Can you really make any money blogging about Hoboken?
Lots of people are trying, but maybe only Perry Klaussen is actually doing it.
Photos
If you're the type who has an insatiable appetite for alternative takes on Hoboken culture, you have remarkable luck. The community is swarming with blogs whose operators opine on various aspects of the Hoboken experience: from raising kids in the Mile Square to dissecting local politics on a molecular level.
While some of these community blogs have demonstrated some real staying power, many have sprouted up in the last year or so. Some are updated with surprising frequency and feature ritzy designs that include various types of advertisements.
That may leave you wondering whether any of these bloggers are actually making money. If they do make money, how so? And if they aren't making money, do they have day jobs? How do they have time to feed their daily beasts with such frequent reports, editorials, pictures, and polls? And what can you expect if you're contemplating getting off the bench and into the Hoboken blogging game?
Over the last decade, several blogs have come and gone—Hoboken.com, which is totally defunct and offline, and Hobokeni, which is still online but hasn't been updated in about two years, are two of the most prominent casualties. But, at least, one blog has endured for more than half a decade. Former Hobokeni chat room moderator Sean Iaquinto operates one of the oldest active blogs: Philly2Hoboken.
Iaquinto's inaugural post was made in October 2004, and he said Philly2Hoboken, a Movable Type blog, was an outgrowth of grieving the death of his father. The blog wasn't conceived as a money making venture, he said, but as an exercise in "self understanding and writing, warts and all, about my experiences and life while living in Hoboken."
Iaquinto, a network engineer for a financial information firm who moved to Hoboken from the Philadelphia area in 1994, often blogs introspective personal musings about different aspects of life in Hoboken, along with material that occasionally skews political, such as his entry about the municipal swimming pool and these recent open letters.
A few weeks ago, nearing his blog's sixth anniversary, Iaquinto began experimenting with an ad for Zipcar, which he said has yet to generate any revenue. Iaquinto uses Google Analytics to measure the blog's web traffic and said that last month, Philly2Hoboken received 1,831 unique visitors and 4,200 page views. He said the blog averages about 140 visitors per day and that he devotes about two hours per week to operating it.
Patch columnist Kathy Zucker launched the blog Hoboken Mom Condo Living on WordPress in January 2009. She said her blog averaged 1,100 unique monthly visitors and 30,000 monthly page views from January through July and she devotes about one hour per week to blogging. Zucker said she doesn't use the blog, which originally chronicled her and her husband's experience purchasing a condo in Hoboken and includes rather specific financial details, as a way to generate income directly. But, she said, "the blog raises my profile" and has helped her generate ancillary streams of revenue.
Zucker was able to parlay her blog-writing experience into a regular column on HobokenPatch, after the AOL-owned site launched in January and its editor Claire Moses approached her about writing for the site.
Zucker said her blog also helps to build and strengthen her brand. She's a marketing consultant that uses data and technology to develop marketing strategies for clients, which sometimes includes content writing, website redesign, and Facebook advertising. The blog has also helped her attract new clients. Zucker's clients have included Hoboken businesses Koko Fit Club and PromptMD.
"I love to write," said Michelle Lemieux about what inspired her to launch Hoboken Gal on WordPress in March 2009, after she and her husband lost their jobs.
She said she tries to avoid blogging about local politics, though she did write a post on her harrowing experience applying for the public information officer job at City Hall last year, and sticks to writing on social topics, like this recent post about Hoboken cabbies texting while driving.
Lemieux, who's lived in Hoboken for the last decade, said she doesn't solicit ads directly or from third parties, though Google Ads appear on her comment pages. And in her blog's sidebar, Lemieux provides a link to a Tenafly-based car dealership, which she described as "somebody that supports the work I do." Lemieux works full-time as an associate director of public relations for a global PR firm and also contributes to Examiner.com.
Perhaps the most urbane of the blogs is TheBokenOnline, launched on WordPress in July 2009 by Adam Lazzara and Brian and Kelly Pepe. TheBokenOnline was conceived as a restaurant and bar aggregation site, but the direction of its content has shifted in recent months to include more news and Hoboken culture.
