...they don’t draw near as much traffic as the simple features that are emailed around through basic “word of mouth”. Think of most of these features as messengers. They go out and find people that enjoy them, and bring them and their friends back to the site for more. When a forum is set up that links to a feature on my site, that usually draws in the right kind of people that my humor appeals to, and typically they enjoy what they see. Groups like The Friends of Lucy is one of the best examples of the kind of free publicity I can enjoy that routes a generous number of viewers my way.

I’ve noticed an interesting pattern of reception with many of the features on my site, as well as people’s impressions of me based on what they see on my site. With regards to individual features, when a feature is well liked, there seems to be a similar proportion of people that have the exact opposite attitude. Stronger expressions of enjoyment are often met with similar expressions of contempt, in the forms of emails, textmessages, or guestbook signings. In the beginning, I got neither praise nor resentment. Now that there are things on the table to be judged, attitudes come accompanied by their polar opposite.

Take the recent Quizno’s campaign that featured those weird little animals playing instruments in their ads. The ad was a risky move for the company, and it received lavish praise or well as heated animosity. There seems to be a correlation here, and I’ve seen that same phenomenon on my website as well.

Part of the price I pay for being so visible on the web is that on occasion, among the emails that let me know people still enjoy some of the features offered on my site, I get feedback that counters that positive opinion. Last week alone, I received five death threats on my guestbook. I saved a couple of them to serve as an example of the balance between the good and the bad. This resentment has never manifested itself beyond mere text, so I take these comments with a grain of salt and chalk it up to just life on the web.

The whole learning experience, though, has been well worth the time I’ve put into it and the interesting feedback that I get has made it all worthwhile. The idea that there are people out there forwarding my work, recognized or not, is a huge compliment! In the meantime, what I’ve learned through these self-promotion techniques I hope will benefit me in advertising for other people’s services and products in the future