THINKING OUT LOUD ABOUT PERSONAPAPER
I joined here July 26 and have written 18 posts and must admit I am sort of disappointed by the lack of response/reaction.
I am also concerned about not being allowed to repost some of my work on sites that people who come here wouldn't go to such as gays.com or broadwayshowbiz.com where I get compensated for my articles/reviews and can't post them here if I post them there.
And yes there is that other site where I can write and have made $32.89 for the month of August so far while I have made 54 cents here over a bit longer time. Yes it has been a mess and they have had and have problems and the question of how much longer can they last is always being asked.
I love to write and until that and this site I never thought of getting paid fo blogging. I do get paid for my reviews of touring Broadway shows and I do get paid--$60 an article for the gays.com magazine columns I write but even if I didn't get compensated I would still be writing those reviews and articles.
I have written, so far, a 7 part series on being gay and I appreciate those who have responded but I have to wonder if that is not an interesting topic for personapaper readers. I also write original posts on many nongay topics with, again, little response.
I really appreciate Will and MaeLou for their help--their quick responses to questions and their willing to listen to their writers.
At the moment I am writing for 8 different web sites and maybe taking this on is spreading myself too thin or maybe I am frustrated in not finding what people want to read about here.
Am I ready to give up? NO! I think though I may back off and not post EVERY day but will do some more reading and see what people are responding to. I know I am not interested in recipes or reviews of products or news items that are old news by the time they show up as a post just as I know some people aren't interested in reading movie reviews.
It might help me if you would tell me what YOU are interested in reading.
Thanks for listening/reading my 'what am I going to do post' and hopefully more than 3 people will respond :O)
Image Credit » A SILLY SELFIE TAKEN AND OWNED BY ME
Comments
Scorpie wrote on August 13, 2014, 1:36 PM
Well you may be the voice of how everyone feels. I see my time here as more of the fun distraction away from my hard material that pays. The only reason I make money at the other site is because of the year of hard work there still draws views. The hard-core automotive sites I work on are demanding and have expectations. That kinda takes all the fun out of it.
The gay topics don't really interest me because I'm truly not interested is other people's sexuality. To defines one's self by sexual orientation seems a bit sensationalist to me.
I'm really interested in food, sports, business, money, cars, wine, did I say food already? I'm interested in people who excel at stuff, even if you are the best derned parking lot sweeper in the world.
melody23 wrote on August 13, 2014, 1:41 PM
The site is still pretty new but over time people will start commenting on your posts, especially if you start commenting on theirs. They might not see your posts, but if you comment on one of theirs they could be inclined to visit your profile to learn more about you.
Most sites will not let you publish content that is available elsewhere, even if it is your own work because google only sees it as duplicate content and if affects the sites ranking and in turn does the writer no favours.
tinamarie wrote on August 13, 2014, 1:52 PM
I think this site will take off and really expand. It has a variety of topics and issues you can post about. Although I really don't write stories here, I have for another site, and may post a few here. I stick to the topic I love Food! I have enjoyed reading your articles you post and hope that you will still keep posting. My interest in reading is more of the real life of a person than celebrity news.
paigea wrote on August 13, 2014, 2:49 PM
I am interested in people. I`ve read your gay series with interest as it`s your personal story which I find interesting. I don`t have comments to make about it much though. However, you don`t make more by getting comments anyway.
BarbRad wrote on August 13, 2014, 2:59 PM
I read something because a title catches my eye and makes me curious. I am most interested in gardening and nature topics, writing and blogging tips, and book reviews of mysteries. I don't like to read about sexuality or feminism or very many other isms. I know what I think I might like when I see the title.
AngelSharum wrote on August 13, 2014, 4:58 PM
I've read some of your articles. I don't always comment though. I just read whatever titles catch my eye mostly, and I know some others who do photographs, which I love seeing so I always read those. I mostly write about and share my photography. I don't get tremendous views, but I do get a few comments on each post.
suffolkjason wrote on August 13, 2014, 5:02 PM
In my opinion, you should keep writing about things that you, yourself find interesting. At the moment Persona Paper is small so there may not be an audience for your interests. That's a Catch 22 dilemma. I think you should persevere and trust that if you build a number of articles about your interests, your audience will come. The alternative, posting want we think could be popular, would lead to a dull site.
GreatMartin wrote on August 13, 2014, 7:39 PM
Well sensationalist or not I define myself as gay and went through a lot of hell ebcause Iwas/am--like getting kicked out of the Marines when the Korean war was over and they didn't need 'us' anymore.
I don't like sports. business, wine but I will out of respect read what you have to say about them.
Something I talked about--I review restaurants and can and do post them every where but am not allowed to post them here! LOL
GreatMartin wrote on August 13, 2014, 7:43 PM
This is THE only site I have been told that I can't publish content that is available elsewhere.
Oh I have done that--a good example--I posted on loud man a few times and nothing--now he is not the only one so I am not picking on him--only using him as an example.--I will respond to anyone who comments on any of my posts--I believe it is called respect--manners
GreatMartin wrote on August 13, 2014, 7:47 PM
Just curious Melody--what brought you to THIS post--and don't take this the wrong way--just trying to figure out what is what here-why didn't you hit follow me?-
GreatMartin wrote on August 13, 2014, 7:49 PM
I agree--I prefer to read about real people's lives--and you will not meet anyone who loves food more than me--too bad you can't read my restaurant reviews as I get paid for posting them somewhere else so why would I post them here? LOL
tinamarie wrote on August 13, 2014, 7:58 PM
Wish I could read them. Maybe you could send me a link to my facebook page? Tina Sawyer Roberge.
