: A beginner's guide to MyBlogLog >
Entrecard is a site that's all about card dropping. Once you have registered with Entrecard and uploaded an image for your site, you put the Entrecard widget on your site. You can see mine if you go to my home page.There are a few different sized widgets to choose from. Initially you'll see that your site image is displayed on the widget. The widget serves three purposes:
- It allows other Entrecard users to drop their card on your site by clicking on the "Drop yours" link.
- It provides a link to your Entrecard profile where other users can advertise on your site. (click on the "E" to view someone's profile.)
- If you are running an advert, it displays that advert on your site. Clicking the advert will take you to that person's site.
EC - the currency
"EC" stands for Entrecard Credits. You can get credits in a number of ways:- You get 1 credit every time you drop your card on someone's site. You can only drop your card once per site in any 24 hour period. You can drop a maximum of 300 cards per day.
- You get 1 credit every time someone drops their card on your site.
- Whenever someone advertises on your site, if you accept the ad and you don't cancel it before it finishes running (ads run for 24 hours), you get 25% of the credits paid for the ad. So if someone pays 100 credits to advertise on your site, you'll get 25 credits when their ad has finished running.
- Vouchers can be used to transfer credits between accounts. Some sites run competitions where you can win a certain number of credits. If you win, the person running the competition will send you those credits as a voucher.
More recently, some users have been buying and selling credits for cash. You will have to shop around to see what the going rate is, because it varies from one site to the next. Entrecard is also working on allowing you to sell credits through the system.
What's the point in dropping cards?
Aside from the 1 credit you get for dropping a card, it's a friendly way to network with other bloggers. If I drop a card on someone's site, it is basically a way of saying "hey, I checked out your blog, here's mine" in just one click.There are some people who hop around sites simply to drop their cards, but even if you do this, you'd be surprised how many sites you come across that are worth reading.
And it really does go both ways. I've subscribed to a lot more blogs since I joined Entrecard, and in return, a lot more people have found my blog.
How do you know when someone drops their card on you?
Across the top of the Dashboard, you'll see some of the recent cards that were dropped on your blog. The Drops Inbox is a bigger version of this. You can filter the Drops Inbox to show the sites who have dropped on you but you haven't dropped on them yet. This is handy if you wish to be a "reciprocal dropper".How do you find blogs after you join?
Just click on the Campaign tab at the top and you'll see a list of categories, with the top 3 blogs in each. Click on a category and you'll see all of the blogs in that category.My blog is in the Blogging Resources category. You can also see my blog's profile page.
Advertising
From the Dashboard, click on Campaign followed by Browser. This allows you to find sites to advertise on. As a new user you may wish to look for the cheapest sites first. Just click the Advertise link to place your ad.When an ad is placed, it appears in the ad queue on the owner's Dashboard. If someone places an ad on your site, you can choose to approve or deny the ad. It's a good idea to visit the site first so you can decide whether the ad is appropriate for the readers of your site.
When an ad appears in your queue (before you approve it), your ad price will increase. Initially it starts at 2 credits and will double each time you approve an ad. When an ad finishes running, the next ad takes its place, and your ad price will be cut in half. You'll then get your percentage of the price that the person paid for the ad. If you cancel an ad before it finishes, or you reject an ad so it never goes into your approved ad queue, your ad price will drop but you won't get a cut of the price paid for the ad.
Won't the smaller blogs have problems getting people to their site?
This is a major drawback with many other blogging networks - newcomers find it very difficult to be seen.It's a bit of a double-edged sword at Entrecard. When you join, your ad price is very low, so people will swarm to your site and place ads with you. I know people do this because the "Most Recent" tab consists almost entirely of sites that say "Ad queue full" - this means you can't place an ad because there are too many waiting to be displayed.
The problem with this is that it can be off-putting to be inundated with so many requests. Also, new users start with a low ad price and these users could benefit from advertising on other small blogs, but most of the people who joined when they did already have a full ad queue.
