Are You a Follower?
Apr 27th, 07 | 27 remarks
If you’re using Wordpress, you’re not - UNLESS you installed the DoFollow plugin or some variant of it. I’m talking about the rel=”nofollow” attribute used by default on Wordpress blogs. Until recently, I had no idea Wordpress was set up this way, and I’m guessing the vast majority of bloggers out there don’t know either. Over the course of the past week, I’ve been running into blogs making mention of the DoFollow plugin, and I’ve seen it brought up in the Sitepoint forums as well. I figured I better investigate a little further, and in doing so I discovered there are a number of plugins available.
This resource list by Andy Beard made short order of my work in finding the right one (I’m picky), and I’m happy to announce today the employment of the DoFollow (WP) DoFollow plugin (by Semiologic)1. Design Adaptations is now on board with sharing the [link] love. Why? Number 8 on Loren Baker’s list of why NoFollow tags suck sums it up best in my opinion.
“Commenting on a blog post is the same as adding more relevant to that blog post. A thought provoking one sentence post can lead to pages of comments. If someone takes the time to help build your site’s content via posting comments, it is professional courtesy to give them some link love.”
I adore Wordpress and all it’s flexibility, but I don’t understand why the Wordpress team chose to use ‘nofollow’ in the first place. Matt Mullenweg has even acknowledged the pointlessness of it, and perhaps this will be addressed in a future release. Wouldn’t that be nice? Until then, should you ditch the ‘nofollow’ attribute on your blog? Check out this article and this discussion, which might help you make that determination for yourself.
Being part of the blogosphere means sharing knowledge, anecdotes, shortcuts, workarounds, ideas, etc. It means making connections. Why not share Google juice too? Use DoFollow or some equivalent. If you don’t, an anvil might fall on your head. :)
Here’s one more I tripped across, not mentioned in Andy’s list:
- Temporary Nofollow for Worpress - adds ‘nofollow’ to links on comments less then 10 days old.
If you know of any others, don’t be shy.
Update: Asgeir’s suggestion got me thinking about standardized badges and buttons such as you see all over the place for RSS feeds, so I thought I’d try my hand. Not that I expect mine to ever become standard, but here are a couple I whipped up. You’re welcome to use them on your own blog if you’d like. The only stipulation of course is that you DO follow, by whatever means you choose.
1 Update: For some reason I can’t figure, the DoFollow (WP) plugin did not work for me, as noted in the comments below. After Andy pointed out the discrepancy, I switched over to Semiologic’s version of DoFollow, and it works like a charm. Word to the wise - don’t be like me! Double-check that ‘nofollow’ has in fact been removed after installing a plugin for it, before you claim to be a DoFollower. ;)
I agree, majority of bloggers do not realize that nofollow is there by default. Let’s hope we can spread the awareness. ;)
I have somewhat humorous explanation about nofollow on my blog:
http://www.volodymyrzablotskyy.com/pink-pink-pink-pink-pink-pink-pink/
There is also an entire community of “followers” over at BumpZee:
http://www.bumpzee.com/no-nofollow/
Hope to see you there!
Apr 27, 07 | 11:02 amGood to see you on board!
I’ve added your blog to the list of Bloggers at Life in the Fast Lane using DO Follow with link (sharing the linky love) to your home page here:
http://www.fastlanetransport.ca/blog/i-will-follow-do-follow/blogs-websites
The post for this is also on my blogroll so it doesn’t get buried in the archives.
Cheers!
Apr 27, 07 | 1:18 pmGreat to see people are picking this up!
What about the attempt to create a set of standardized buttons, at least for the first few months? Randa Clay did a bunch (http://randaclay.com/blog/i-follow/). I’m using it, but I wouldn’t mind a new and more flexible set.
Interesting blog, by the way. :)
Apr 27, 07 | 5:30 pmThanks Asgeir. I hadn’t given any thought to a standardized set of buttons, but it’s certainly a good idea. Something a little more 2.0-ish? I know people get sick of that term, but you know what I mean. :)
Apr 27, 07 | 7:44 pmHehe, yeah.
I gave it a shot. I needed a new one for my own blog, anyway.
http://www.asgeirhoem.no/2007/04/lets-all-follow/
What do you think? Would they do?
Apr 27, 07 | 8:01 pmSmart move! :D The NOFOLLOW movement is great, and although I see why they would’ve added it in the first place, it’s easy to figure out that the advantages, at least for bloggers, are far greater than any disadvantages.