According to Lazzara, traffic has been significant enough to compel local businesses to approach them about advertising on the blog. "We average right around 20,000 monthly visitors," said Lazzara. "Roughly half of those are unique visitors to our site."
Lazzara said he and his colleagues use OIO Publisher, a WordPress plugin, to manage TheBokenOnline's advertising and, according to this ad purchasing form, banner ad prices range from $50 to $100 for 30 to 34 days featured in a space on the blog. Lazzara and his colleagues also outsource some advertising to Google Ads, a popular third party advertising program among Hoboken bloggers.
Though he declined to discuss specific numbers, Lazzara said TheBokenOnline is profitable and he points to the low overhead of operating a blog as a chief reason why. Still, he and his colleagues all work full-time corporate day jobs. Among the three of them, the founders devote a total of 40 hours per week to the blog's maintenance and are aided by several writers and interns, Lazzara said.
If a little political skewering is more your speed, you may try Nancy Pincus's Grafix Avenger. Despite being the new kid on the block of politics-driven blogs, Pincus said Grafix Avenger, which launched on the Blogger platform in March, is already pulling some encouraging traffic numbers. According to StatCounter, the tool Pincus uses to measure web traffic, her blog received 29,393 page loads and 17,314 unique visitors since she began tracking in May.
Pincus, who sits on the Hoboken Zoning Board of Adjustment, said she is careful to refrain from blogging about zoning-related issues and describes her content as a medley of personal and political commentary that relies heavily on her graphic design skills.
"I don't do news or journalism," said Pincus. "I also do Photoshop graphics that run from satirical to illustrative. My blog is really a boutique site." She added that as of now, she doesn't use advertising. A recent post she said is typical of her style is this one, which pokes fun at political operative Paul Swibinski of Vision Media Marketing.
Similar to Pincus, Kurt Gardiner runs The Hoboken Journal with a mind toward providing political commentary and analysis. Gardiner, who blogs under the screen name Reformerus_Giganticus, launched The Hoboken Journal in November 2008 out of, he said, a sense of political advocacy. These days, he said, traffic has shown a constant upward trend and offers statistics on Histats and Sitemeter, which reveal an average of about 700 visits per day last week.
His content is mainly opinion-driven, patently pro-Zimmer and even features this interview with the mayor from just last month, an opportunity he said was offered to him by a member of the Zimmer administration.
Despite The Hoboken Journal's ample web traffic, Gardiner, who works as a project manager at a Manhattan-based insurance company, said he doesn't use local advertising because it "brings up conflict of interest issues." When asked whether he receives subsidies from government officials or anyone politically connected to government officials, he said he doesn't but acknowledges that he did donate money to Zimmer's most recent campaign.
Hoboken's oldest active blog is run by retired police captain and POG co-founder Ed Mecka, who launched his eponymous blog in 2003, while still on the force. Mecka, who uses a platform by Interspire that costs $200 per year, said the blog was started to bolster his run for a First Ward council seat in 2003, not to generate revenue.
Nevertheless, Mecka does use several means of generating revenue, including Google Ads and an ad for Airfairewatchdog. He also accepts donations but said he barely makes enough to offset the costs and time.
"Once in a while, I'll get a check in the mail for $100 [as a donation] from a local attorney or something," Mecka said. He added that he's "lucky" if he receives a $100 check from Google - the minimum amount of earnings paid out - every few months and has seen nothing from Airfarewatchdog. Mecka's material is mainly politics- and activism-driven, but he does offer some lifestyle content, such as the "Shrink For Men" feature.
He uses Google Analytics to measure web traffic and said his hits fluctuate dramatically depending on election cycles. Around election times, Mecka said his blog receives as many as 4,000 visits per day, and when things are slow politically, the hits bottom out around 100 per day. In the past, Mecka has spent as much as 25 hours per week blogging, but lately, he said, he has been putting in about ten hours a week.
Mile Square View was launched last year on Blogger by Roman Brice, a technical and financial consultant who writes under the nickname "SmartyJones" or "Da Horsey."
