Memetag: Is it worth it to play?

Our favorite Publicity Hound, Joan Stewart, sent me the following question:

The first time a blogger tagged me, it was fun. The second time, I went along for the ride. The third time, it got tiring. Now it’s just plain annoying.

What does The Blog Squad say about playing these ubiquitous games of tag? Should I be flattered? Or should I go back to doing the stuff that pays the bills?

What Joan is referring to is called "memetag".  Here's an example of how it works as defined by Wikipedia:

A blogger invites five other bloggers to list their 'top five songs of all time'.

Those bloggers publish their list, incude the memetag that links back to the original invite, then invites five more bloggers and asks them to include a link to the original post.

The next five list their top five songs of all time, each linking back to the original post using the memetag. Each of them invites five more friends.

And so on.

So are these games worth playing?

It depends.  It's certainly worth it to the person who starts the memetag since they are getting tons of links back to their blog.

But is it worth it for the rest of us?  Well, I'd say that there's no harm it playing.  It connects you with others in the Blogosphere, helps you share information about yourself you may otherwise not think about sharing, and for a business blog may help break up the normal "all business all the time" tone.

I believe, that if "played" right, then it's a chain of links that evolve, with each tagger, linking to new players while those tagged also link back to the person who sent them the meme.  This can create more traffic from new readers, if it's an interesting meme.

That brings me to my next point and sort of contradicts my previous point of breaking up the tone of your blog.  I'd prefer to participate in memetags that will somehow educate and inform my reader rather than play just to indulge myself.

Anyone else have an opinion on memetags?

Comments

[Joan Schramm]

Hmmm...I recently "tagged" Joan Stewart for a list of "success tips -- things you do every day to move yourself forward" -- so I'm probably one of the people who annoyed her. It's the first time I've ever done something like that, so I'm a little disconcerted to find that maybe I did a bad thing. Maybe the other 5 people I tagged were similarly irritated.

I'm trying to build up my readership on my blog and this seemed like a neat idea -- with the potential for some valuable advice (and links) from people I admire. Since about 99% of the comments I get on my blog are from people who want to sell me weight loss drugs or improve my sexual performance, I'd welcome just about any legitimate comment, and this seemed like a good way to branch out a little.

Oh well, on to the next idea.

[Pamela Slim]

I think I fall on Joan's side of the fence. While I love the thought of connecting with other bloggers and building a nice, broad network of links, it can seem kind of self-indulgent to write a bunch of posts that are focused on games of tag. But of course I don't want to be a tightly wound fuddy duddy and refuse to play.

I worry about alienating my readers, who look to the blog for specific content about how to leave a corporate job and start a business. I think a lot depends on the topic of your blog and the nature of your readers. If you have a very open, playful and personal topic, memes can fit really well. But if you have a more business-focused blog, it can seem a bit frivolous to respond to memes every other week.

I got hit with about 3 different memes in one week, so did an all-in-one post to answer them all, then asked for a "meme-free pass" for a year. Here is the example:
http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/get_a_life_blog/2006/12/the_allinone_to.html

I'd say follow your gut - if it feels right, do it.

But I think the best kind of incoming links will always be from people that love your content and link because they find it highly relevant to their blog audience, or solving their problems.

[Denise aka The Blog Squad]

Hi Joan, who knows what tag game was the tipping point for Joan Stewart, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. However, I think that the key is, if the information is relevant to the people you tag and to your readers, then it can work, if not, take a pass.

Pamela's advice is right on. Really the best way to connect in the blogosphere is by reading, linking and commenting on other blogs to build a network of like-minded colleagues and writers.

[Dawud Miracle]

I think the more important question is what is your overall blogging goal?

Is it to drive traffic? Or build a community? Or create conversation? Or write for your readers? etc...

For me, I put my readers above everything else. I want to offer them great posts about interesting topics that engage them into conversation. And it's happening - faster than I would have thought.

Since beginning my blog in early January, my traffic is up 1200% (over my previous static website) and I've had almost 1400 comments. All I'm doing is writing good content, linking out and commenting on blogs.

I've tried a few link-memes - none really led to any great increase in readership. For instance I just tried the Technorati Faves meme and got into the Top 100. But I also realized that I sacrificed time for my readers and so I've decided not to do memes like that again (click my name to read more about why).

I do find information-centric memes to be useful mainly because they can increase your reach while still giving great value to your readers.

My advice, know what your blog is about first and then do what supports that.

[Mark Silver]

Great question. I've participated in a couple, ignored a couple of requests, and had my requests both followed and ignored.

I'm happy about those results, because it means people are paying attention to what's true for them.

I agree with some of what's been written above- both Pamela's and Denise's comments spoke to me.

If the meme fits... wear it. If it doesn't, don't.

One other thing, though- if you get tagged by a meme that doesn't make sense for your blog, but you like the person who tagged you, you can do what they teach you in media training (how to be interviewed by media): just answer the question you want to answer.

For instance, if you run a business blog, and you get tagged to name your five favorite songs, you can easily turn it into a blog about using music to boost productivity and creativity at work, how to do it, and you five favorite productivity-boosting songs.

Useful to your readers, expands your thinking, and plays the game.