With more than 250,000 “muy attractive readers”, Zen Habits is one of the most popular blogs in the world. Time Magazine rated it in the Top 25 bogs of 2010 and the Top 50 websites of 2011.
Recently, I noticed that Zen Habits creator and writer, Leo Babauta, no longer has social media sharing buttons at the end of his blog posts. When I asked him about this, he said:
“Yes, I have removed sharing buttons from Zen Habits. I believe people know how to share without my encouragement, if they’d like to do so. Most people would rather read without the distractions of buttons, pop-ups, ads and so forth.”
I appreciate Babauta’s aesthetic. Do you? Indeed, I prefer it to seeing share buttons plastered all over the top or side of a blog post. I also admire Babauta’s willingness to take a stand in this day and age when numbers – “social proof” – seem to impress far more than quality in this wild and wooly blogosphere.
But, I wonder, doesn’t removing social media sharing buttons make it more troublesome for readers to share?
Social Media Share Buttons and Page Loading Time
Maybe there’s a practical side to removing social media share buttons, at least in part.
Around the same time, timethief at One Cool Site Blogging Tips, removed sharing buttons from her blog’s front page excerpts, but left them at the end of her post pages. Having social media sharing buttons on the front page increases page loading time, she noted. She also prefers a less distracted reader atmosphere.
Desperate to Be Shared
On the opposite end of the spectrum are those desperate to have their blog posts shared. In his article Earning Attention, Chris Brogan reports:
“I see more and more people asking for attention. More and more people ask me for retweets and reposts and shares. More and more people ask me to amplify their media. Not their ‘very important’ stuff, not their ‘trying to cure cancer’ stuff. Just their ‘post that I really want people to read’ stuff.”
Brogan goes on to ask:
“Wouldn’t effective marketing be the kind of marketing that doesn’t require you to leg-hump people for shares and retweets?”
Naturally, if you have the popularity of Leo Babauta or Chris Brogan, social media shares are no longer your primary care. But what’s a new blogger to do? Brogan advises:
“If you’re starting out, you need a little more traction. You have to try and find more eyes. Sure, I get that. But do you get them by leg humping and begging, or do you get them by writing really great stuff, by showing up and participating where really great communities exist, by writing really useful guest posts on sites that are brethren to your own material? It’s B, not A.”
It’s humbling to know that it took Chris Brogan 8 years to get his first 100 readers. But this article of his had 732 tweets!
Do you take the time to share a post if there’s no social media sharing button in site? Do you think it’s blogging suicide or sanity to disable social media sharing buttons on your site?
Now, do I dare ask you to share?
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{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
From Zeenat Syal at http://PositiveProvocations.com
Dearest Sandra,
This is one topic I have often wondered about.
I fully ‘get’ leo and chris’s viewpoint on this, but with their hold online I don’t think they need to make the effort now. They used to have all the social media buttons when they started off too!
With socia media growing the way it is I don’t think its advisable for any blogger to leavr it out.
Plus, social media is not just for sharing, its for interacting with your readers too. Many of these readers might not be as tech savvy as you and me..the buttons just make it easier for them to share. Although, yes, I do Not like the huge in your face kind of social buttons.
I think of social media as a hand in hand approach to grow
I do love your new blog and site! Very lovely feel here.
Lots of love,
Z~”
Hi Zeenat,
I appreciate your clarity and focus on the reader, making it easier for them. I know when I get excited by a blog post, I feel disappointed when there isn’t an opportunity to comment and it’s difficult to share. Thanks for the positive feedback!
Many a times a comment or share come from the heart…..when the topic is worth sharing readers will share. By not having the little buttons below the post to share, it can sometimes give the impression that we dont want it to be shared…which is obviously not the case.
Dont you think?
I suppose the kind of blog you write plays a big role too.
One click social buttons are so much easier. If they feel its worthy of a share they will…there is no force there. I have seen blogs with super in your face social buttons(eeks!) and however much they try those posts ‘dont’ get shared.
In the end…the option to share or not is completely on the reader…content as Timethief and Annabel have mentioned is the key point each blogger must pay attention to. The going viral bit then takes care of itself
Z~
From Annabel Candy http://SuccessfulBlogging.com
Hi Sandra,
Very excited to see you’ve started a new blog:) Lol re Brogan’s quote:
“Wouldn’t effective marketing be the kind of marketing that doesn’t require you to leg-hump people for shares and retweets?”