Encourages people to actively comment on your blog, and encourages you to actively comment on other people’s blog.
Thanks for this backlink -> 2Perfect’s WebLog
Also, out of curiosity, why did you make a “86 no follow”?
Lastly, I love how your blog is white, with comments in a gray background. Really unique!
Apr 27, 07 | 8:29 pmactually I just searched Urban Dictionary and I get it now :P You learn something new every day :P
Apr 27, 07 | 8:30 pmLol yeah that was my attempt to be witty. You know, ditch the “nofollow” attribute. ;) And thanks for the compliment!
Apr 27, 07 | 8:39 pmThey’re sweet. I guess there’s no need for a perfect standardized set, as the feature probably will become standard within a couple of months, when people realize the advantage. Meanwhile, we’ll use whatever fits better. :)
Apr 27, 07 | 9:43 pmI started blogging a couple of months ago and had no idea at the time that the no follow feature was the default in wordpress. I updated my blog with the Do follow plugin a while ago. Maybe the next version of Wordpress will have this as standard?
Apr 28, 07 | 9:17 amI’m so amazed at this endless amount of learning that I’ve been exposed to. It seems everyday i learn something new about blogging!!.. no follow.. do follow.. lol
Apr 28, 07 | 12:56 pm[...] Randa’s buttons aren’t to your liking, then Charity at Design Adaptations has also produced some full-size buttons, and Asgeir has made some smaller [...]
May 6, 07 | 7:19 amI have been trying to work out which Dofollow plugin you are using (or maybe it is switched off by mistake)
I didn’t miss the plugin you point out, I decided it wasn’t current, plus most people want to remove nofollow rather than add it.
May 6, 07 | 12:59 pmAndy, I’m currently using the DoFollow(WP) plugin, but your comment spurred me to double check my source code, and sure enough there are still ‘nofollow’ tags in there. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
Everything was properly uploaded, activated and configured, so I’m rather stumped. I’m going to head over to Semiologic and give the other DoFollow plugin a try now to see if it makes a difference.
May 6, 07 | 3:41 pmWell, Semiologic’s version of DoFollow did the trick. I tried GoodLinks real quick too and oddly enough that wasn’t working either. I hope it’s not just me or I’ll feel ridiculous! :-o Also I apologize to all my readers for not checking the links to begin with. Shame on me, and thanks again Andy.
May 6, 07 | 3:49 pm[...] blog articles. The most profound of which was #5 - ask questions. I know he’s right, because one of my most popular posts is titled as a [...]
May 7, 07 | 8:39 amWe’ve removed NoFollow too - with zero bad effects in terms of spam.
Jun 5, 07 | 6:37 amomg, sometimes I can be such a newb! I had no idea what the nofollow tag meant until now. Thanks for the schooling! I installed that plugin straight away. Cheers!
(p.s., I love your themes!)
Sep 8, 07 | 8:11 amSo did you notice a substantial increase in traffic and comments after going dofollow?
Nice comment display style btw.
Sep 17, 07 | 6:04 amRob - thanks I appreciate that! Glad to hear you’ve joined the nofollow gang as well. :)
mlankton - I did see an jump in visitors from 13 to 65 in two days time, but I can’t say with any accuracy that it was just because I switched to nofollow. When I wrote this post my blog was only about a month old, and I only had a handful of entries… but at the time the increase was enough to convince me that I made the right choice. :)
Sep 17, 07 | 9:57 pmIts ironic that many bloggers talk about this but then they actually use no follow.
Sep 28, 07 | 12:10 amThanks, you’ve convinced me to bring the follow back and install a plugin or modify my theme.
Oct 21, 07 | 10:05 pmForgive my ignorance, and seemingly late coming to the party, but what is the best method of verifying that one has successfully defeated nofollow? Just “View Source”?
Feb 26, 08 | 7:46 amIt’s the only way I know of! When I checked my own site I used view source, and from that tab (or window) I used my browser’s built in search (cmd/ctrl + f) to query rel=”nofollow” and see if the plugin was working. :)
Feb 26, 08 | 11:04 amMost of the bloggers don’t realize because they don’t know what it is. Most of the bloggers are actually just users, not tech people.
Mar 25, 08 | 12:56 amWhat a great read. thanks! Deffinitely but the information to good use. Regards
Apr 2, 08 | 8:42 pmWe did used to follow until our WP blog was hacked … again. Will be moving over to a more secure platform built on RoR, which is dofollow by default.
Jun 27, 08 | 11:50 am