My “other” web baby (HOG is the first) The Golf Space, at www.thegolfspace.com is growing very well. It’s now up to over 530 members and 70,000 unique visitors. The hits are in the millions. Not bad for less than 3 months. Not bad for NO $$ spent on advertising. So thanks to all my web buddies who have helped promote. You know who you are.
Making waves
I’ve had two “investors” wanting to buy in. I’ve had a couple of marketing guys wanting in. I’ve also apparently become some kind of “enemy” to some sites who are either about to attempt the same thing or be sponsored by someone who is doing the same thing.
Bad attitudes
I’m really getting fed up with the Nazi attitude some other web sites have. They seem to think that any other web site remotely related to them is an “enemy.” These Nazi types resort to all sorts of morally and ethically bad behavior like slander, lies, hacking, changing users posts etc., to try to snub their perceived enemy.
I just started a damn new web site and I’ve already got people thinking I’m some kind of “competition” to them. I didn’t start it to compete with anyone or steal business from anyone. I started The Golf Space because….NO ONE HAD DONE ANYTHING LIKE IT YET and it sounded like a cool idea!
I just try to make cool golf web sites and treat my visitors with good design, good content, cool features and friendly interaction. If you can’t handle that then that’s your problem.
Actions speak louder than words
I like to let my actions speak louder than my words. I’m friendly and open to all golf web sites who wish to link here or at The Golf Space. It’s all about networking and growing this whole internet golf pie together. Listen folks…one site isn’t going to steal your slice of the pie. Let’s just make the damn pie bigger eh? There are hundreds of millions of surfers on the web. You think YOU are the only one that’s going to get users? Come on!
Use the BLOG MENTALITY and network the crap out of yourself. Cross link all over the place. Make a bunch of friends who will PROMOTE YOU and give you WORD OF MOUTH which is more valuable than any banner ad. If you make enemies or bad mouth other sites/people, YOU will be the one who is hurt in the end by your actions, not the site you slander.
OK, I’m off my soap box now. Really folks…. can’t we all just “get along.”
Filed under Bogey Rants….
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
So name the good guys. I’m sure it won’t take us long to work out the detractors…
I don’t understand why anyone can really have any enemies in a community such as golf and blogs in general. I mean it benefits everyone to network and play nice, so why spend the energy on making enemies? Congratulations on the success you have had with your blog, I hope it continues on the path it’s on.
Couldn’t have ranted better myself tony, well done!!!
Hey Tony,
In the words of Nick Faldo to Greg Norman at the end of the 1996 Masters, “Don’t let the bastards get you down”.
Tom Gov
Well said!! I have encounter similar problems here in Canada. My site is now one of the most visit golf site in Canada and it is amazing how a few other web sites are mad at me for just existing. There was even a really small golf forum who banned me because I simply included my URL in my signature. I will not do them the honor of including their name in this post but these guys ran a small web site and had a massive God complex. it really is too bad.
Don’t worry mediaguru, I got your back here in Canada!
That’s crap. You had a brilliant idea, brought it to fruition, and even more, you made it so that we could all network. That’s the thing these Nazi’s don’t get. All they need to do is partner with you or trade links, whatever, and then both of your user-bases double.
Prime example: GolfDiscussions.com. Not an enemy, but that’s not the point. They had users, you had users, you join them together, and you both grow. I know I went directly to GolfDiscussions and registered as soon as I saw them on TGS.
Keep up the good work.
Exactly nothingman. We both benefitted from networking our user bases together. We both got bigger and guess what? We’re both still in business! What a concept!
At the end of the day its Just a golf.
A golf Site is not gonna change your life, but you can make friends and those friends could be your friends for life.
It’s not about making money off your friends on the site, or members as other sites call them.
Down with Golf Blog Envy…
Get on over to Hooked on Golf Blog and read about some issues blogmaster Tony is having with his recently launched golf themed social networking site, The Golf Space. The problem isn’t with the site (The Golf Space is actually…
It’s different in the forum world, most forums are all about making $$$ off their members, there are maybe only 2-3 that are not like that. It’s really a shame when a fourm says they are all about “the love of the game” BS they are about ripping off member lists, copying another sites ideas, posts, and being 100% money motivated.
It’s all about golf not money.
I have talked with Tony many times about this subject, at GolfDiscussions we welcome all other bloggers and hope they will add their link, banner, etc in their profile for all to see to help spread the word about all the cool golf sites.
Blogging sites link each other, butt you dont see that much in the forum world because they are afraid they will lose a possible sale or a few cents for a Pay-Per-Click Advertising Link.
Sometimes is shames me to be a forum owner when other forums do something so vile for money that it sickens me
http://www.golfdiscussions.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=8393.html
As a true supporter of Web2.0, I agree with your comments. Unfortunately, the development/adoption of the golf blogosphere is much slower than, for example, the tech blogosphere. Many people have heard about blogs on the evening news and can see the top layer of the “revolution”. However, all they see are the dollar signs and they rarely understand the infrastructure that must be layed down from the start. As early adopters, with a more fully developed perspective of Web2.0, we need to pave the way for future bloggers and develop a community of quality user-generated content. Quality content leads to a unified blogospheric voice and that is where the power of the consumer exists. The world of Web2.0, and the power of the consumer, is the unified voice of many and not the voice of one.
Unfortunately, for now, we must live by the media and die by the media. My blog, Gourmet Golfwrx, has been up for 2 months and is still in development. I’m taking my time and getting a sense of the space before I start the blogroll.
One more thing…I think the world of “hating” is a two way street. I’m not down with “hating” and I support rants. however, conversational tone is lost in text and I think its everyone’s responsibility to be doubly conscious of the way our words may be perceived. There’s no need to “stir the pot” and no need to add to the edification of separate sides. The example needs to be set now.
Keep up the good work.
-jyip
http://www.golfwrx.com/blog
“unified blogospheric voice” woa….cool term.
[…] them so I felt like I had helped out. This week I am on more of a rant. I was reading Hooked On Golf Blog last week and I got motivated once again when he sounded off on other golf web sites u […]
All SortaGolfers are encouraged to use and enjoy The Golf Space.
Don’t worry about it T. I probably receive the most hate mail out of all of us. I think it’s all from “Bones”…
Anyway, just know that there are a lot of us who support you. I probably visit your site at least twice a day. Now that I finally got around to opening an account, I’ll be commenting too.
Keep up the great work!
Sorta, Grouch and others: thanks for your kind words. Nice to hear them.
I think this may be an all time record for comments in one of my posts but I’d have to research that…