Entrecard Changes

I know I have talked about how much I love Entrecard. They are a great way to drive traffic to your blog and have a great community. Today, some cool changes took place and some not so cool changes too.

First, the cool changes. Now, you can see how many times a person has dropped their Entrecard on you. It also lists your last 5 posts that you have done on your blog. Both are very cool changes that I think are great.

Now, onto the not so good changes. The change that I absolutely hate that happened today (without any warning) is that you can only drop 600 cards per ip. Now, if you have one blog this is no big deal. However, if you have more than 2 (aff) blogs in the system (I have 3 (aff)), this royally screws you. How? Normally, you can drop 300 cards per account you have. Since I have 3 (aff) accounts, I was dropping up to 900 cards a day. Yes, I actually do read the majority of those blogs I was dropping my cards on (not everybody updates daily or weekly). It would take me several hours a day to do. However, the traffic that I received from that made it well worth me doing. By looking at my entrecard stats, I can definitely see the difference in my traffic depending on the number of cards I dropped. More cards = more traffic.

Now, this not only effects me. This effects every person who has more than 2 (aff) blogs in the system. If I drop evenly between my blogs, I will drop only 200 cards per blog. I am losing out on potentially 100 more drops (if everyone reciprocates). If this is the case, this blog will never make the top three spots nor will my other two blogs since I won't be able to reciprocate everyone who drops on me. I am also going to assume that the top three blogs are people who only have a single blog in the system. If that is the case, they will be dropping 300 cards to my 200 on a daily basis. Tell me how I ever catch up to the lost traffic. The top spots got there by dropping 300 cards daily.

This change effects anyone who uses a shared computer and/or ip to do their drops. Husbands and wives won't be able to both have accounts and not effect each others ability to drop. People won't be able to drop (or be limited) from work if anybody else in the building does Entrecard. And heaven forbid, if you have to use an internet cafe or library to drop. Who knows if somebody already used up the 600 drops off those ips?

What's the reason for this change? Well, according to Phirate (one of the head guys of Entrecard):

It's not a penalty, it's just our only real rational response to people creating multiple “spam blogs” and going nuts dropping a thousand + per day. Unfortunately, some legitimate users will get caught in the cross-fire.

Well, go after the spam blogs. Set up a system where the blogs have to be 30-60 days old and have 10 posts or so. That should weed out a bunch of them right off the bat. I would think they would rather be able to say that they have 7,000 good blogs in the system instead of 6,000 good and 1,000 not so good.

Another issue with this is that it is pretty easy to change your IP. If you use AT&T like I do, it is simple (just a pain in the butt to have to do everyday). I won't go into how you do it, but if I know how to do it, the spammers definitely do to. Also, another way around this is to use a proxy. Again, if I figured this out, so can the spammers.

Entrecard, I love your system. It does exactly what it is suppose to — it drives traffic to my blogs. However, you are hurting the very people who make the system great. I would think that you would want your best users to be able to put more of their quality blogs into the system.

If you agree, please let them know. From the few people I have talked to like Jenn, I am not the only one who doesn't agree with this change. Entrecard has made tons of changes based on what the users want. I am hoping that the users can bring about change again.

Lisa Martin

In April 2006, Lisa began blogging to stay connected with distant relatives and friends. As she delved into blogging, she discovered the potential to assist others by sharing her experiences. Lisa has actively engaged in numerous exclusive media ventures. Notable among these are her participation in events such as the Sony Mommy Bloggers Event, the Pampers Mommy Bloggers Event, the Epson Event in Chicago, the Stouffers Event, a memorable yacht excursion with Lands End, collaborations with 1-800-Baskets, an exclusive tour for bloggers by Mrs. Prindable’s, partnerships with Hallmark, PopCap games, Chicago Cubs Mastercard Priceless Events, and Rug Doctor. In addition, she has collaborated with Nutrisystem on a weight loss initiative, teamed up with Buick and Chevy, and served as a brand ambassador for Sprint. Lisa's collaboration portfolio also extends to Disney, where she has participated in press trips for significant movies such as Frozen, Guardians of the Galaxy, McFarland USA, The Good Dinosaur, The BFG, and Cars 3. Notably, for projects like Frozen, The BFG, and Cars 3, she was granted the privilege of walking the red carpet and conducting interviews with celebrities. The impact of Lisa's blog has gained recognition, with The New York Times referencing her content. Moreover, she has been featured in interviews by respected publications such as the Southtown Star, The Chicago Sun Times, and inside.
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