The Candyman Can [GCN-12]

07 Jun 2010

The Candyman Can [GCN-12]

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The Difference between Experimentation and being Stupid

Lately I’ve been looking at ways that I can increase personal efficiency so that I can stop being my own bottleneck and start getting more done.

It started with hiring my favorite VA, Lisa Morosky, moved to hiring iPhone developers on Elance, and how now left me with the hard tasks of eliminating habits and behaviors of my own that I deem either wasteful or destructive.

It started with Facebook…removing the personal profile (we all know the drama, so let’s not go there).

I then uninstalled TweetDeck and moved back to Twitter.com so I could remove the distraction. A greater man might be able to selectively open and close the application, but like many people I know…comments, RT’s, @’s, and DM’s can be as addicting as any drug…and I can’t seem to get control. So for now, away with TweetDeck.

From there, I’ve looked at how I choose to manage email, which isn’t going to be easy. I’m still working on that.

I use Tungle.me to do my scheduling for clients and interviews, have done much less blog commenting than I used to, and also cut out guest posting on most occasions.

The next thing to look at is my blog.

Last night I Tweeted that I might remove the ability to comment here, and people flipped out. However, the funny thing is that most people flipping out about it don’t even comment here.

Furthermore, they were all claiming that I’ll destroy engagement and that my blog will become old media (i.e. web 1.0).

Before I tackle the issue of the comments, I wanted to talk about a few things that struck me as I read these comments.

1. Your most vocal followers are rarely the customers…at least in my case.

None of the people complaining were customers of mine. They hadn’t emailed me. They don’t comment. So why listen?

2. Although I agree that some form of interaction is beneficial to consumer/business relations, the truth is that most blog commenters are there to socialize, not to buy. Look at the comments on the launch fatigue threads (Productive Flourishing, Launch Coach, David Risley) and you’ll see tons of comments.

However, most of the people commenting are either peers or transient types. They aren’t going to buy just because they were allowed to comment.

As Jordan Cooper so aptly put it last night…would you not take your medicine because the pharmacist didn’t say hello?

Engagement may be important, but it’s overrated. Let’s get real. The product comes first. No amount of engagement is going to help me sell something that you don’t like.

3. Why fear not being “new media?”

Yes, I write on new media. I have a digital consulting agency. I blog. I Tweet and Facebook Rockstar style…but that’s not the core of my business. Media doesn’t make the business…the business makes the business.

I suppose if I were whoring myself out for RT’s, comments, linkbacks, and trackbacks, then yeah…being new media would be important, but I don’t buy from my designer because she blogs…I buy because she does kick ass work.

My Comment Strategy

So let’s talk about when it’s OK to experiment.

If I removed comments from my blog, would that be an experiment or just something stupid to do?

Where do you draw the line between testing strategies and being smart with strategy?

One less list post?

One less comment back?

That’s not experimenting is it? Doesn’t seem so to me.
Here’s what I thought about doing, and you tell me what you think. In all likelihood, I’ll probably go with my gut, but I’m interested in hearing both what you think about my experiments and what you say about your comfort level with experiments of your own.

Comments for Members Only

Sounds cool doesn’t it?

You have to have either purchased something or joined the members area to leave a comment. It’s like a rewards card, or a Sam’s club card.
Granted, I’m not saying that leaving a comment on my site is an honor, but what if I tried to create that experience? What if I told that story?

Would people believe it?

Why would I do this?

#1 – I know who my customers are, and they deserve special access. I’d rather pay attention to them than non-customers.

#2 – Potential customers would be more apt to buy when they see an active comment section of happy customers.

#3 – It removes false metrics from the equation and I get to see how things really work. Comments are misleading, and they’re addicting. By removing them, I get to see my traffic for what it is.

What do you think? Am I crazy or just nuts?