Connecting the Dots
Recently I looked at Social Mention and said that one of the things I like about it is the way it connects all your online sources into one. As more networks and ways to interact spring up each day, it’s cool to be able to see what you’ve written and what’s been written about you in a single place.
This integration and interaction is especially true for bloggers, when you want to connect with other bloggers as well as the community that you’ve built around your own blog.
So, in no particular order, I thought I’d share some tools that might help you (as bloggers) connect more. Feel free to use or abuse.
BackType. It’s no secret that I’ve been a huge fan of BackType since its launch. Allowing you to follow the conversations from anywhere you’ve ever left a comment online, it also allows you to see what the people you’re interested in are saying, and where.
Now, with their new Connect option, they’ve just taken it to a whole new level.
You can see comments from other blog’s about you; how many times your post has been referenced on Twitter, Reddit, Digg, etc; and allows you to see the other conversations that your blog commentators are having. Here’s an example of it in use on this blog (just scroll up a little and you’ll see the info just above the trackback link).
I can see a lot of potential in this addition to BackType’s services and if it helps promote more blogs and conversations into the bargain, that’s got to be a good thing. (If you’re on BackType, you can connect with me here).
Scribnia. This is a pretty new service and one that has just gone into private alpha, so you need an invitation (you can email them for one). What I really like about Scribnia is the idea behind it.
Basically, Scribnia will be an online resource that rates and reviews bloggers, journalists, reporters and more. Using a metric system based on context ratings and mini-reviews that Scribnia members provide, you can soon see who’s worth reading in your areas of interest.
I’m testing it out at the minute and so far it looks a really useful way to sort out the stuff that you really want to read. Think of it as your personal feed recommendation engine. (If you’re on Scribnia, you can connect with me here – note, you need to be logged in).
MyBlogLog. If you blog and have a Yahoo account, then MyBlog Log is something you should definitely check out. Almost like one huge online community, MyBlogLog has a ton of features that bring bloggers and readers together.
Every time you visit a MyBlogLog-enabled site, your details are remembered. You can then choose to become a member of that blog’s community (see the sidebar plugin on this blog), connect with the blog author, or see other like-minded readers and connect with them.
You can also display all your online identities, so anyone using MyBlogLog can connect with you there as well. The only real downside is that you need a Yahoo account so it may not be for everyone. (If you’re on MyBlogLog, you can connect with me here).
These are just three tools that offer bloggers a great way to connect. There are a few more, and I’ll be looking at some of these in a future post.
How about you? Do you use any of these services? If so, what do you think about them? Or are there others that you’d recommend?
20 Responses to “Connecting the Dots”
Thanks Adrian, glad you found it useful and the very same to you for the Easter weekend.
Danny, thanks for this post. I hadn’t heard about Scribnia, I’ll have to look into getting in on that. I’m guessing you’re trying it out? What are your thoughts?
So far I’m finding it to be a really good way to cut to the chase on whether I’d be interested in a blog or blogger (or reporter, columnist, etc).
The reviews are pretty useful and the metric rating system is useful as well (choose whether a blogger is a maverick or more mainstream, for instance).
I’ll be taking time to look at it in more depth soon, but so far looks like it could be a useful addition.
Thanks for including us Danny. Glad you’re enjoying our plugin! Another cool way to use Connect is with a new service called ConvoTrack — it was built using our API.
Thanks for the heads up, Chris – just installed it now (and recommended it to others). Opens up the versatility of a blog/website yet again.
Anything you BackType / Improving The Web guys don’t have your fingers on at the minute?
I love Backtype as well, at least the idea of it. I know it misses a lot of the comments I leave on different sites and it seems to be fairly slow sometimes in finding the comments I leave. I’m curious why that happens but think it is overall a great idea.
It is a great way to track the comments your favorite bloggers or online personalities are leaving on other sites. This would be even better if it were more immediate, but it is a great start.
They have plugin for wordpress using their new connect feature, which takes all their tracked tweets, comments, etc. and displays them as comments right along side your post. My site doesn’t have a huge group of readers and doesn’t get too many comments in general, but by using that plugin, I was able to show all of the twitter traffic and some extra conversation that otherwise would not show up. In the two minutes it took to install, it really livened up my site and connected it to a much bigger picture.
Thanks for the comment, Marty.
Glad you’re enjoying the plugin. Regarding missed comments, if you submit the blogs that we miss comments from, we’ll add them for you asap. The time it takes for us to get comments depends on a lot of things, like the publishing platform, how many comments the blog gets overall, etc. We’re working hard to improve both our coverage and timeliness.
Hi Chris,
I guess of all sites, you guys would be able to find a comment about yourself! haha. Thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely try to keep track of what sites don’t show up and go add them to BackType. Keep up the great work!
-Marty
I’m a big fan of MyBlogLog and Backtype (and thanks to you I’ve installed ConvoTrack on The Lost Jacket). However, I had never heard of Scribnia before? I just signed up for the Alpha, I’m hoping to get an invite asap so I can play around with it. Thanks Danny!
Thanks Danny for the info. Another three sites I will be reviewing this week!
@debworksI love Mybloglog as it has many features they provide another metric tool I might recommend is the Google Friend Connect widget.
I’ve been using BackType for ages now, originally following a recommendation from you I believe, Danny. Although I have experienced some of the small limitations discussed above by Marty in the past; a couple of missed posts, these have been very few in number, and have hardly detracted from the user experience. One of the strongest pros of the service stems from BackTypes focus upon the community; they always seem determined to enhance their service to meet the needs of the community. I think Christopher’s presence in these posts emphasises their ‘ear to the blogosphere’ approach. A good little service.
TLR
That’s one of the things that makes them stand out from similar services, Chris. Of course, it’d be disappointing if a company that makes a conversation app didn’t show up in some of the conversations…
I met Christopher Golda at Podcamp Toronto and he’s a genuinely nice guy that’s a blogger at heart. You can tell the love he’s got for the company, and that can only be a good thing for us.
Danny,
I am Russell D’Souza, co-founder of Scribnia, and I wanted to thank you for your kind words about our service. If any readers would like alpha codes to test Scribnia please leave your email address at http://scribnia.com/ and we will send you a code within 24 hours.
Thanks once again Danny!
Russel D’Souza
I just installed BackType Connect on my blog, and I am very excited to include all of the comments from around the Internet. I only get a few onsite comments for each post, and Connect gives me a great way to show that more people are commenting which in turn encourages other readers to do the same. I highly recommend it.
Heya!
My name is Tilly, and I am the community manager here at MyBlogLog! Thanks for adding us to your list!
Drop me a line anytime if you need anything
XOXO
TillyThanks Danny for sharing these cool tools. I love backtype’s connect plugin,will checkout Scribnia soon.
best comment search engine which ever I found, cool. Nice info sharing, so informatif posting. Thank's…
Superior post. Connecting the dots and building community is key to longevity. I will continue to come to your Blog for information now. Happy Easter.