"The blog was started with the idea of giving back to Hoboken after [former Mayor Peter] Cammarano got arrested," said Brice, who uses Google Ads and the Amazon Associates program. Earlier this month, he sold his first advertising space to the local business EatDrinkHoboken, LLC.
Brice said he's made less than $1,000 from his Google advertisements thus far, nothing from the Amazon ads and declined to comment on how much he's earning from the EatDrinkHoboken banner at the top of his page. When asked whether he receives subsidies from politicians, he said, "Hell, no!"
"Last year, I asked my readers about even accepting political ads," said Brice, whose blog's content is largely pro-Zimmer. "They were against it, so I declined to accept any. [Fourth Ward Council candidate Tim] Occhipinti is sneaking in some small Google ads, but I'm not going to go out of my way to block those tiny ones," added Brice, noting that Google allows its partners to censor ads.
That brings us to the godfather of Hoboken blogs, the oft-maligned but ever-popular Hoboken411. Perry Klaussen launched Hoboken411 in April 2006 and it has since become the city's most visited, most influential blog since then. Several blogs imitate at least one or more of Klaussen's conventions.
Klaussen declined several interview requests for this story, but according to advertising rate information obtained by Patch, it's reasonable to believe that Klaussen is the only local blogger who is able to make a living—perhaps a quite comfortable one, too.
Patch spoke with a source who earlier this year inquired with Klaussen about purchasing ad space on Hoboken411. The individual, who asked to remain anonymous, shared with Patch the information Klaussen provided regarding ad space available for purchase. In a PDF he supplied to the source, Klaussen mapped out five different locations on the site where ads appear.
According to Klaussen's correspondence, rates for those five banners, which rotate with other advertisements, "range from $299-$499 per month" for which he guarantees at least 100,000 monthly impressions. Moreover, for an additional $100 fee, Klaussen will design a banner ad for advertisers who don't have one and he also offers a more expensive 300x60 pixel exclusive ad option. In addition to selling his own ad space, Klaussen farms out some advertising space to Google Ads and Amazon Associates.
It's hard to know exactly what type of web traffic Hoboken411 draws because web traffic analytics is still such an inexact science and Klaussen, the only one who knows Hoboken411's traffic statistics for sure, is notoriously guarded about sharing such details. In an entry dated August 27, Klaussen writes that Hoboken411 attracts "several million page views…each month," over 400,000 of which he claims, according to Google Analytics, were unique visitors.
However, Klaussen recently hid Hoboken411's traffic data on Quantcast, another web analytics company available online. The last time Patch checked Hoboken411's traffic stats when that information was available was on July 15 and, according to Quantcast's numbers, the blog was attracting just over 32,000 monthly unique visitors. Quantcast describes Hoboken411 as "popular among a younger, fairly wealthy, mostly male audience."
If Klaussen's self-reported traffic numbers are accurate and he sells all available ad space at—estimating conservatively—only the low end of his price range, it's possible he could be generating upwards of $100,000 per year blogging Hoboken.
For anyone thinking about jumping into the game, that kind of earning power may not be easily obtainable. As Zucker said, perhaps the best advice for bloggers to heed—those already in the game as well as those contemplating jumping in—is what she describes as "the number one rule of marketing: Do not undertake something unless you are 100 percent sure you can follow through on it."
In This article
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Kathy Zucker
Joined Patch Tuesday, January 12, 2010 -
Claire Moses
Joined Patch Monday, December 21, 2009 -
Koko FitClub
1320 Adams St, Hoboken, NJ -
PromptMD
309 1st St, Hoboken, NJ -
Robin Reef
8:38 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Perry Klausen site volume is way down. You can tell by amount of comments and he now has ads that say "Advertise here" when he never had them in the past. His undying love for Bet Mazin has ruined his site. He has banned users who had a critical opinion of her actions and scathingly distorts the facts of any effort made by the Mayor and anyone who supports her. He has sent his site down in a ball of flames.
He may be making money but it's only because of his patron..... Bet Mazin who controls his content and who can comment and who can't.
Patch which serves a similar purpose, Mile Square View and Hoboken Journal (although Hoboken Journal is not commercial) are filling the need that H411 once did.
