Blogs first caught on as a popular tool for solo girl website operators seeking an easy solution for reaching their site's visitors. Rather than manually creating, uploading and linking new documents and then archiving the previous documents, using blog software to handle these communications provided the ease of message board posting with the control of limiting access to authorized posters only — something that many simple "guestbook" applications lacked. Best of all, the blog software was usually free and required little technical knowledge to implement and use.
It's no wonder then that "real amateurs" — typically the market segment most focused on one-on-one interactivity — were among the first adult adopters of this technology. They were quickly followed by the corporate operators of solo girl websites who saw the potential of launching hundreds of fake blogs — many of which feature the same content, but supposedly were posted by different girls. While savvy fans of amateur sites may discount the "reality" of these pseudo-blogs, their popularity cannot be denied — and after all, this business is about selling the fantasy.
In many ways, blogging for solo girl sites is a natural extension of the Yahoo groups that many of us have profitably used in the past but have been shut out of due to Yahoo's evolving policies. This "new" tool has replaced the Yahoo groups with an even greater opportunity for customer interaction and traffic building.
So for those of you considering the possibilities of adding a blog (or series of blogs) to your online operations, here's a look at some of the benefits:
Blogs As Traffic Pumps
While blogs are best known as tools for enhancing interactivity, an increase in traffic is likely to be the prime motivator for many webmasters, and it is here that blogs truly shine. The reason for this is that search engines see blogs as frequently updated sources of high-quality information, and as such seem to rank them much more favorably than typical static web pages that are rarely updated and feature little textual content.
It's not just the search engines that will boost traffic to your website when you launch your blog, it's the blog and related technology as well — including RSS feeds and advanced "commenting" features that will deliver your latest updates to legions of surfers without them ever visiting your site.
For example, browsers such as Firefox can automatically incorporate RSS feeds into their toolbars, letting surfers know when their favorite sites have been updated, offering easy, one-click access to content of interest.
By making certain that your blog posts are search-engine friendly and keyword-laden, you'll drive an army of targeted surfers straight to your website.
Blogs Boost Conversions
Increased traffic is all well and good, but it is conversions that turn visitors into cash, and having a blog is one good way to improve conversion ratios. The reason for this is fairly simple to understand: Visitors see the blog as evidence of frequent updates, and for today's savvy surfer who has likely already joined a site or two and been disappointed by a lack of updates, this level of freshness may be reassuring enough to close the sale.
Beyond this simple bit of psychology is the fact that most solo girl sites that feature blogs use them for (among other things) listing their most recent updates, often adding an image or two as well as some background information on the update, such as a personal anecdote about the shoot. These steps further validate the customer's impression that the site is "alive" and that it offers frequent updates — impressions that will lead to sales.
Blogs Boost Retention
It's not just the initial sale that blogs are good at getting, they're also excellent tools for increasing retention rates. This can come from a variety of factors, including the fact that members can be assigned posting privileges to your blog, allowing them to participate in a way that makes them feel like a part of your website. This "ownership" factor should not be dismissed, as it instills a deep attachment that keeps rebills flowing.
TastyTrixie, The Wandering WebWhore, credits her blog with not only increasing member retention but keeping her fans in touch with her on a daily basis, even when they don't have an active subscription. This often leads to them rejoining the site after letting their subscriptions lapse.
"In my cancellation and expiration emails, I make sure to thank people for their support and remind them that they can continue to enjoy my blog for free," Trixie says. "All I have to do is respect their decision to cancel and make it easy for them to do so, or to join with a nonrecurring subscription, and make it easy for them to remember me — and my blog is the main way I do it."
Blogs, Communities
While some website operators have made forums available to members, the blog model allows for better control over the level of interaction and content, and has a reach that extends far beyond the confines of the members area.
The control issue is not simply one of moderating negative posts but of focusing the type of community that you wish to build. For example, web girls want to ensure that members are building a relationship with them — and not necessarily with each other.
Webmasters also shouldn't spend too much time (especially in the free areas of a site) engaging curiosity seekers.
"You don't have time to make new content and write new blog entries if you're spending hours each day hashing over what you've already shot and already blogged about," Trixie adds.
Still, it's the personal touch that most bloggers are trying to impart, and that requires a fair degree of commitment, especially when it's the human touch you're after — an essential ingredient for personality-driven sites.
"Blogging humanizes porn — it reminds people that web whores are people too, not just two-dimensional fuck holes who cum a lot," Trixie says.