Here are my thoughts very briefly:
1. As you say we can’t do what Leo and Chris do. They have critical mass, we don’t.
2. Yes, yes, we have to write something worthy of being shared en masse and we can’t expect that to happen with every post.
3. Tech savvy people will share even if there are no share buttons so if your audience is tech savvy then you could forgo the buttons.
4. Otherwise you should provide them (think of it as a service to your readers?!) and ask them to share. They will share more but only if it’s good stuff.
5. Do not use those horrid floating share buttons that follow you everywhere. That’s just intrusive. Not that you would Sandra:)
Congrats on the new blog. Off to share it now using my Twitter hootlet!
Hi Annabel,
As usual, you have crystal clear clarity. It’s true that an undistracted reading atmosphere is lovely on a blog, but I agree that we need to balance that with creating an un-frustrated reading experience as well. I don’t see the benefit in making it harder or more time-consuming for the reader to share by removing share buttons from our posts entirely.
I haven’t seen the horrid floating buttons yet! I would be gone in a flash!!!!
Thanks for your seasoned advice, your encouragement, and your tweeting!
Hi Sandra,
As you know, unlike most blogging tips bloggers, I’m not focused on marketing. I don’t derive a penny from blogging and I don’t reward commenters with do-follow links. There are no ads of any kind on my blog and there is no PayPal donation button.
Granted, the foregoing may seem outlandish to some as they aren’t aware of how minimal my own island lifestyle is and what I do and don’t value. Blogging has never been about “numbers” for me and it never will be.
Q: Do you think it’s blogging suicide or sanity to disable social media sharing buttons on your site?
A: Absolutely not. lol
I dissent with those who choose think that blogging success is reliant on placing social networking sharing button at the beginning of posts. They must have different definition of success than the one I embrace.
My readers are smart enough to find the buttons at the end of my posts, so I don’t intend to insult to their intelligence by taking the position that I need to make it easier for them to share my posts. It’s wondeful when they do but I’m not crying a river if they don’t.
What that up front placement communicates to me is exactly what Chris says ie. it’s leg humping beggary motivated by desperation for notice that I don’t feel. Those who have “floating” buttons or huge “in your face” buttons or those atrocious toolbars get no traffic from me. I’m a one timer on sites like that ie. I bounce in and out – never to return again.
Q: Do you take the time to share a post if there’s no social media sharing button in site?
A: Yes and the way I may choose to share may not be through a social network. I’ve blogged for a long time and note that bloggers were quite capable of sharing in other ways before Twitter, Facebook, etc. existed ie. before the blogosphere turned into a giant shopping mall with carnival barkers on every corner.
‘Nuff said
Hi timethief,
Honestly and well said! I appreciate your perspective as I enjoy a more aesthetic atmosphere myself and agree that readers are intelligent enough to find our share buttons at the bottom of a post. Flashing buttons, pop-ups, gigantic buttons, and bars are a turn off for me as well as the new opt-in boxes at the very top of blog pages these days. If I am really excited about a post, I will take extra steps to share even if it means going out of my way to shorten the url as an intermediate step to sharing. Personally, I wouldn’t remove share buttons from the bottom of my posts entirely because it does take extra time and effort for a reader to share when you do that, more for their sake then thinking of my own.
Thanks for highlight the fact that there are other ways to share aside from social media. Sharing a post in an article is also a wonderful way to support other bloggers. Thanks for your thoughts.
hi, Sandra,
read your article.
varuni
Thank you, Varuni, for your help! Now I know the blog comments are working again. Thank you so much! You are so sweet and kind.
I dislike blogs that don’t allow comments. To me, blogging is a conversation and half the time the best part of the post is in the wonderful comments I get. So I am usually encouraging my readers to leave a comment. But encouraging them to share is just a larger extension to that, in my mind. So I’ll leave my buttons up!
Charlotte, I have the same feeling about blogs that don’t allow comments! I might like them but I tend not to read them after awhile. Zen Habits is the one exception. I agree with you that the comments are often the best part of the post and I learn so much from and am very inspired by my readers. I see your logic of how sharing is an extension of participation and connection > sharing can add to an even more dynamic community. Thanks for adding that angle!
Sandra,
Beautiful new blog space for your writing services!