Bye bye, Perry.
Sal Jasoni
9:33 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Some of what the last commenter said is true except for the last paragraph, as Hoboken Journal and Mi Sq View tend to print press releases from Mayor Zimmer without challenging even obvious discrepancies, and most of the commenters are worse. If you post something critical yet logical of anything the current administration does, several of the commenters will avoid addressing the comment and will instead insult you, assume you must be a Mason supporter or worst: Say "Well, do you want Cammarano back" as if any criticism means you are a fan of corruption! However I should point out that Kurt & Roman themselves work hard on the sites & are very gracious in allowing that and having discourse, so they are several steps above Perry. Its really the commenters who act brainwashed and corrupt when you point out facts that don't toe their line. Kurt and Roman put a lot of work into being fair & keeping commenters anonymous, and they deserve a ton of credit. I do notice that they don't write criticism of city hall. When a Patch piece appeared that was favorable to mike lenz, they praised it, but when a politicker article by the same author showed lenz's problems, both sites pretended it didn't exist!! But both sites have promoted healthy discourse that we need. If you really want unbiased approaches you look to Patch or the other two news sources in town. You can see by what they write and how that they present all realistic views & research. But blogs have a place.
hobokenhorse.com
10:17 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Sal, you took time to detail some thoughts here's some additional insight to your comments. First, press releases are all posted based on their importance whether from City Hall, the Police union or local council people without comment. There is no MSV editorial at all - above or below. It's presented to the public for THEIR comment.
I've been critical of the administration and the council majority and will continue to do so. MSV was the first to sound the alarm on the lack of action to keep the St. Patrick's Day parade from further degenerating into new negative territory and held all of City Hall responsible back in January! More recent, MSV has been extremely critical of a second board appointment and remains opposed to such action for local boards. MSV was very critical of Councilman Lenz for his role but tried to do so fairly although he may not agree.
The piece you mention on Politickernj critical of Lenz was a good historical overview with some of his opponents detailing their relative histories. While enjoyable, MSV focuses more on the present and values context. The readers can distinguish the content quite well. Hoboken has a smart audience. They know how to examine and conclude much for themselves.
Most importantly, MSV values an open forum where ideas can be freely and safely shared. Often there's stories no one else has. For a part time site, that's a big deal.
Robin Reef
10:08 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
I agree with you Sal. Roman and Kurt work very hard. It's important to get comments from both sides. At one time, when there was really only one site - H411 that occurred but he banned one side of the discussion.
Dawn Zimmer has been Mayor now for over a year. It's important to note, she an interim Mayor for about 4 months which had certain limitations on what she could do ie Judy wouldn't let her do certain things until she was elected. She was under Judy Tripodi until about March, she had to find a new Business Administrator. She has made tremendous progress although there is so much to do to straighten out City Hall. I mention her journey to becoming a full fledged Mayor because of the extraordinary circumstances and what that did to make it just that much harder to be effective and yet she still made progress. She still has the heavy weight of sore losers like Mason, the old guard like Russo, Castellano and don't rule out the Capiello/LaBruno crowd who want to take back City Hall and all the spoils they enjoyed with it.
I also mention the journey because I can see that with the start of the new year, what will be a full budget, she now has to really start moving. The garage crisis is over, initial layoffs have been made which has broken the ice for more. If the HPD was top heavy it's likely the HFD was as well.
I believe in the coming year, she is going to have to be stoked to get a move on and continue to make tough decisions. 1 out of 4 yrs - gone!
khoboken
10:15 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Sal
Funny how I have never seen your screen name on any post at any of the sites that you mention and crticize, gerenally, the people that do post. What's up with that? Do you have a few screen names?
Robin Reef
10:19 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
I don't know if that last comment was clear but what I was trying to say is that more accurate criticism of the current admin does need to occur. It's unfortunate that this town is so political in that any fissure is blown out of proportion and distorted by opponents.
Why is Hoboken such a hotbed for political wars? This doesn't happen in the burbs. I think it's because Hoboken is prominently positioned next to NY and it gets lots of media attention. There is real money that can be made it this town and a bifurcated population.
