that’s good for you my friend if you’re doing well with entrecard. like i said, you might as well try it “to see if it will help you with your site stats.” If it’s doing good for you, then rock on! I wish you all the best.
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@ MARLENE,
mhy, thanks fren. yeah, i want to rest also but i’m writing 2 master’s theses and at the same time blogging. it’s really a painful set of roles… gusto na rin namin ni misis kasing magka-baby kaya kayod to the max pa rin. maybe blogging will take a little backseat for a while… hehehe. god bless, sis!
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hello friendly people. Im sorry I ranted awhile back. it was all in the spirit of a debate actually.
there’s much to be said about the quality of some blogs in Entrecard, and people can’t be blamed for not reading contents on those blogs. It’s a diverse system and fun way to gain readership.
Hope all’s well here!
Love and Greetings from your schizophrenic neighbors (Woobie and Evil Woobie)
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[...] have posted a few days ago something about Entrecard titled “Entrecard is the New Trend to Get Traffic to Your Website“. The article was in essence for the education of the very few readers who may have stumbled [...]
[...] First is from the Evil Woobie with What Does Entrecard mean to you. This post was in regards to What’ Have You’s post on Entrecard [...]
@ Woobie,
ok lang yun… nothing personal. sport lang. merry xmas!
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i am not a member of entrecard, in fact this is my first time to read (hear ;D) about it. basing on your article, the priciples of entrecard is similar to that of blogrush but one notable difference is with blogrus you get credit when somebody visits your site (through the widget) and not when you visit somebody else’s site.
anyway, entrecard is interesting and i will check it out just to see.
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@ Vienna,
Ok, that would be a good idea.
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[...] post by jessie (hello link love! hehe) and the ensuing comments got me riled up. It seems that people have equated [...]
I just had my own entrecard a few weeks back kuya! Thanks to Joliber, hehe! The thing is, i still do not fully know how it works…
Scotty’s Princess’s last blog post..If I Had A Choice
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Hi Jess! I was searching about this Entrecard! I have no idea. I’ve been seeing that badge almost everywhere na..Thanks for this pro’s and con’s!
Very nice post as always!!!
Have a nice Lenten Season!
Yen’s last blog post..Tell Me Thursday
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