Despite this, some users don't mind having all these ads, and I'd definitely say that newcomers have it a lot better at Entrecard than at any other blogging network.
How much traffic does it generate?
It really depends on whether you place ads on sites that are relevant to your target audience, how often you drop cards on other sites, and how active you are in the forums.But I've had a lot more people coming to my site from Entrecard than from any other site. Well, except for StumbleUpon.
What's the support like?
When I joined in December 2007, I quickly found ways that the system could be improved, so I sent a number of suggestions and requests. It was nice to get a couple of replies and even a very sincere "thank you" from them. This is very encouraging and it gave me more reason to keep sending them feedback.I'm now a moderator for Entrecard, so I'm in a completely different place from when I first joined. We are now doing a great job of handling all the queries we get. I may be biased, but I believe the support is great!
One thing to bear in mind...
If you use a system that doesn't allow guests to leave comments, i.e. people who aren't registered with the system you use, don't expect to get comments from Entrecard. It's not specifically that Entrecard users don't want to register - it's that nobody likes registering just to leave a comment.Basically, if you try to use Entrecard for a site that doesn't allow guests to comment, you're not going to get a surge in comments. But if you do allow guests to comment, you may be pleasantly surprised.
And if it doesn't work for you...
Don't blame Entrecard! No site is perfect, but Entrecard can really help a site to get noticed. If you aren't getting good results from it, perhaps you should read another post of mine: Don't blame others if you're not getting traffic.Try putting the Entrecard widget towards the top of your site so it's visible without scrolling. Try dropping cards on other sites that are related to yours, advertise when you can afford it, and post in the forums. Comment on some sites if you have something to say.
If you still don't get much out of it, perhaps it's not for you. Just give it a fair chance before you come to this conclusion.
So is it worth using?
When I first joined Entrecard in early December, I made a point not to get too excited about it until I knew if it was any good. I remember saying that it seemed like a good idea and I wanted to see how it fared in the long run.However, in the month since I joined, I've been pleasantly surprised with the amount of people who have been checking out my site who had never even heard of it before. I have had more visitors, more subscribers, and more comments on my site since joining Entrecard. Better still, it's obvious from the Entrecard forums that there are a lot of friendly people using the system, and this makes it much more of a pleasant experience.
It's an excellent site, and in my opinion, it's the absolute best of its kind by a long shot. I'd recommend them to anyone who wants to join a growing network of bloggers and find loads of new blogs that aren't all the same.
What do you think?
Are you an existing Entrecard user? Do you agree or disagree with this post? If you're not registered with Entrecard yet, are you now going to give them a try?Did you like this post? Subscribe today!
Tags: blogging networks, blogging sites, entrecard
Posted by Ben on January 06, 2008 16:39 / Edited: July 13, 2008 18:20
Comments
Hi Karen, thanks for the supportive comment. :)
I actually knew about subscribing to the inbox, but I've yet to do a blog entry about feed readers so I was going to hold off for the time being. I tried subscribing to my inbox by email via Feedburner but only dropping 20 cards a day isn't really enough for me.
I'd like to have some better ways to manage the inbox within Entrecard itself - such as having more than 10 items shown, and a way to clear out the cards as I view each blog. It's good to have other ways to do it, but it would be a lot easier to get a few tweaks made to Entrecard itself. :)
What do you think?
I think I learned something new about Entrecards in this article.
"Whenever someone advertises on your site, if you accept the ad and you don't cancel it before it finishes running (ads run for 24 hours), you get 25% of the credits paid for the ad. So if someone pays 100 credits to advertise on your site, you'll get 25 credits when their ad has finished running."
Gosh, I never knew this, I thought we get the full credits.
"There are some people who hop around sites simply to drop their cards, but even if you do this, you'd be surprised how many sites you come across that are worth reading."
I totally agree, mate. ;)
Are you an existing Entrecard user?
Fellow Entrecarder here, mate. :D
Do you agree or disagree with this post?