Regarding your questions — I try to find a middle way. I think most of my blog readers aren’t in the ‘tech savvy’ category so they would be far less likely to share a post on Facebook or elsewhere without the help of those easy-to-click social media buttons.
I know that for me, the impulse to ‘share’ someone else’s piece of writing often comes from an altruistic place… so I want to support that happening for others as well and make it as easy for them to post as possible. But I feel that placing social media buttons all over the place reeks of over-self-promotion…. so I try to keep mine simple and at the bottom of my posts.
There are pieces of content that I, admittedly, push more and even do ask people to share. Right now I’m launching my first e-course so I’m Tweeting that up more than usual (and Facebooking too), and have also reached out to blogging friends to ask their help. I do it because a) honestly I do want to bring in some revenue for this course, not a bad thing I keep reminding myself!, and b) I sincerely believe the course will benefit the folks who take it. So at some point I like to believe that self-interest, promotion, and altruism merge into one : )
Maia,
I like the middle way as well too! I know I share when I find a piece inspiring, beneficial, and worthwhile and so it is a sense of altruism that makes me want to share. Thank you for honing in on that. I also feel that there’s no point in making it more difficult for people to share by removing share buttons entirely. I don’t understand Leo’s logic entirely, but I know he comes from a place of deep thought and care as well but he has an established audience so his position is different in that regard.
Thanks for your honesty about the spectrum of your motivation. Isn’t it interesting that there’s a tendency among some of us to feel like it’s a “bad thing” to generate revenue from our work online! Your course on how to fall in love with your work looks hot, the cost is so do-able, and I’m sure people will love it!
Oh yes, I’d definitely share a blog post regardless of whether it was “easy” to do it. My browser has the echofon plug in that lets me “tweet this page”. I work with gmail, so I can share posts on G+ right from my mailbox. Now – that facebook share is a little more tricky because I try and avoid spending time on fb. Time-sucker. So if the site has the share button, that’s good. If not,
I’d share it if I wanted to anyway.
In reality, lots of people share with an agenda and not for the love of sharing.
So – it is different strokes for different folks. Then, there are those in a hurry – buttons make it easy for them. I know that some people want to share, but skip it because I was not “considerate enough to make it easy”
I agree that plastering them all over the post page is a bad idea
But as Zeenat said, buttons are convenient from an interaction point of view.
Very thought-provoking post, Sandra. And it is good to be here!
Dear Vidya,
It’s wonderful to have you here! You clearly share from a place of loving to sharing and that’s what I love about you. You also seem to have sharing down to an art, which is sensible because time is precious and limited. It make sense to use it efficiently. I’ll have to check out that plug in! You’re right everyone is different.
I don’t see anyone in this group rushing to disable their social share buttons! Keeping them at end of the post seems the preference for this group.
Thanks for your thoughts and the plug-in suggestion.
Sandra,
Such a wonderful engaging first post…thank you!!
A fairly short response: I think to each her own. I’ve seen so many following one way of doing something or the other, touting the benefits. As far as the social media buttons – some will like them, some will hate them. Some will benefit from them, others will find the detract from their site.
I’ve noticed many marketers in particular going one way or the other, spending days of posts encouraging others to follow them. Maybe it’s just my mood today, but I think we’d all be a bit better off if we spent more time being instead of selling, expressing ourselves instead of trying to impress others, and and just writing instead of fretting over who is reading it.
(Of course, ask me about this again when the bills come due.)
Hi Lisa,
You are so right that we each need to find our own way and there’s no point in wasting time judging what others are doing. I love your formula of “being instead of selling, expressing instead of trying to impress, and writing instead of fretting.” I’m up for that! I so appreciate your support and comment! Thank you!
And thank YOU for the reply and wonderful writing!
You’re welcome!
Deciding whether or not to include or disable social media sharing buttons depends on a blogger’s purpose and years of experience and success.
When I began blogging many years ago, I didn’t even know you could earn $ from blogging, much less how to do it. Now that I’ve turned my attention to ways to monetize my blog and promote my products and services, it makes sense to make it easy for readers to share via social media when they find something of value on my site.
I love Leo and his minimalist style and easy going manner. I also admire Chris Brogan and respect his advice. Those of us who haven’t reached their stature, however, must remember that they promoted themselves very strategically and aggressively until they built up to the 250,000+ followers they now enjoy. When we reach those levels, if that’s our goal, we can drop social media share buttons too if we wish.
