Mental Floss From IX to V
My regular readers who have been with me for awhile already know that I really Hate memes. Many times, I simply ignore them or give the sender a brief mention and link at the end of an unrelated post. Once, when Mitch tagged me with a meme I just didn’t want to do (this is a book review site, not a free form blog and I hate to post off-topic) I played a mean meme trick by tagging him right back with the Einstein’s Brain God Does Not Exist meme. Mitch never did attempt to tackle that very challenging meme on his blog, but he seemed to get the point that sometimes getting tagged is a real pain in the ass. (And my friend Jamie whom I also tagged with that meme, royally rose to the challenge and did a great post.) So when my new Entrecard buddy Saphrym tagged me with an Entrecard meme, I decided to once again turn the tables.
After weeks of encouragement from many of my Blog Catalog friends like Vienne and Dawn, I finally signed up for Entrecard and was almost instantly hooked. Some folks mistake Entrecard for an Advertising service, but it really isn’t. Much like my meme posts that look like book reviews by really aren’t Entrecard is a site that appears to be all about buying and selling blog advertising but really isn’t. Confused yet?
Like Blog Catalog, Entrecard is really a social networking site for bloggers. Bloggers earn points by dropping off their cards at other participating blogs. They also earn points whenever someone drops off a card on their site. The credits can then be used to place their 125 x 125 pixel card image on other blogs. The number of credits required is determined by the average number of daily card drops the blog has received in the previous 5 days. Hence the sites that get the most visitors (among Entrecard participants) cost the most to advertise on. Still confused?
The system is very different from other directory sites and does take a bit of getting used to and some time to understand. But most sophisticated bloggers soon realize that it is all about networking with other bloggers to build an audience and playing nice and playing fair Do Count. And don’t go breaking the rules just to see if you can. The owners of this site have put a great deal of thought and programming into this system and they Will catch you and you will lose your points or get banned. (Besides which our resident cop on the blog beat may have to Arrest you.) They are also very customer service oriented and respond quickly and professionally to all concerns reported through their trouble ticket system.
I have met a whole bunch of incredible bloggers over on Entrecard and what amazes me the most is that many of these folks are also participants on Blog Catalog, yet I had never run into them over there. My absolute favorite new book blog is Book Calendar, a fantastic blog by Wehireu, a BC member and librarian who posts book reviews and excellent insights into the publishing and book selling industries that would be invaluable to any of my writer friends who are serious about getting published.
So when Saphrym tagged me with Sam Freedom‘s new Entrecard meme, I just knew I had to participate. (Sam Freedom, btw is a guru of what he calls controversial marketing. Along with Dane Morgan and Rich Becker he is among the very, very few marketing people online who aren’t full of shit and talking through their hats.) And I am supposing now as as good a time as any for my new Entrecard friends to learn that I don’t follow instructions very well, particularly when it comes to memes. (Be thankful I haven’t done another Einstein’s brain on you 😉
So here is my response to the Entrecard meme. I am not going to copy and paste in the instructions, which you can read here. By this post I tag Entrecard bloggers AntiBarbie, EavesdropWriter, Book Calendar, Suburbian Queen and Money News with the Entrecard meme. Please do visit their sites. And if you’re an Entrecard member don’t forget to drop off your card.
Finally, just so no one will feel they missed their daily visit from “that guy at the library who knows about so many different books”, here’s the skinny on today’s titles:
mental_floss presents Instant Knowledge is an odd little paperback approximately the size of a deck of cards or a pack of ciagarettes. It is a compendium of all sorts of odd little facts, such as that scientists have succeeded in creating a chemical substitute for ambergris which should get PETA and the Save The Whales folks off the backs of perfume lovers or that Genghis Khan was buried with more than 2,000 followers. Each little blurb is just the right size for a quick bathroom break. Recommended.
Subtitled Orgy Planners, Funeral Clowns and Other Prized Professions of the Ancient World, Vicki Leon’s new Working IX To V is an enlighting and entertaining look at some of the more unusual occupations in ancient Greece and Rome. Recommended.
Okay, just finished reading this article.
I must say that Alan has his own very creative ways to deal with memes! 😀
Good write up, mate. 😉
Pingback: I Just Realized That I Can’t Count - Day 4 Contest Winner - Entrecard Meme : Money News
Thank you, Alan… and thank you, Dane, your votes of confidence are much appreciated. Surprised I didn’t find this sooner – didn’t show up in Technorati for me. But let me just say that your entry was both fun and excellent. And I’m glad you’re finding great success with the Entrecard crowd.
