Some of you new to Searchwarp, and maybe some who have been readers / writers for some time, may be puzzled by a few things. Well, I am writing this article to explore a few issues and to get some answers from all who come in contact with the cyber pages here at the Warp.
Fan ClubsWhat's the best way to get a lot of fans? Well, that depends on whether or not or how much you massage the competition. But before I get into that, let me digress for a moment, for how one qualifies to become a fan must be understood.
In order to become
a fan of someone you have to register. You don't necessarily have to
write but you at least have to register. Some who read the articles
want to be fans because they've found the article they've just read so
moving they must do so. Some do register and never write an
article to be fans of writers, but most fans are regular writers at the
Warp.
Back to the topic of massaging other writers at the Warp.
Some desire to get lots of fans for whatever reason. One of the reasons is competition. Some may not think of other writers at the Warp as competition or admit to it; however, you'll notice many of the posts in the "writer status" statements at the top of page one or the "Home" page focus on writer popularity which is that superscript number in parenthesis next to the writer's name on any given article. These rankings are based on "search referrals" (people who searched using keywords and clicked on your article)* or "misc referrals" which are, for example, people who found your article interesting, forwarded it to a friend and that friend clicked on it.
And if you move up in the rankings you are going to leave people behind or pass them as you do so. Don't tell me that writers enjoy looking up more than they do looking down. Why do so many prefer mountain top views to those at the bottom of the valley? I rest my case.
Now, rankings can be a bit misleading. Just because you get high rankings, doesn't mean you are the best writer technically or inspirationally; this isn't Hemingway's.com. A lot of the best ranked articles are those that people want to read, and what they want to read can be about "hair care," "pets," "ipods and you," or any number of things of less
lyrical or inspiring topics. Some times people just want cold, hard information. But at the Warp, you can get both: the lyrical and the mere informational.
Now this talk of rankings may seem a bit off base when talking about Fan Clubs, but it's not. For Fan Clubs, to a degree, are an indicator of the writer's popularity. Just as rankings are a loose indicator of ranking or popularity. The ranking of authors at the Warp is not an exact science by any stretch of the imagination, but it works well and does a very good job of letting us know what people are looking for on the Net, and, indirectly, the writer's popularity, of course.
Back to Fan Clubs and the "massage factor," as I mentioned above.
This leads to the problem with "Fan Club" rankings, or the number of fans a writer has. Are writers true fans of these writers they've be-fanned (like befriended) or are they merely reciprocating, meaning, someone becomes your fan so you become theirs or you simply become a fan because you are friends with the writer. An indicator of this reciprocation, or alleged massaging, can be seen in comparing those on the list of "Authors with the Most Fans" with those on the "Authors in the Most Fan Clubs" list.
Want to "see" what I mean? Simply go to the Home page and at the top right click on "Fan Clubs" and begin your comparing.
But just like the ranking of authors the be-fanning of authors is a rough indicator of those who are either good technical / inspirational authors or those with lots of good information. Just how much credence you want to put in the "Fan Club" is a relatively subjective call.
Nevertheless, it certainly is nice to get a slap on the back of the old ego and quite enjoyable any time someone becomes your fan regardless of reason or motivation.
Page Two
I put this in here because I've often looked at page two and wondered why it was there. Not looking at the sub text, I had no clue. But if you're like me, someone who may just miss the obvious, here it is. As it states at the top of the page, these articles are the most popular or "Top Reader's Choice Articles." There's ten of them. 'nough said.
Featured AuthorsThese are authors who are, as it states, "Featured" or authors who write often and write well, meaning, yes, they do write well but they also, mostly, are popular writers with substantial readership or up and coming writers.
However, there are authors who haven't written in some time with relatively low readership, but most of the featured authors are those who write regularly and are some of Searchwarp's best.
If you cycle through the home page, hitting the refresh button again and again, you'll see at the top pictures of authors. The majority are regulars at Searchwarp and its best writers.
Article Comments
Getting comments for most of the writers at the Warp is the most enjoyable aspect of writing. This is what writers are waiting for; this is why they write. Few if any writers spend hours researching, planning, writing, re-writing, and editing merely for their own enjoyment. Some may say they write for themselves but most write for others to inspire, inform, and educate. For why else do we write than to connect to our fellow humans--writers or not.
However, one of the downfalls of these comments is that too few of Searchwarp's readers drop a line. The majority of comments are left by other writers at Searchwarp and especially by friends of the writer. For some reason, readers are reticent to leave comments. Maybe they don't feel connected or they desire to remain anonymous. Personally, in looking at the great writing that goes on at the Warp, it can't be because what is being read isn't inspiring or causing blood to rush rapidly in reader's veins.
Personally, I extend a hand to all readers who are inspired to drop a comment and let these great writers at the Warp know how you're feeling. It will not only help us to connect to those who are reading, but it will aid us in tailoring our content to what is of greatest concern in your heads and hearts.
I have been writing at the Warp for some time, and with over 50,000 "Page Views" I would love to see more reader comments. The reader to reader comment ratio needs to be much higher, if not to show what you're thinking as a reader, at least do so to give these great writers at the Warp their just rewards.
* You can go to "Control Panel" / "View Your Article Stats" / and under "Other Reports," the far-right header, find "keywords," the "count" and the "keywords" used to find your articles. If you'd really like to bump up your rankings, this is the place to focus. Just find what people are looking for and pop those keywords into your articles, that is if you're merely after a high ranking.
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