I hope we change the form of government we have to cut this ridiculousness out and 'de-politicize' Hoobken.
There were reformers who criticized Kids First and it was amazing to watch Kids First pounce on them for making a non-flattering comment. I believe we do need open, honest discourse. Give credit where credit is do, cite where improvements need to be made.
David A. Liebler
10:29 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Another great Patch article. Every blog in Hoboken serves a purpose and I personally enjoy reading all of them for vital Hoboken information. Every blog serves their own purpose and story angle and that is what makes freedom of speech even more important. If you want to read a one stories point of view you go to one website and if you want read another point of view you go to other websites, then you make your own decision as to what the story means to you. The digital arena in Hoboken should be a model for other towns. Keep up the good work bloggers! David
Robin Reef
10:54 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
I think Perry has committed libel several times. Not 'all' blogs are worth having....H411 is one Hoboken can do without.
David A. Liebler
10:53 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Robin,
Look at the beauty of Blogging, making personal comments and again, freedom of speech. No matter what you feelings about H411 or another, you have the right to read it or not, comment or not or trash the website of your choice via commenting on other blogs, like Patch.
Perry says what is on his mind (I am not sticking up for Perry and yes, I have met him) and that is what makes his website popular. You never know what your going to get (politically) but there is other useful information to read as well and that is what makes it work. Frequent updates, blogging everyday, will get you traffic if it's interesting. Perry is interesting blogging, although you (and at times-I don't actually care for it) it is still his right to post what he wants.
To me....What makes blogging wrong....is allowing comments from some people and not others. A true blogger (To Me) should allow all the comments to be posted for a fair "post" commentary.
And Robin...Hoboken and Hudson county politics are a blood sport, not for the faint at heart. That is why it makes for great blogging!
Robin Reef
11:03 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
David,
Agreed on all points. He has the right to post anything he wants as long as it's not libel. It is my opinion that he has committed libel. Libel is a pain in the butt to prove and any court action would be long and expensive. The reason why celebrities don't sue OK Magazine and the National Enquirer every time one of them write something that is outright false is because of the time, money and the real obstacle - suing would only create more attention and in this online world references to the libelous material.
It's because of his outright lies, he really should go away.
It's just like that PAC that was linked to Healey was shut down for crossing the line. It was the one from Central Jersey that had ties to development in JC that printed that piece that overlaid Dawn Zimmer's face with Roberts and tried to say to the unwitting, that she her administration would be the same as his. And there she sat on Cable TV next to Cammarano who lied through his teeth that he didn't condone such tactics yet he was a party to it. That PAC has been dissolved. I believe Perry has crossed this line and has gone beyond his opinion, has gone beyond free speech and entered the realm of libel.
I don't go to his anymore. The times that I have gone back over the last year, it's hard not to notice the low level of comments and fewer ads. He has crossed the line. Not 'all' blogs are worth reading even for entertainment. I personally would like to see him fail and go away.
Sal Jasoni
10:56 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Horse and Robin, thanks for your responses. Both Kurt and Roman do a real service, I'll say that again. It's the brainwashed commenters that sometimes shout opposing views down . An example is KHoboken above who fails to address any of my logical points and instead tries to cast doubt on me without responding to my opinions. He'd like to believe independent thinkers can't exist.
One thing: I've seen the Horse blog tout being critical of the St. Pat's parade many times. True, but that was ages ago! I do appreciate the heartfelt discussion on the dual board appointments and I hope that you keep up the good work not letting such things just fly by without criticism and healthy debate.
Regarding Zimmer only being in office for a short time, I will not argue there. You'll notice I didn't actually criticize anything she did. She is better than the alternatives. But I think that with all the voices and decisions in her administration there is always things that should be challenged, there is NO WAY that everything she or Lenz or Bhalla do is above reproach. Yet some of the commenters (KHoboken probably being one) make it seem like that.
Sometimes they are as bad as Perry K in the way they insult others. Hey everyone, I am not a "bet mazin" supporter but some of you have to stop acting above reproach. Luckily we do have the Kurt, Roman as well as news websites that can help us know what is really happening, not just angry biased commenters.