For now, however, compare this to how Stephen King aggressively sought publishers for his early work and collected his share of rejection slips before he reached the success he now enjoys. King no longer has to has to write proposals, or court publishers, but John Q. Unknown Writer who must.
It may be humbling to learn that it took Chris 8 years to get 100 readers, but we can be sure he wasn’t counting on blogging to feed him during those years. If a new blogger begins with the intent of earning his keep from blogging, he can’t afford to be cavalier about attracting readers, nor have the luxury of waiting 8 years.
Having said that, however, I agree with Chris that too many bloggers succumb to begging and leg humping to win unearned attention. It does come down to writing good stuff. The successful bloggers earned their success by honing their craft and offering value, but also by getting as many eyes to notice their work as possible in their early days.
Leo and Chris are not suggesting that we don’t market our work, but that we focus on offering value first before we seek engagement.
Hi Flora,
Thanks you for this well articulated synopsis of the main points. You offer much clarity and experience in your assessment of the situation. I have no doubts that both Leo and Chris were strategic at some point in their careers, but as you point out, they blend it with mastering the craft and good heart as well. I think a bit of good fortune and timing also blends into the mix! Thanks for your thoughts, Flora.
I do have sharing buttons and am happy to have people share my posts. However, I can see the logic of not having any – if something is good, people will find a way to share, won’t they?
Thank you for this – I’m going to give it a lot of thought.
Hi Corinne,
I’m fascinated by how you see this as a possibility. I would love to see where you come to after giving it a lot of thought. Maybe you’ll write about it on your blog…
Hi Sandra,
Very pertinent post. Personally, I have just started blogging myself but have been reading blogs for a while. My own experience as a reader has influenced the way I set my blog up (although to be honest it is very, very basic at the moment as I surf the learning curve).
I prefer as a reader to see the share buttons because it is just so much quicker to share. And I only share if I enjoy the article. Pop up and floating stuff annoys me, and I know others it annoys to, so I avoid that on others blogs and my own.
About comments. I feel cheated every time I finish one of Leo’s posts because in most cases I forget he doesn’t do them, and my first instinct is to say something about it. And then I can’t
So as good as the posts are, it does reduce the “experience” for me. But I still go back because the content is so good.
I think for me as a reader and a new blogger, the share buttons have a place and for now should stay.
Hi Keith,
This is really a good point! If we allow our own reading experience to guide the way we set up our blogs, I bet most of us would avoid the annoying features. I used to feel the same way when I finished a post written by Leo, but I’ve managed over time to let it go. Generally, I agree that closed comments reduces the “experience” for me too and I rarely read blogs that don’t allow comments with just a few exceptions. It’s really great to hear from a new blogger! Thank you. I feel fine about share buttons placed at the end of a post as I don’t want sharing to take more time for readers, who may already have very full lives.
I find it interesting that closed comments on Leo’s blog creates disappointment in others. I don’t feel that way at all and I think that has a lot to do with being an introvert, who is more taciturn in person than I am online and who has a life long addiction to reading.
I love reading blogs. I read blogs for a year before I started my own and during that year I did not feel any compulsion to comment. Now and then I do feel compelled to comment on posts when I feel I have something to add to the conversation but in most cases I don’t. I read and I move on. At the end of the day I consider what I have read and often return to read the same posts more than once while I consider what I think about what I read. Then I make notes in longhand … no kidding.
This is really fascinating, timethief! It shows how different we all are, but at the same time it highlights a very important point. I genuinely appreciate how much depth of thought you put into your blog reading. If we just read blogs quickly or for the purpose of commenting alone, their content won’t really bring us much value. We really do need time and reflection to assimilate the potent and useful points. I know there is tremendous depth in many of the blogs you read.
For me, it’s not just about Leo’s blog. I often get a visceral sense of disappointment if I’m very engaged in a blog post and come to the end and see comments are closed. I don’t know why that is, but I’ve adjusted to it to some degree.
Thanks for your thoughts. They really speak to what it means to be genuine in this era of speed. Which is what I think Leo is pointing to as well when he turns off his social media sharing buttons.
There are really two threads here. One is about sharing. One is about comments.
About sharing, I have only recently added the sharing buttons at the end of a post. And I only recently got a fan page. I don’t use social media much myself, so I’m way behind the curve. I don’t tweet, for example.
