I’m betting a majority of my readers have heard the No Follow/Do Follow discussion around somewhere but have not dug in too much to figure out what it means.
Quick definition: Many blog platforms such as Wordpress or Blogspot automatically set up comments on blog posts with “Nofollow” which means the address you typed in when commenting is not tracked by Google or Technorati. Also, when other bloggers link to a post of mine and their trackback is set up as a comment with their url, that is also not tracked by Google or Technorati. For more in depth analysis and I’m sure a much better description visit Andy Beard’s blog. He’s a ring leader in this effort.
What it means for you: So, I finally got some time this weekend to find a plugin and get Do Follow installed on my site. Actually, the whole thing took 30 seconds - I thought it would be much bigger of a deal. Now your comments and trackbacks are treated as links by Google and Technorati and you can get more “link love” from the Lonely Marketer!
I agree with Chris - this is supposed to be social media, right? Why should my post be tracked by search engines, but your contributions are not? The conversation should be followed - not just my opinion.
Patrick, I think you made a wise choice. You will be surprised how many additional comments and interaction you will get.
When I turned off nofollow, the increase was significant. There was some problems however.
You get a lot stupid comments and the usual “Nice post” comments as well as your competition leaving juicy comments that you just can’t not approve.
Dave,
Thanks - I think it was the right choice as well! I’m sure I’ll deal with more spam-type comments, but overall, I think the community will appreciate the Do Follow.
Patrick,
I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that I appreciate this decision. I think that this is something more people should implement.
Sure, it will probably increase the level of spam you have to deal with but, with the right plugins, even that can be kept to a manageable level.
I may try using this plugin on my own blog. As long as the spam doesn’t become unmanageable, I might as will spread the love!
Adam,
I figured if it would promote even more interactions, it can’t be a bad thing. That is what this is all about!
I agree Patrick. You give a little to get a whole lot back in return. The more interaction the better–both for you and for your readers.