Robin Reef
11:16 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
As far as blogging and fair publishing. I am glad to see this article on Patch get some comments. NJ.com/hobokennow has become largely irrelevant. They have not had a dedicated writer for Hoboken and it's lost a lot of ground.
I hope that Patch becomes that "legitimate" site where people post. I put it in quotes because commercial sites even the NY Times sometimes have issues. They are beholden to advertisers. Internet publications have pressure to publish quickly and do not have time for depth, investigative articles. Often times, I find the blogs and bloggers know the nitty gritty - the devil is in the detail and it's hard to get that out in 500 words or less.
I do feel that the Hoboken Reporter filled that "legitimate" news source for a long time and it still does but obviously it's timeliness is sometimes poor. We do need publications that are held to a higher standard.
Maybe the blogs should look up "Fair publishing guidelines" and ask themselves if they would meet that standard. Is there some 3rd party assessment process that a site could go through to get a stamp of approval?
David A. Liebler
11:29 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
I am against outright lies and deception tactics and agree from time to time that is exactly what you have in Hoboken blogging country, but that is the world we live in. Unless Perry really goes off the deep end, no one is suing him. He is very opinionated and for that it upsets people, that is understood no doubt.
As far as traffic goes, that is a funny online discussion of hide and seek.
To Me...Traffic stats are for advertisers so they have a full disclosure. But I do like when other websites post stat reports about their websites that are from Google and not made up numbers.
FYI: On MSV, Bet Matzin is one of the funniest video's I have seen in a while, very creative! Could it be considered libel? No! Because of the way it was written and executed. Could it be highly insulting to a certain member of the community....probably! But it was funny.
MSV should make that a weekly......
Robin Reef
12:09 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Ahhh.... You do realize that an advertiser gets a site's stats from the site itself? One of the reasons why sites began offering the ability to comment was to legitimize its site traffic. It also creates site stickiness. People log on as we have done here to this article and watch all day. Comment levels correlate to site volume and it's an outward way that users and advertisers know how much volume a site is getting. Site owners can't hide that result.
Both users and advertisers want to know how much volume the site is getting. If you are going to bother making a comment on a topic don't you want to know if anyone is listening?
Sites can obfuscate the truth about their stats by manipulating time periods or outright lying.
Bet Mazin is a public figure and the standards of libel for public figures are much lower for public figures. She is an elected official where there is suppose to be open dialogue about whether or not she is doing a good job or whether she should be elected. The standard for private citizen's is much different. The libelous comments I am thinking of have been against private citizens.
Robin Reef
12:15 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Also David, I do think Perry has gone off the deep end and I think he should be sued. It's just too costly for the victims.... yet.
Sal Jasoni
11:48 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
All newspapers need advertisers, and yes I agree about how even the New York Times gets it wrong about Hoboken at times. It covers something in Hoboken about four times a year and then reiterates information from old articles in Patch, the JJ and the Reporter. However, Robin, you really think Patch doesnt make money from advertising? Really now.
Robin Reef
12:12 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Sal that is not what I was saying. I know in the past, the Hoboken Reporter, has chosen not to run certain articles because of the impact on some advertisers. What I am saying is even the publications that practice Fair Publishing Guidelines are influenced by the hand that feeds them. I was not talking about misprints. I am talking about deliberate actions that are critical or supportive that impact their advertisers.
David A. Liebler
12:15 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Advertising banner space to large advertisers is the core of the Patch revenue model, that is why you now have 100 websites. They are selling a package to large advertisers and selling smaller packages to the local merchant. Hyper-Local targeted with the ability to sell to Fortune 500. Hello Pepsi ad :)
This way they can afford good reporters!