GreatMartin wrote on August 13, 2014, 8:00 PM
You are one who has been commenting on my posts which I appreciate--just curious--you don't need to be educated about gay issue? What about gay people? The issues may be widely available but the fight for gay rights the past 50 years by those involved in it isn't.
I do write about other issues but I am not objecting now--I was just talking out loud about why should I post here when I can make $65 per post on gay issues on a gay web site--I get free theatre tickets worth $75 EACH, and I get 2, to review touring Broadway shows--I write food reviews for yelp--I was a server for 38 years but can't write about that because I have written a lot about that including in a published book.
So what do I talk about here? Again--thinking out loud--should I stay here? Should I talk about Robin Williams, Lauren Bacall, James Lebaron or should I post recipes being an excellent chef or Weight Watchers or ?????
GreatMartin wrote on August 13, 2014, 8:10 PM
I really am not here to make money--yes it is nice to get paid for blogging but I write at 7-8 other sites for nothing and 3-4 sites that I do get compensated--Am I'm just, as I said, extending myself too thin?
Feisty56 wrote on August 13, 2014, 9:22 PM
I think many of us are just feeling our way around here. I enjoy reading about your experiences, even if I have no personal frame of reference. I enjoy the way you write and your enthusiasm for your topic whether it's a movie review, a restaurant review or a slice of your life. Hang in there! We're all going to get through the growing pains of this site together.
melody23 wrote on August 14, 2014, 6:18 AM
That actually really surprises me, I have written all over the internet and almost every site I have been a member of will not allow duplicate content, certainly not since the whole google panda thing.
melody23 wrote on August 14, 2014, 6:20 AM
I tend to stop by the homepage a few times and read what's there, this post was there. I make an effort to try and read as many other people's stuff as I can, with it being so quiet recently this has not been difficult.
GreatMartin wrote on August 14, 2014, 11:51 AM
Yes we all have our interests and I can write thousands of articles about gardening and Mother Nature and book reviews but I wanted to offer somethign different and obviously no one wants different! LOL
GreatMartin wrote on August 14, 2014, 11:54 AM
I don't understand--14 comments and only 4 likes--if I am going to read I will comment/like and follow just out of respect--and not a comment about the picture and my silly hat!!!! LOL
GreatMartin wrote on August 14, 2014, 11:59 AM
I have always written what I want ti write and the results have been satisfying--that's not the topic here--it is the more or less of no team working together to make this a better site--to make people want to stay here.
AngelSharum wrote on August 14, 2014, 12:03 PM
A lot of people don't Like anymore because they don't get paid for it.
GreatMartin wrote on August 14, 2014, 12:03 PM
But you didn't say anything about my hat!!!! LOL
My feeling is that people aren't supporting each other here so they may not grow--I respond to your comment--go tread your post--respond there--like your post--follow you--people don't do that here to help build the site.
Feisty56 wrote on August 14, 2014, 8:08 PM
I did overlook your hat, didn't I? lol
MegL wrote on August 15, 2014, 7:46 AM
I saw your post a few days ago, but didn't comment because I wanted to think it over. I have been thinking about WHY I pick certain articles to read and not others. A catchy title catches me. I know about SEO but SEEING a title on the front page has nothing to do with SEO (though lots to do with search engine ranking) and something with a twist will catch me. I also see certain people's usernames and will always try to read them, though mostly I am already following them, so see their new posts in my activity list (great idea, by the way).
There are some people whose posts I have opened and quickly closed because they are just a LOOOOONG page of text, so subheads, no paragraphs, no pictures. Some of these articles appear to be copied from some other article site (probably one that has just closed) but - do yourself a favour - don't just post all the text and expect to get comments and likes! Treat PP as if this were the first time you were posting this text - think about it and make it look attractive, as well as containing all the wisdom of the world.
I like pictures, even just one at the top helps and no, it's not because I can't read!
Funnily enough, on this site, I tend to prefer shorter articles. Mostly, the posts are blogging, rather than information articles, so I am not into reading "scads" of text.
What else? If you are new and I am not following you, and you like my post, follow me and I will follow you back and see your posts on my activity line. That will generally get you more views.
I see that the advertising rate for this site is fairly reasonable. I might try buying an advertisement for one of my sites :) How about you?
GreatMartin wrote on August 17, 2014, 12:49 PM
I don't agree with a lot of what you said but it did hold my interest until your last line and that was a complete turn off--it was almost as if you were 'shilling' for the site..
For the record I try to keep my posts to around 500 words which is a reasonable amount--I am not into writing recipes though I am an excellent chef--I have been blogging for over 9 years and I know what audience I will get--I also know I don't need tutorials on how to write a blog.
MegL wrote on August 17, 2014, 1:47 PM
Were you asking what YOU should write about? From your response, I wonder if you think I was referring to YOUR posts as being the long ones? Your name is one of the ones I always go for, because I know I will enjoy reading your posts, no matter the length. My comments were meant as general ones on what I read when going through PP, not specifically comments on your posts. I am sorry if you thought I was commenting on your writing.