I don’t have any good/bad judgment about sharing. I usually don’t share links myself just because I forget to and I still don’t really “get” it. But I’m happy to know that people do share my posts. My readership went up after I added FB, so it does make a difference.
I don’t advertise or seek income from my blog, but again, I have no judgment about bloggers who do. We are each here in blogworld for our own reasons and with our own dreams.
About commenting, I like comments, so I try to comment on other blogs. I suppose if I ever had 250,000 readers trying to comment, I would shut off comments, too. Even in my small corner of blogworld, it’s hard to keep up with everyone. But I’m unlikely to ever have that problem, so I will keep comments on and I look forward to the dialogue with readers.
I guess that’s my two cents for today!
Hi Galen,
You really have quite a pure approach to it all! It’s amazing that your blog has grown so steadily without much social media interaction. I think there’s a good chance that your book will be a success and your corner of the blogworld might get a bit bigger! That will be interesting to see. It seems like you have quite a down to earth and realistic view about it all! I think one of the best ways we can share is linking in our blog posts. That seems to give extra added punch to a link. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate your presence here!
Hi Sandra,
Congrats on this lovely new blog and venture! I think it would be unwise to disable social media sharing altogether. Obviously, readers know how to share articles on social media, but if they are to go that path, they need to take a few extra steps to actually share the article. Oftentimes readers who want to share will not have the time or energy to take those extra steps to actually share the article. So having the buttons there provides easier access to social media/link shortening/tags.
I definitely agree that your posts shouldn’t be plastered with social media buttons, especially repeat ones. But it is always a good idea to have a set at the top or bottom of the post, but probably not both. Having them both at the top and bottom definitely feels desperate.
You always raise interesting points for discussion! Best wishes to you! xoxo
Thought-provoking post, Sandra. Thank you. Whether for personal or business reasons, those who blog want to be read. Social media buttons, by extension, expand the reading audience. Keeping the aesthetics in mind, why not make it easy for those who want to share something that interests them to do so? I appreciate Leo Babauta’s perspective, and I have to wonder whether he would make the choice not to include social media buttons if he were starting his blog now, without the audience he’s built over time.
There is certainly little to argue about with Chris Brogan’s comment. Marketing with integrity requires that you start with a terrific product or service that delivers consistent value to the audience for which it’s meant. It’s the old “steak-and-sizzle” metaphor. Promoting the sizzle if the steak is only ho-hum is a strategy for failure.
As to comments, in contrast to timethief, it’s because I’m an introvert that I’m comfortable commenting on blogs from time to time. I haven’t figured this out yet, but my initial sense is that it’s a bit arrogant to eliminate comments from posts. Not sure why I feel this way; possibly because if you’re writing publicly, it presumes somewhat of an obligation to let people engage. That doesn’t require the blogger to respond to the comments, or even to read them, I suppose. Still, blogging seems to have begun as an interactive endeavor. Is it changing, and does it change only after you’ve built a large audience and no longer have the time or inclination for engagement? I’d love to hear other perspectives.
Hi Clara,
I appreciate your thoughts as a seasoned marketer. My leaning is to agree with your sentiment to make it easier for the reader while also keeping aesthetics in mind. I’ve noticed that Leo seems to encourage what he calls “the quiet theory of influence” even for new bloggers. That doesn’t necessarily mean he would say to disable social media sharing buttons on your site at the beginning. In the early days, in addition to writing like mad, he had the good fortunate to hit the front page of Digg a number of times, which naturally helped grow Zen Habits tremendously. I find that Leo’s perspective has matured and ripened so much over the years he’s been blogging. It would be curious to see what he would do now, as you suggest!
I resonate with you thoughts about comments as well. It seems that well known bloggers have taken different courses when it comes to comments so it doesn’t change for everyone. It seems, one reason for closing comments, was that Leo was inundated by spam and didn’t have the time or inclination to deal with that.
I appreciate hearing your thoughts. And love your haircut too!
well, i prefer to email a blog post if i really want to share it rather than using the social media sharing buttons but at times i tweet the links too. i’d rather prefer having the share buttons as it’s more convenient that way.
That’s so interesting, swalia! I don’t think I’ve evern emailed a blog post. I agree with you that it’s easier when the social media sharing buttons are available.
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