Something that stands out to me about many, many traffic-dependent blogs and websites is the Slideshow Post. In order to increase pageviews, and advertising dollars linked to pageviews, bloggers include a slideshow in the post so that when a visitor to the site clicks through the slideshow, their single visit counts as multiple pageviews. Longer slideshows mean more pageviews.
As someone who just likes to tell stories, I have a hard time doing these slideshow posts. I’ve managed to do it a few times, but it always felt a little forced to me. Moreover, the culture of the slideshow encourages posts built around “Top 10” style lists. The Internet is now filled with Top 10 list slideshows, all drowning each other out and leaving a thick film of homogeneity all over the Internet. It’s a formula that has been proven to work to increase pageviews, and readers love Top 10 titles. But as a writer (ha! I almost said that with a straight face) and storyteller, those posts just don’t come naturally to me.
But I do feel like if I’m going to blog professionally, I have to embrace at least part of the drive to increase clicks. I have to play the game, and do so enthusiastically. But if I don’t like doing Top 10 lists, how can I participate in a way that stays interesting for me?
I’ve found the way.
I recently wrote a slideshow post at Babble that, instead of using the slides to show photos of different things, just uses them as numbers. Page numbers. Each slide is part of a story, like those Choose Your Own Adventure books I used to read as a kid. Based on choices offered on the slide you are reading, you click on a different Page Number Slide, and you get to go through a different little journey. It’s storytelling, and writing, in a way that uses the slideshow tool without depending on lists.
It took a little bit of work to keep the choices tracking the right pages, but that was almost half the fun of it. The other half was coming up with the different branches I lead you down.
Maybe in the end this kind of effort won’t pay off. Maybe Top 10 lists dominate because they are the right balance of interesting content and effort. But I’m going to keep trying. Maybe not every week, but once in a while.
Go ahead. Click on the picture to get started. (Note: I am not good at Art.)
That was awesome and so much fun! I might have to make one of those. As soon as I stop watching these kids full time and gain some mad internet skillz.
Oh, I have so many thoughts on THE SLIDESHOW. I get why they exist, and in my professional job I have to build them—many of them, but still, so many thoughts.
I’m right there with you. Click through to see more pictures of me nodding in agreement.
I agree, Top Ten lists are all over the place these days. However, if you have the traffic, you don’t really need them anyway. Great content equals lots of traffic. You just have to work at it, and eventually your blog will be what you want.