Front Page

Judging by some of the posts on this thread, I get the impression that many consider posting on the forums to be a duty, rather than a pleasure. It is a pity it is not seen as a sociable and fun thing to do. Maybe many bloggers are of the quiet type then. Who is lurking and why dont they speak and what would they say if they did speak is always something I am curious about.

It is unfortunate that being sociable on the internet has so many negative connotations attached to it these days. I often think that is the reason many prefer to lurk than to actively participate.

What do established Front Page bloggers in general think about Unknown Bloggers being promoted in order to give them a chance to get their blogs on the Front Page? From some of the above posts, I get the impression that to established Front Page bloggers this is not desirable, because it means their own blogs will not get as many hits and will not stay as long on the Front Page? Well, as far as I am concened about good bloggers and the Front Page, the more the merrier. Reply to this

I have no problems with good quality bloggers appearing on the front page, even if my blog gets bumped off more quickly. At the moment the page allows for 8 blog summary on the front page, if there were 10 then front pagers would stay on longer - but this might be difficult to implement. You could also have different sections on the front page (such as have a specific destination "of the week/month", blogs about topical areas (i.e. recent floods in the Philippines) or a new blogger section - such as a box with the "New Blogger of the Week") but the amount of effort to introduce and maintain this would make more work for everyone.

Overall, I think the length of time I stay on the front page is a minor concern to me, if I was to drop of within a couple of hours, that would not be preferable, but anything more than 24 hours is a bonus at present. The more the merrier I say too! Reply to this

I got to 78 views before being shunted off the front page; it used to be about 150, so does that mean we have doubled our number of recommended bloggers?

J. Reply to this

After falling off the front page, our blogs are still only 2 clicks away from readers' attention, as we stay on the "Latest Recommended" page for 2 or 3 days. I almost prefer that map to the front page, as the location is a big factor in choosing which blogs to read (although not as much as it used to be: I've found some bloggers that write brilliantly about countries I didn't previously have much interest in).

How about making this link more prominent - and connecting the two pages more noticeably - by changing the text directly above the featured blogs on both pages from "Featured Travel Blogs" and Latest popular blog entries to:

On the front page:
Our Newest Recommended Blogs - This Week's Recommended Blogs

and on the 'Recommended' page:
[url=http://www.travelblog.org Our Newest Recommended Blogs - This Week's Recommended Blogs

That way, each recommended blogger gets the front page exposure they deserve, but there's a bit of a sweetener to compensate for getting kicked off that much quicker...

J. Reply to this

If the number of recommended bloggers increases by too much TravelBlog will need to change the formula for getting on to the front page. If we get to the point where all blogs that appear on the front page only spend 15 or so hours there, the ones among them that are truly excellent will disappear before they have had a chance to be read by a good number of people.

J. Reply to this

This week's blog only got to 70 views... are less people visiting TravelBlog in general?

J. Reply to this

Hi guys - Im Barry i've been blogging for a year but dont post that much here!

Theres been a lot of good info here i never knew about! i always wondered how one got to the front page. To be really honest....(here goes) i dont think the algorithm works as well as it should. When im looking for some great travel stories or inspiration i tend to flick by the front page but to be honest most of the blogs are simple writing-home-to-family blogs, rather than the kind of travel writing i love.

Should the algorithm take into account who made the recommendations as well? On facebook just because you have 300 friends in your list doesnt make you a great guy! Same as if you have 4 recomendations from 4 random bloggers doesnt mean your a great blogger. However if you were to get a recommendation from a 'power user' of the site, say Mell or Ali, then that recomendation would hold more weight (similar to how google judges a sites importance).......anyway sorry for the rant thats just my input!

I love this site though. I love planning my next blog. I will plan it in my head for a week or two, then sit down one night and write the most entertaining engaging blog i can.

I also find this site invaluable for travel inspiration. You can read all the guidebooks and brochures or whatever but to read someones own, well written, experience of a place is truly unique. (I have a few saved blogs on my other computer i must post here or recommend them).

One feature which would be great, would be an advanced search function: I tend to travel to melbourne in a few weeks, however when i search for Melbourne blogs i just get a list of all blogs. How great would it be to be able to sort by recommended bloggers, totals views, total word count, total pictures, oldest TB user, most overall blogs...... I dont mind if the blog was written 2 years ago, if he/she has 8 recomendations and 900 views....i wanna read it!!

Apologies guys for getting carried away in post!! because i dont post much i thought i needed to put down some oppinions. Reply to this

yeh i agree all bloggers are equal.

i suppose i phrased it wrong. i should have said: the algorithm could take into account how many recommendations the people that recommeded you, have. And even how many reco's those people have

nahhh doesnt matter really justa thought!!

i wonder how many people have more than three reco's??? any ideas? Reply to this

This blog which is currently at the bottom of the Front Page has 211 hits.

Full Moon Party - Nov '09



This one which is half way down the page has 164 views.

Fundamentalist Iran



So, depite complaints about gloomy viewing numbers on the Front Page, there is still a chance that a Front Page blog will be heavily viewed. I think it depends a lot on making the blogs enticing and how much a blogger nurtures a relationship with her/his fans. Talented and friendly bloggers who iteract with other members are more likely to get more viewings, in my opinion. So, I think part of the secret is to make your presence felt on TravelBlog, by interacting with others, so people get curious about you and your blogs, and then take a look at them, to find out what else you have to say for yourself. With over 100 new members daily on TravelBlog, it is likely that the quieter members would be lost in the crowd.
Reply to this

A quick front page question: how many photos does a blog have to have to make it on to the front page?

J. Reply to this