Robin Reef
12:20 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
David,
What is your point about banner ads as it pertains to the comment about how site owners provide traffic stats to advertisers which is a conflict of interest? The point I am making about H411 is this. ... based on comment levels and the number of ads appearing on the site it's obvious to me his site traffic is down. The fact that his site traffic is down means, he is less relevant than he once was.
plywood
11:49 am on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
While several comments above seem to lay some of the blogging "problems" at the feet of the commenters, and in great measure I agree, notice how this seemingly politically innocent thread has begun to turn into a political debate. This is a function of why many threads in the sites listed above turn to hyperbole and combativeness, because many commenters are to some extent extolling a point of view, almost always associated with a particular candidate or set of candidates. Then push often comes to shove in the comments, the final stage of the progression being only the more aggressive posters are willing to step into the fray as the others don't comment for lack of interest of having their head chewed off verbally for so much as a spelling error. Consequently, many posters/readers then begin to avoid existing sites with their predictable cast of commenters, comments and viewpoints, and seek new sites or only post and follow sites which they feel comfortable with the perceived political position of. The cycle then repeats and the dynamic feeds on itself. Doesn't make for the most healthy, balanced debates. Unfortunately, this is endemic in anonymous blogging. Add to that some posters are just looking to somehow feel better by anonymously telling off others in a safe environment.
David A. Liebler
12:32 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Unless I saw an actual traffic report from Google Analytics on H411 is hard to comment as to if his traffic is up down or sideways. Everything else is just subjective talk that it is one way or the other.
I am SURE many Zimmer fans are not going to H411 as frequently, but it is like a train wreck, sometimes you just have to go and see what's being said......he still has traffic and as the article concluded with....he has to be making some money to continue......
Robin Reef
12:55 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Interesting .... unless you see his server data directly you won't comment on whether or not his site traffic yet you are willing to assume he is making money from his site since he is continuing even though the alarming level of speculation that he is being supported by Bet Mazin.
David A. Liebler
1:05 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
How would you know for sure? If he is making a $1 he is making money, I just think he is doing better then that. As for his "Being Supported by" comment, that one is really funny. If she pays for advertising here or there and maybe just maybe a little something extra, I would hardly consider that supporting him. I hear that comment a lot and it is due to H411's pro-beth/Anti Zimmer dialogue and he has a right to do that. There are sites that are very one sided in the other direction, does that make them bad? It just makes them a Blog.
"Alarming level of speculation" is a great line!
Robin Reef
1:29 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
David, many people believe that Bet Mazin is doing more than buying a little advertising here and there. Yes, it's circumstantial but unless we see his bank, phone and email records which obviously he is not handing over, that's all we have to go on. He and his site have supported her action regardless of how blatantly stupid, contra reform and obstructionist they were. We have watch the old guard play her like a cheap whore and his site said nothing. It is my opinion that the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming. The point I am making is that I don't believe the site stands on its own two feet. He is not making a living anymore through his advertisers. I buy into the speculation and it is speculation that he would not be able to continue the site without Bet Mazin and that relationship has completely tainted everything he writes and some times to the point of libel.
Bet Mazin
1:11 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
"I keep him in business for nothing but dog food. Dog food for two, him and Oscar."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t1WYt0Ya9A&feature=player_embedded
Rob
1:51 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Lots of people are trying [INCLUDING PATCH], but maybe only Perry Klaussen is actually doing it.
What are the numbers for the total Patch sites, or for that matter Hoboken? I don't see AOL making them transparent either.
Bet Mazin
2:01 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Please follow this line of thought and question other information about Patch and others.
Thank you. That is all.
As stated and ordered by me, Bet Mazin.
P.S. Perry did it but now I'm doing it. Bow down you are not worthy.
Robin Reef
2:01 pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Rob,
You are correct none of the site are transparent ..... That goes back to my comment about why comments are important as a tell tale sign of what a site has in terms of traffic. It's a correlate to site traffic and one that a site cannot obscure. I think it's a fair assumption that the more comments a site has the more volume it actually has. It's something a site cannot lie about. Again, it's a telltale sign that his site volume is down as the comments are down. I think it's dis-ingenious to conclude he is making a living off of the site itself. It is my belief he is getting support from somewhere else and I buy in that he is getting support directly from Bet Mazin regardless of whether or not she is buying ad space.
Furey
11:25 am on Thursday, September 9, 2010
Site traffic is notoriously flawed, there are many different traffic counting methodologies, and tricks that sites use to inflate their numbers.
