New On AsTheCrackerheadCrumbles

By Unknown on 7:59 PM

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WARNING: Head may explode if an attempt to digest all contents in one sitting is made; but since some of the contents may expire before long: such an attempt may be warranted.

Wells Fargo can rot in hell

By HawgWyld on 2:01 AM

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The Natural State Hawg rants about how much he hates Wells Fargo.

Read it. Leave a comment. Click an ad or two. Digg it!

What's this all about, Hawg?

By HawgWyld on 12:46 AM

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One thing I've noticed about blogs is that almost everyone has the same problem -- we all want more traffic, but how can that be done?

So we all work hard to Digg posts, head to sites like Entrecard and join communities like BlogCatalog for the purpose of driving traffic to our sites.

The problem, however, is that such social marketing is tough. There are thousands of new bloggers showing up daily and they all want the same thing -- to get noticed.

I'm a public relations guy by trade, and I've learned over the years that getting attention is simply a matter of kicking up enough dust so that people notice what you're up to and are curious as to what, exactly, you are doing. One individual blogger can't kick up just a whole lot of dust, but what if you had 20, 30, 40 or more all kicking at the same time? That group, folks, would get noticed.

And, that's where the All Arkie Army comes into play. The purpose of the group is simply to help its members get as much attention as possible.

So, what do members of the All Arkansas Army do?

The members simply post links to their latest blogs here so that other Arkies can read them. Members are expected to be committed to the degree that they'll dig each others' posts if they like them, click a few ad links because we all like making money and comment when relevant.

If, for example, I were to write a rant about how much I dislike people from Texas who drive like manics on Interstate 30, then I'd post a link to that article at the All Arkie Army blog. Members, then, would read the article on my site and then post a comment, click an ad link and/or Digg the article.

Of course, we're not saying anyone should feel compelled to comment, Digg and click ad links as this isn't a "click circle." The hope is that members will want to spend some time reading content posted by other Arkies and will show their appreciation by ad clicking, commeting, Digging or etc.

That's a much different theory, I think, than sites geared up to simply drive traffic to participating members. Rather than sticking around long just long enough for a hit to register, Arkies should legitimately spend some time reading each others' articles. Simple as that.

Who can join?

Anyone with close ties to the beloved Natural State. Obviously, someone who lives here in Arkansas has those ties, but those aren't the only people who will (hopefully) become members. If you've lived in Arkansas for a good part of your life or have spent enough time in this state that you get goosebumps when you hear people calling those Hogs, then you're Arkie enough for us.

Why are you just targeting Arkies?

I got that idea after thinking how great it would be to find Arkansas bloggers in one, centralized location. So, the All Arkie Army is an attempt to create that centralized location. I, for one, love to run across blogs that are run by people located all over the wonderful Natural State and can't help but think that other Arkansan bloggers feel the same way.

Also, one of the problem with social network sites is that they are absolutely massive. It's easy for little guys to get lost in that system. Make no mistake that this is a social network site, but it's a small one. You can be a big fish in a small pond here and will reap the benefits.

If we can form a small, dedicated group of folks who comment, click ads and Digg articles, then we'll all get more traffic and exposure. Here's what I mean. Let's say someone posts an article and the 40 members of the All Arkie Army all Digg that article. That will generate enough buzz on Digg to pull in members all over the place, and that will result in more traffic, revenue and readers.

And, of course, if one goes to a blog where it's obvious that items get a lot of comments, then that person will be more likely to stick around and see what all the hubbub is. A lot of comments suggest quality writing and plenty of activity, and we can help each other out in that regard.

Uh, Hawg. I see a lot of ads on the All Arkie Army blog. Are you trying to profit off of this endeavor?

Well, yes and no. I'm hoping we all profit when members visit our individual blogs and click our ad links. I hope to generate some revenue on the All Arkie Army blog so that I can hand out a little profit sharing among members and give away some cash prizes as rewards to extremely active members, people who recruit and etc. I figure this will be a very open community and we can decide among ourselves how to spend the ad revenue that we generate.

If this little project gets big enough, then I'd use some of that money to pay for any increased costs I might have. I've got plenty of room for images on my Blogspot and Geo Cities account for my personal sites, but what if things get so big that I need to purchase some more space to support All Arkie Army? I'd use some of that ad revenue to cover those expenses.

Hopefully, though, things will remain small enough so that space isn't an issue, and that ad revenue will wind up in the pockets of Arkies. So, click those ads on this blog. The ad revenue will benefit you and the rest of the members, so go nuts. That's a heck of a deal, huh kids?

Sounds great, Hawg! How do I sign up?

I've done some checking and have found out that conscription is out of the question. So, the All Arkie Army must be a voluntary force. To join up, then, just send me an e-mail by clicking this link and ask to join. Make sure to tell me who -- if anyone -- referred you and whether you're an Arkie or have close ties here. Once your application is approved, I'll e-mail an invitation so that you can sign up on the site.

Once you are signed up, you will have the ability to post to the blog at will. Each post should be a brief description of your latest blog article, a link to it and and put the name of your blog in the "label" section of the post editor so your stuff can be organized easily on the blog. The posts should be minimal because the goal is to alert people about what is new, where it is and who posted it. Simple, huh? Post your links and other members will click them, head over to your blog and read, comment, click ad links, Digg articles and all sorts of good things.

Hopefully, the All Arkie Army blog will become your primary social networking site. By working together, we can all help each other drive traffic to our blogs. Frankly, I find the idea of Arkansans helping Arkansans very appealing.