I don't think I found any point that needs to be disagreed yet? So I guess I agree with this post.
Regard comments, I totally agree.
Forcing folks to register first before commenting is a big no-no for me.
Comment moderation is a bit turn off for me, but I can live with that.
If you're not registered with Entrecard yet, are you now going to give them a try?
So far, my fellow Malaysian bloggers are kinda reluctant to become an Entrecarder.
Can't really understand why. -_-
However, a few who realized the potential of Entrecard have started embracing it and becoming fellow Entrecarders like us. :)
Cheers!
Hi Deimos, thanks for the comment. :) I edited it so the formatting worked - currently I only permit the use of CMS Codes in comments, but I will be changing that soon.
Hopefully more people will start using Entrecard soon. It seems to be getting a lot of good publicity from us, the early adopters, which can only be a good thing.
I'm happy with entrecard. Still getting the hang of a lot of it - but it works pretty well.
Thanks for the comment, Matt. :) Good to know I'm not alone in my satisfaction with Entrecard!
This is a great explanation about Entrecard. I'm loving it personally, and have found tons of blogs that I hadn't seen elsewhere.
I think it also works very well for small blogs getting some traffic and being noticed. I've increased the number of blogs I subscribe to now just because of Entrecard.
Lin, thanks for the comment. :) I agree about small blogs, despite the fact they seem to get inundated with ad requests.
I think the real test will be how Entrecard holds up as more people join. A big problem with networking sites is that there are so many users, the newest members page gets flooded. Invariably, some sites do not get noticed.
This blog post is doing great for comments! Glad I posted it!
I am a very new member (this is my second day), and I found your blog through Entrecard.
I agree with your post. I definitely got to surge of cheap ads. But I've dealt with marketing and systems somewhat similar, so I was prepared for that. I haven't started in the forum community at all yet, but that will be my next step, probably tonight after work.
One point I really agree with is forcing user registration! I used to force moderation, but now I have dropped that since I get an email anytime a new comment goes up and can easily spot check. One reason I really hate blogger blogs is that it forces me to use that account, and so far I have generally been to lazy to set up any aliases for my blogs. The system they use for leaving comments just really turns me off, which is a shame.
I look forward to seeing your card, and talking to you more on the forums!
Hi Chris, thanks for the comment - welcome to Entrecard. :)
On Blogger I've noticed that it's possible to specify a name and URL even if you have a Blogger / Google account - just click on the second option when leaving a comment. I managed to do this even when logged into my Google Account.
But I do agree that Blogger commenting is not all it's cracked up to be.
I'm around the forums from time to time, so I'll see you there or in blog comments :)
I am an existing entrecard user and I love it. It has brought me lots of traffic and great readers. I've also found lots of great sties through it. I actually came across this article while returning a card you dropped. :)
Hi Selene, thanks for the comment. Glad you found me through Entrecard, and it's good to hear another success story! No wonder the site is growing so quickly.
Thanks for this explanation...I'm new to Entrecard and still learning the ropes.
One problem I have is that when I run firefox (which is pretty much always) the widgets are just big black boxes. I have the same problem with google maps and it makes me crazy. For the fun of it I opened IE and it was so nice seeing the widgets. I'm not savvy enough to know how to fix this.
Anyway, thanks again!
Hi Christine, thanks for the comment. Glad you found this useful. At a guess, I'd say you might need to tweak your Javascript settings in Firefox, but I'd suggest asking about the problem in the Entrecard forums. Just click on Forums on the Entrecard site and go into the first problem. Hope you get it sorted out. :)
I'm a relative newcomer to Entrecard- about a week I suppose, and no doubt at all that traffic has increased. Mind you a lot of that traffic passes straight through without a glance.
One of the problems I feel are the categories. I've put myself in environment because that's closest, but otherwise it would have to go into personal blog and I felt I would be lost without trace in there.