For example, on my site I had a picture of America's Top Model from a post I wrote 3 years ago. Google Analytics said that I got tons of hits every day on that picture alone, and my 1/2 my page hits were from that one picture alone!
I think people are kidding themselves if they think Hoboken411 isn't the most popular site in Hoboken. Perry does a great job, and often has most of the breaking updates thanks to contributors (and ghost writers) who feed him such information.
My biggest complaint is that 411 absolutely censors the people who comment on his site. I haven't been able to comment (freely) on his site since I dared challenge him about 4th ward candidate Timothy Occupinti's rant about the Boys and Girls club pool being nothing more than political grandstanding. After that, all of my posts are now "moderated for approval".
I'm not the only person this has happened to, and many of his early supporters are now no longer welcome to post on his site. I fully respect his right to censor disruptive comments, but he squelches any opposition to his viewpoints. If you notice the only person really left on his site who is able to write freely about Zimmer is Matt_72. Everyone else has been banned. Every time I try to refute a point on his site, he doesn't post it.
Many people are simply unaware of this deceptive tactic of 411.
Boink
9:58 pm on Thursday, September 9, 2010
Interesting how the person Furey who single-handedly ruined Hobokeni and was nicknamed the Furerh by the commentators on that site for his heavy handed comment moderation now wants to complain about comment moderation. You do realize how ridiculous your complaint sounds? Did you tell the Author of this story about how you drove all of that traffic over to H411? Let's all have a good chuckle at that little omission.
Just like Kurt's blog this thread also on Perry generates the most comments on Patch,great reporting Patch. I would have rather heard more on say I dunno the Festival or perhaps even the traffic congestion it generates over this story that was practically lifted from the Reporter.
Keep up the good fight little sychophants.
Kathy Zucker
11:03 am on Friday, September 10, 2010
Re. the Reporter: I tried searching for a Hudson Reporter article on blogs and failed to find one. I can certainly tell you that this Patch article is the only one for which I have ever been interviewed about my blog, so this article was definitely not lifted from anywhere.
InfotainMe
6:50 pm on Friday, September 10, 2010
KZ, it's someone from 411 (one of 2 people). Don't take the remarks too much to heart. That's how they 'roll' and also why so many people rolled away from them.
Kathy Zucker
7:33 pm on Friday, September 10, 2010
InfotainMe, I know you are right. Just wanted to remove any question about the authenticity of this piece in case someone not in the know stumbles in here. Legitimate complaints are one thing; fabricating facts are totally different.
FAP
8:29 pm on Friday, September 10, 2010
I was on Hobokeni and I think Furey did a fine job as moderator,the reason the site declined was the community there just ran out of steam.
Ironically enough it was Perry Klaussen posting on Hobokeni under the name FKI or FriscoKickingIt who was the person most outspoken against any moderation and now he feels free to edit people's posts, delay posts for hours and ban posters all because he disagrees with them.
T Ritter
3:31 pm on Saturday, November 6, 2010
How can thebokenonline be profitable with 40 hours of labor every week?
If you only value their work at $10 an hour "profitable" would require a couple thousand dollars a month in revenue to cover the cost of those hours alone.
HobokenDad
1:16 pm on Sunday, November 7, 2010
The multiplicity of blogs in Hoboken is good for everyone.
When there was but one blog controled by one political group it skewed the discussion.
It is often said and I believe to be true, that Beth Mason operative Lane Bajardi writes much of the political content on Hoboken411 and many of those left who are still allowed to post are also part of her core group of suporters and Mr. Bajardi himself under a screen name.
The blogs that counter balance to that kind of thought monopoly is good for those who are looking to form our own opinions.
HobokenDad
3:10 pm on Sunday, November 7, 2010
Add the HOBOKEN ADVOCATE to the list of blogs.
This new blog is being run by Eric Kurta who at one time was responsible for much of the factual political reporting on Hoboken411 and has contributed recently to Hoboken Mile Square View.
HobokenDad
11:49 am on Monday, November 8, 2010
Sorry found it.