Wise Bread editor Q&A about the top 100 list | Bloggers Lair | Yakezie Forums

Post edited 10:50 pm – November 3, 2010 by Wise Bread

Hi guys!

Thank you so much for your support during our recent feature updates for the Top 100 list.  Your encouragement and invaluable feedback were amazing.  Many of you have asked similar questions, so when Sam told me I have his permission to address them in the forum, I jumped at the chance to reach out to you guys.  

Will you add categories?

Yes!  We agree that grouping blogs by categories will enhance the user experience.  Category sorting is one of the new features we're rolling out for the next update.  If you have any category suggestions, please let us know!

Will there be better showcasing of newer blogs?

 We like the Alexa ranking because it offers a concrete, immediate goal that you can use to measure your success.  We want to expand on this under the new scoring system.  

By the end of the year, we're going to introduce a lot more statistical updates that you can use to showcase your blog to advertisers, readers, buyers, journalists, etc.  There will be achievement badges, milestone checklists, stat reports, and historical tracking that will show how much your blog has grown.  

Why did you replace Alexa?

Ad agencies are using our chart to buy ads and hire bloggers.  Some of them contact bloggers directly after seeing them on the chart, while other ad agencies come to Wise Bread and ask us to hire the bloggers for them based on our knowledge of the top 100 list.  Several Yakezie members, for example, have received paid writing assignments via Wise Bread. 

We're flattered that these agencies rely on our chart to distribute opportunity to the pf blogosphere, and we take this responsibility seriously. We're frequently asking the ad agencies on ways to improve our list.  And often these agencies mention that Alexa is not their favorite traffic indicator, and that in addition to traffic, they're looking for other important stats that will reflect reader loyalty, authority, and social media prowess.

What other things are you doing to improve the chart?

There's too many features to list, so let me just focus on the big picture stuff.  We're hiring experienced bloggers and marketers to help us market the chart and reach out to bloggers.  The list of blogs is just the beginning.  We're planning on launching invite-only communities and an internal communication system that will help you connect with advertisers, publishers, and influential bloggers.

We're looking for 1-2 bloggers per network to beta test our new profile systems.  If you're interested, let me know and I'll sign you up. 

Thanks again for your support.  If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!  

Cheers,

Will Chen – Wise Bread cofounder

Post edited 1:10 am – November 4, 2010 by Wise Bread

Thank you Mark.  The chart is a constant work in progress.  We'd love to hear your feedback on how we can improve it and make it more useful for you a motivational and marketing tool.  

For example, what metrics, challenges, or achievements would you like to see?  What would you like to get out of the chart? Opportunity for advertising, paid writing gigs, contacts with top bloggers, recognition from journalists, etc? 

Wow! Sounds like you are continuing to improve Wise Bread as a go to source for Personal Finance!  Great job, looking forward to continual enhancements.

Will there be better showcasing of newer blogs?

 By the end of the year, we're going to introduce a lot more statistical updates that you can use to showcase your blog to advertisers, readers, buyers, journalists, etc.  There will be achievement badges, milestone checklists, stat reports, and historical tracking that will show how much your blog has grown.  

 

 

 

I am really really excited about this one.

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The new ranking system is confusing.  I don't understand how I can have better numbers in every metric than some blogs ahead of me but have a lower Wise Score.  Are they using metrics besides the one they list on the chart?

Post edited 7:20 pm – November 4, 2010 by Betty Kincaid

Will,

I'm in the same boat as Heather and Evan (My Journey to Millions). The stats for our site are either nonexistent or inaccurate.  I've exchanged a few emails with Amy about the issue but haven't seen any changes to our listing.

Thanks,

Betty

Post edited 8:59 pm – November 4, 2010 by Wise Bread

Thank you for the fantastic suggestions!

First, to Betty, Heather, and Evan — I am deeply sorry about the delays.  You guys are absolutely right.  We have a responsibility to respond to you quickly and accurately.  I know whenever I can't access stats for Wise Bread I get very upset.  We've all worked hard on our blogs, so it isn't too much to ask to get the recognition and measurement we deserve.

