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I guess I'm about to find out. Does active participation via voting and comments compensate for the occasional personal Sphinn submission...?
22 Comments     

Comments

from Cumbrowski 249 days ago #
Votes: 5 | Vote:
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Nope, Sphinn users are search marketers after all and can't escape their own skin.  I would suggest to Sphinn only the posts of yourself where you believe that they are specifically good or important. Don't submit every single one. Nobody will kill you, if you do that, but its just lame.

from LocalHound 249 days ago #
Votes: 1 | Vote:
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I think this is a good discussion.  I believe there is a difference between self promotion and sphinning your own good content. 

My understanding is that self promotion is when you use Sphinn to try and sell your own product.  .  I don't think submitting one's good articles is self promotion.  In fact, I think we are encouraged to do so in the submission guidelines.  I'd have to read again to confirm.



from planetc1 249 days ago #
Votes: 1 | Vote:
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Just like many of us do on other platforms, a 1 to 5 rate works well. Promote 5 posts you think are valuable to the sphinn community and make one of those yours (if you have one to submit). Continue to promote and submit others at that ratio and you'll likely find someone else is then submitting your stuff.

from JamesDuthie 249 days ago #
Votes: 0 | Vote:
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Thanks for the feedback guys. Indeed, the submission guidelines held the answers (why didn't I think of that...?):
  • Yes, you can submit your own stories. In fact, we'd rather you directly submit your own stories you think are of interest to the community than have someone do it for you.
  • Yes, you can submit your own blog post about a news story you read. However, we'd prefer you only do this if you've added something unique to the general news topic, such as an extended opinion or further clarification.
I think I'll stick with your approach Cumbrowski - the occassional Sphinn for my best work.

from nickycakes 249 days ago #
Votes: 0 | Vote:
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Thinking about your posts from a sphinn perspective will make your posts better.  I think to myself...would I be comfortable submitting this to sphinn or would I get laughed/booed off the internet.

from Wingnut 249 days ago #
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@nickycakes - good point

I actually feel bad when I submit one of my favorite bloggers posts - I'm not that well known and it almost feels like a dis-service to them by not submitting it themselves.

I submit mostly news articles and my own stuff

from SearchBuzz 249 days ago #
Votes: 2 | Vote:
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Carsten said it well...submit what you think is quality, but avoid submitting everything you post.

from crimsongirl 249 days ago #
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I don't think there is anything wrong with Sphinning your own blog posts.  But this case is an example of a bad tendency at Sphinn: when people post on their own blogs about topics that really should be covered at Sphinn.

The question asked is about Sphinn.  Why should readers be directed to the originator's blog?  The entire blog entry could have (and should have) been posted here.  This happens a lot.  People want to say something about this community/platform, but they say it at their own blog, not here.

from nickycakes 249 days ago #
Votes: 0 | Vote:
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Well, at the end of the day, the majority of the people on this site are into promotion on some level.  When someone sphinn's their own article, some people will immediately question the credibility of the article since the person is trying to promote it.  If you just have/let someone else submit it, then that may help people get past that.

@wingnut
dont feel bad about sphinning submitting someone elses stuff.  I personally prefer other people to sphinn my articles because it makes me feel like my work is appreciated.

from NickWilsdon 248 days ago #
Votes: 0 | Vote:
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I don't think it's a problem to submit your own material. Lots of people read Sphinn regularly who wouldn't read my blog so sending them links to the better posts here makes sense.

Of course it's a better feeling when other's Sphinn your posts for you. One tip I'd give people is to wait a little bit after posting. There have been times I was about to submit a great article that appeared on my reader or Twitter only to find the author had done it themselves.


from SeoDesignSolutions 248 days ago #
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I Agree with the concensus here. As long as it contributes value, let the masses decide if they support it. I'm glad someone finally addressed this, not to mention, it encourages the community to share more of their heartfelt work. Within the bourdaries of relevance of course.

from JakePM 248 days ago #
Votes: 0 | Vote:
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Thanks for bringing this thread up.

@localhound

My understanding is that self promotion is when you use Sphinn to try and sell your own product.


I agree, and further, anyone who comes to Sphinn trying to sell is quite frankly, out of their head.

Sphinn and submit your own stuff now and again, but make sure you're adding value and don't go overboard.  Everything in moderation. Of course when other submit and Sphinn your content on it's own merit, that's the best.

from ViperChill 248 days ago #
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I would only sphinn my own if i think its deserving of the homepage.

from inflatemouse 248 days ago #
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I think if you put out a good piece of content you should be willing to stand behind it, good or bad response.

On the other hand I also think it is good to ask a colleague to read your work and post it if they think it is valuable.

from SlightlyShadySEO 248 days ago #
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If it's a sin to sphinn yourself, I've got some ethical thinking to do haha.

from DarkMatter 248 days ago #
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Considering how well educated most Sphinners are about self promotion, I think it's going to be immediately obvious if someone is blatantly self-serving without contributing anything valuable. Like any other web community or forum, the community will probably police itself, and poor contributors will develop a bad reputation and get less Sphinns in the long haul.

So far, I'm pretty pleased with the quality of articles here...still miss threadwatch though.

from DanThies 248 days ago #
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Someone's gotta Sphinn it - if what you Sphinn is crap, it won't get more than the first one, if it's good, we'll all be grateful that you put it into the mix. Personally, I don't have time to read several hundred blogs - I rely on social bookmarking sites like Sphinn to help the cream rise, so I can read the good stuff.

from Jill 248 days ago #
Votes: 2 | Vote:
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Sphinn actually encourages you to submit your own stuff. I thought it was weird at first because it goes against all netiquette that I learned through the past decade, but it does seem to work here.

And besides, sometimes ya gotta sphinn your own stuff before an unknown green anonymous avatar does (and you end up with no sphinns cuz of it!).

from JamesDuthie 248 days ago #
Votes: 1 | Vote:
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Thanks for all the positive feedback guys. It's reassuring to know that I'm not being perceived as a social media spammer. The article has managed to attract a fair amount of attention, so hopefully next time I publish I won't have to worry about self submission... :)

from Woz 247 days ago #
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Not a SIN, nor a SINN. ;-)

(Sorry, couldn't resist.)

from robwatts 247 days ago #
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There are times when I sphinn my own stuff too; on most occassions, the whole point in publically saying x y or z is to promote discussion/stimulate debate.

That said, I much prefer it when my stuff is sphunn by better branded  sphinners, simply because it then gets more attention.


from annie7 246 days ago #
Votes: 0 | Vote:
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Surely not ... Unless one sphinns only his own staff...


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