Brandsplat

hello@brandsplat.com | (800) 299-5498
Ghost Written Content In the Voice of Your Brand

  • Home
  • Estimates
  • Content
  • Clients
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • BEX Analytics

July 5, 2012 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

‘You Might Also Like’… But, Then Again, You Might Not

Follow Us

  • RSS Feed
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Google+

Blog creation, like anything else, cycles through fads and trends. For a while, every company’s blog was stark and minimal. Later, every blog had the moving Twitter ticker attached to it. And now almost every blog, corporate or otherwise, has this widget block of other blog posts with the presumptuous title, “You might also like” above it. You Might Also Like, or YMAL, is taking over. But it made us wonder: Is the omnipresent YMAL the blogccessory equivalent of a Chanel bag or a pair of orange Crocs?

We first really noticed YMAL pop up on the guilty pleasure entertainment blogs we like to read as a reward for a long, hard day of writing (or as a substitution therefrom, depending on how the day is going). Sometimes YMAL does actually suggest stories we do also like. The blogger or editor clearly has taken time to fill the widget with stories intended to keep the reader on the website while generating more clicks for another, perhaps lesser-read post. Huffington Post has long had versions of YMAL on blog posts and for the most part they are successful. HuffPo puts the widget to use to keep readers in place with stories in the section they were reading.

But some uses of YMAL are just downright crayzay. Take the example of a blog post over at Entertainment Weekly’s InsideTV blog about the death of TV actor Andy Griffith: The YMAL featured links to sexy pics of Selena Gomez and a story about a right-wing billionaire who called the president “dangerous.” Clearly, these titillating titles and subject matter are meant to pique readers’ curiosity, but beware! This is a commercially-sponsored YMAL that takes readers to a paid advertiser’s blog or an affiliate blog. In essence, this YMAL is not about what readers might like at all. It’s an ad, pure and simple. Which we guess would be fine if the links had anything to do with the subject matter in the initial post.

This being said, using a YMAL widget can be great for blogging for business. You have a genius post that nobody read? You’ve written other blogs about the same topic that you think your readers would enjoy? Then YMAL is your best friend. Just remember to be thoughtful when using it. Post stuff you think your readers will really get something out of. Otherwise, you’ve junked up your blog with excess garbage — and nobody “likes” that.

Filed Under: Blog Content Management, Blog Marketing Tagged With: blog creation, blogging for business

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

BRANDSPLAT creates articles, blogs, social media, and all written content in the voice of your brand. Our clients include entrepreneurs, personalities, mid-size companies, and some of the world's biggest brands.

Get our free Brandsplat Report.






    Search

    Categories

    • Analytics
    • Article Marketing
    • Blog Content Management
    • Blog Marketing
    • Brand Engagement
    • Brandcasting
    • Brandsplat Video Report
    • Business Development
    • Digital Engagement
    • Email Marketing
    • Facebook Management
    • Facebook Marketing
    • Five Things You Might Have Missed
    • General
    • Mobile Marketing
    • News
    • Online Brand Management
    • Online Marketing
    • Online video creation
    • Search Engine Marketing
    • SEO
    • Social Media Management
    • Social Media Marketing
    • Twitter Management
    • Twitter Marketing
    • Video Content
    • Viral Marketing
    • Weekly Five Things You Might Have Missed
    • Weekly Video Report

    Calendar

    • ► 2020
      • September
    • ► 2019
      • April
      • March
      • February
    • ► 2014
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2013
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ▼ 2012
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2011
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2010
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2009
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May

    Odds & Ends

    Guest Blogging Guidelines
    The Brandsplat Report
    Articles

    The Brandsplat Report

    A free monthly video with news and information about online strategy, marketing, and content.

    Search

    Home
    Content
    Clients
    Sitemap
    About
    Articles
    Brandsplat Report
    BEX Analytics
    (800) 299-5498
    hello@brandsplat.com
    Email
    http://twitter.com/@brandsplat
    http://linkedin.com/company/brandsplat
    http://brandsplat.com/videos/
    Copyright © 2019 Brandsplat | All rights reserved.