The chart brought in so many inquiries from people wanting to be added, to hire bloggers, to contact bloggers for quotes, etc, that we did have trouble keeping up. We're going to fix this by:

– hiring more community managers 

– implementing a login system that will allow users to correct their own stats, 

– and giving advertisers the opportunity to contact you directly.

Regarding categories, I recommend more the chart allow more than one category designation.

That is a great idea Kay Lynn!  Most blogs today are very versatile and definitely deserve multiple category designations.

Great job, looking forward to continual enhancements

Awesome Jason!  We're working hard to make sure each release is filled with goodies.

I would suggest a separate category for the "coupons/deals" sites, lifestyle/SAHM sites, and even Christian Personal Finance. I'm not sure how far you want to take this, but it can get out of had pretty quickly.

Thank you Khaleef for your kind words and astute observations.  I would prefer more categories, even if they get out of hand a little.  :)

Based on what I've been hearing from advertisers, micro-niche and demographic targeting are very important.  All your categories are great and we'll probably add them all to the new implementation.

I am really really excited about this one.

So are we Aloysa!  

To be honest, showcasing up-and-coming blogs is the most exciting part of maintaining the list.

It is missing my number of feeds and has the incorrect klout score.

Evan you are 100% right.  It is not acceptable to wait so long for a response!  I've called the tech team directly to make sure your stats are updated.

Reading what you say, I understand the reasoning behind the changing of the stats!

Thank you Money Reasons.  I'm glad it helped.

I was thinking it would be a great perk to have bloggers from networks (like Yakezie) have a note next to their name like you do for Money Tips currently.

Thanks Eric!  We'll definitely consider doing that, and maybe adding networks as a category you can use to sort by.

I don't understand how I can have better numbers in every metric than some blogs ahead of me but have a lower Wise Score.  Are they using metrics besides the one they list on the chart?

Andy you make a good point.  There are no hidden metrics.  However, on rare occasions you may see a blog with slightly lower stats ahead of you if that blog is missing a stat.  If a blog is missing a stat, we take 6 instead of 7 factors into account for the Wise Score.  Why does that help that blog?  Here's a example.  Say Peter and Jane had to take three tests, but Jane got sick and missed her English test:

Peter's test scores:

• Math: 90
• Science: 90
• English: 50
• Avg score: 76

Jane's test scores:  

• Math: 80
• Science: 80
• English: No score and not counted in average
• Avg: 80

Although Jane scored lower than Peter in the two categories, she had the higher average because Peter didn't do that great in English, while Jane's English score wasn't counted.

These score anomalies should happen very rarely, and should slowly go away as we get more complete stats for every blog.  Also, we plan on adding more metrics in the future, which will further minimize the effect of a missing stat.

is there ever going to be a way for us to update our information? Your list shows my feedburner as 0, which is inaccurate, and I've now dropped on the list. I'd love to have a way to login and point to the correct info.

Heather, our CTO is going to LOVE you.  You just read our minds.  We are working on giving bloggers the ability to login and enter their own info. Would you like to be one of the first people to try out this feature?  

To get the feedburner score, you have to activate the Awareness API.  Here's how you do it:

"To enable the Awareness API, login to your FeedBurner account, click on "My Feeds" and select the feed you want to enable the API for from the list. Click on the "Publicize" tab and then click on the "Awareness API" link under the services column. Finally, click on the "Activate" button."

I've exchanged a few emails with Amy about the issue but haven't seen any changes to our listing.

Thank you for bringing this to my attention Betty.  I've alerted the tech people and I'll stay on them until your stat is updated!

Will, I wanted to thank you for joining the forum and not only providing information but also listening to the feedback.

I've activated the awareness API a couple of weeks ago, and the stat still isn't updated. However, the Money Crashers' list picks it up, so I assume it's broadcasting correctly. I'm not sure how much it will impact my score, but I need all the help I can get. 

Will, I also wanted to thank you for taking the time to address our concerns and give us an explanation of the new system. It is very much appreciated!