I don't like the large number of making money online blogs that seem to be attracted to Entrecard, though I suppose that's inevitable. They mostly seem to have more ads than content.
Anyway thanks for the great post. I'm tempted now to go for that Sponsored Review.... Decisions, decisions
Hi Atms, thanks for the comment. Glad you found the post useful. The Entrecard categories can certainly cause a problem for blogs that could go in more than one. However, it's quite difficult to get noticed in ANY category unless you're close to the top or right at the bottom.
I find that participating in the Entrecard forums is a really good way to get your site out there. Dropping cards on other blogs works well too. I think the category pages could do with a bit of an overhaul.
You might have to wait until I'm approved before you can order a Sponsored Review. Then again, it might let you. I only just joined, so I haven't done any reviews yet.
I am glad I ran across this article because it answered a question about ad price. I had figured out that it had something with dropping the cards. So thank you for giving me my answer
Thanks Carol - glad it helped you.
hi Ben, you wrote an excellent post - I found here answers for some questions of mine about EntreCard. But, I need to now - is that loyal visitors, or just entrecard users which make drops and gone on. I think that entrecard is just another traffic exchange network. Also, I think that newbie users in entrecard have success only at beginning (when price for their ads is small). After that, nobody can find you in the giant list of ads by category, sorted up/down from higher payed ads to lowed payed ads. To find your place under the sun as entrecard user, you must dropping all day and lose a lot of time to earn several lousy points.
Hi ukion, thanks for the comment. Entrecard is not a traffic exchange network, it is a blogging network - i.e. a place to find other blogs, and to get your own blog noticed.
On Entrecard you can get noticed in many ways.
1. Drop your card on other sites in your category. Many people drop on the sites that drop on them, and they have to go to your site to drop back.
2. Once you can afford to, advertise on other sites. If your ad runs, anyone clicking it will find your site.
3. Post on the forums. Not specifically to say "hey come check out my site", but simply to join in with some discussions. People will start to notice you and they may check out your site.
4. Comment on other blogs that you find through Entrecard. It is "proper etiquette" to comment as you drop, but personally I think it's better not to comment unless you have something to say.
There is no guarantee that you'll get a loyal reader from any of these methods, but that's par for the course - some people will like your site, some won't.
Good luck!
Nice Entrecard guide. I can't say great because I've written two Entrecard guides too ;) I rated it with 5 point, though :)
I think Entrecard is great for bringing traffic to a blog and I like using it, despite the fact that I've read many articles against Entrecard.
thanks for the comment, Diana. :)
Hello Ben! Good to run into you. Miss seeing you around.
Great post and thanks for the info. Couple of things I didn't know before reading your post.
Take good care my friend!
Hi Chilly! Thanks for stopping by. Glad you liked the post. I'm on Entrecard a lot so we'll probably bump into each other from time to time. I've bookmarked your site so I remember to drop my card every day. Have a good weekend. :)
Hello Ben thank you for your wonderful post on Entrecard. I am a recent member and I am having grave trouble placing the drop card in my Wordpress Widget. I notified Wordpress and Entrecard, and have not received a response from Entrecard but Word press did respond in saying they will not allow scripts. Do you know of another option or way to place the drop code? Thanks and continued success on your blogs.
Julissa
www.amigobahia.wordpress.com
Hi Julissa, thanks for the comment. Unfortunately I don't have a site on WordPress.com, I don't even use WordPress, so can't help you with this. I'd suggest going to Entrecard.com and posting in the Forums, alternatively try emailing support at entrecard dot com to see if they have any suggestions. Good luck!
This is a really great article about Entrecard. I've been using it since close to the beginning and have found that it really helps with traffic, that I have found some awesome blogs with it and met some really great bloggers, and I enjoy seeing the new people sign up, because who knows how great their blog is going to be!
Also, about knowing who is visiting your site, there is a little feed icon in the top right of the 'dropped' column in your dashboard. If you subscribe you can see your last 20 droppers!