Btw, I was particularly impressed with learning that there were funeral clowns. Not because I find it surprising but because I used to joke about them without even knowing they really existed. I do have to wonder who shows up to the funeral when a circus clown dies but, as you see, you’ve got us thinking. 😉
See you over at Entrecard! Subscribed.
Sam
Actually, I’d look forward to the challenge of an Einstein’s Brain meme, Alan. I love having to think. 😉
Thanks for the kudos and the link exchange. I really appreciate it. The idea of meme to me is very similar to the idea of deconstruction something which I will never try to comprehend in any real sense. It is an academic echo that somehow made it into the real world and decided never to leave the philosophical nooks and crannies of popular thought. Despite this, if used properly, it can be entertaining in a nonsensical way, much like Lewis Carroll’s poetry, or old nursery rhymes.
Hey Alan,
Thanks for the kind mention. Sam is definitely a one of a kind guy and some one to watch. I’ve actually formed new perspectives and modified old ideas over the years doing mental combat with him at an old forum hangout. A lot of people never get past the brashness of his approach, but it’s to their loss that they don’t pursue it further.
And you’re dead on about memes. There is so much potential with them, but for the most part they end up being largely trite fluff. It seems the primary way to get one to spread is to ensure that it utterly lacks and redeeming value. Sad.
Oh thank you please no more Einsteins Brain meme haha.
Milkyway,
Thanks for the visit and the comment. I hate the gridlocked cars kind of traffic, too, though luckily for me I now have a job that is just over 2 miles away and takes me no more than ten minutes to drive and if I Had to, I could walk it though it would be tough with my arthritis and then after walking two miles still have 6 or 7 hours of hauling books and bending and stooping and shelving.
Mitch,
Sounds like you were expecting this. And I promise. you won’t get another Einstein’s Brain from me 😉
Dawn,
I notice you have a high placement in the largest category on Entrecard so clearly you understand well how to use it.
Claire,
I’m really amazed at how many BC participants I’ve networked with at Entrecard that I never came in contact with on BC.
Saphrym,
Thanks for the tag. This one actually worked for me. But please don’t meme me again unless you Want to be memed with something like Einstein’s Brain 😉
Rich,
I will write more about Entrecard as a social media/networking site in the Blog Straight Talk group at Blog Catalog.
Will,
Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone at hating to get tagged. I completely agree that you contribute a great deal more to the blogosphere by spending your time doing your really excellent enviornmental posts rather than answring something like “Say 7 Things About Yourself Most People Don’t Know”. While I would Never claim that my book reviews are as important as saving the planet, I feel quite comfortable defending the argument that they actually Are significantly more important than “7 Things”. And thanks for the compliment. I have a lot of work still to do on the back end but I think the spare white design makes this more like a catalog of book reviews and works well for my purposes.
Thanks for saying this Alan! I have received several memes and feel guilty about having only continued one or two of them. One I did but did not send on. I have the biggest issue with asking others to continue the chain. I only write about ones that specifically interest me. As I write at all simply because I like the process, I would rather spend time creating articles like my one today about the ultimate fate of the planet and our insignificance in that fate.
Congratulations on your switch to WordPress. The site is looking great!
-Will
Well here’s my post back. Sorry I would have made it more detailed, but was in a rush today at work =P
mine
Thanks for the tag though =).
It’s always good to be included with folks who aren’t full of it. Thank you.
Even better, you’ve raised my curiosity about Entrecard.
All my best,
Rich
Now that’s a very creative response to the meme. Great job! And thanks for the link back.
I’ve been really surprised by how many people on entrecard are on blogcatalog too, previously undiscovered by me. It’s been a great way to find new blogs in subjects I’m interested in and even some that I didn’t think I was interested in! 🙂
Thanks so much for the name drop. 😉 I enjoy EntreCard a lot as well. I’ve met some great new blogging buddies that don’t frequent BC and networking is pretty fun. All in all, it’s a pretty nice concept.
You know I was just commenting on someone’s site about this meme, and I was poking fun about how long it was going to take before I tagged with it. I guess I got my answer, and it was less that a few hours.
thanks for dropping by my blog despite the unintentional mislead that it had something to do with sepr