Blogging and Poker

Published by Laurie on Tagged Recreation, Blogging

Trial and error
Since I started this blog, I found that trying to get it to stand out and get noticed amongst the vast plethora of sites on the web is no simple task.  Finding a needle in a haystack is needless to say, difficult.  Now consider finding a particular needle in a NEEDLE-stack.  Now that’s extremely difficult. Do you think that can be done?  Well, if you’re reading this right now, congratulations!  You have found my needle in the big needle-stack that is the web, and for that I am grateful.  Whether it be sheer luck, or through my beginner, sometimes clumsy attempts to get on the map, I’m happy you’re here.

When I find a relatively new blog, with great page rank, and lots of comments I can’t help but think;

1. Hey, this is a newer blog too. How was it so easy to find?
2. Boy this person must be really aggressive with stuff like design, SEO, tagging, track backs, social networking, etc. 
3. I wish I knew how they did it.

I guess that’s what you have to do; you have to put yourself out there.  I’m trying it all even though I’m still not sure how it all works.  Like anything in life, it’s all trial and error. 

Improve my game
It is not unlike my poker game.  My husband and I frequently play Texas Hold’em poker.  I enjoy playing.  My husband is addicted to it.  He loves it, and needless to say he’s much better than I.  He’s way more confident and aggressive than I am. That is where I fall short.  Sometimes we play in big tournaments with a lot of aggressive, young kids.  (Hey, when did I start referring to 25 year-old men as kids…hmm, that’s disturbing)  They throw my whole game off.  I can’t help but feel intimidated by their bold, aggressive plays.  Sometimes I sit there and think about how could they have risked all their chips with that hand? I’m usually thinking that after I’ve been burned by “that hand”, but they don’t care.  They play with what their dealt.  They stick there neck out, even if it’s not the best hand, and use strategy and skill (and sometimes just plain recklessness) to outwit their opponents.  Though, I have to admit, their aggressive style works very well.  They put themselves out there, they draw attention to themselves and everyone at the table watches how they play each hand, you are never sure what they have but they act with confidence on each play.  With me, on the other hand, it only takes a few hands to have me all figured out.  Predictable, conservative, I rarely bluff.  Only if I have a huge lead in chips will I attempt to bluff the pot, and only when the risk is minimal will I consider taking one.  So instead, I fold, fold, fold, and wait patiently for the good cards to fall into my lap, sometimes it works out, and sometimes it never happens.  So I slowly fade away until I am forced to play a hand I would never even consider with the last pittance of chips I have left, hoping that I might “get lucky”,  and luck only happens on rare occasions.  I usually go out of the game after that, with a whimper.

Now, I don’t want to be out of this game (my blog), I realize the content is the most important aspect, at least for me, but it’s the strategies needed in getting noticed where I need to learn and get aggressive.  I need to get the readers to discover my content and figure out ways to say “Hey, here I am, over here”! I’m positive that there are plenty of blogs and sites out there with thoughtful, meaningful and fabulous content.  Many of them are just buried in the needle-stack. Sitting quietly, like me at the table, waiting for the good cards to come.   While the aggressive players are out there, taking risks, changing their strategies.  Once they become predictable, they change it up, switch strategies.  It makes perfect sense. 

Stop waiting and go all in
I don’t want to wait around and see if I “get lucky” and hope people just happen to find me.  I started this blog to have a conversation.  I can talk to myself all day long, but I like the interaction and input as a reader and an author.  That’s why I’m attempting to enlist help and advice whenever and wherever I can.  I need to gain some strategies to put into my arsenal. it’s clear to me I can’t just sit and wait for the cards readers to come.  I need to make some moves.  Be more aggressive, and learn from those who use successful strategies.  That’s why I entered the blog dissection contest, which by the way, ends on September 8, so if any of you needle-finders are reading this, please vote for me.  Just click on the scalpel picture on the sidebar to place your vote or place your vote here.  Wild Bill at Passionate Blogger is running the contest, if I can make it into the top 5 results, I’ll get the opportunity to learn a thing or two.  It won’t improve my poker game, but I’m sure it will improve my blogging game. 

Oh, and if anyone out there has any suggestions on how to get discovered in the needle-stack of the web (or improve my poker skills for that matter),   please feel free to comment.  I’ll take all the help I can get in either area.

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September 6th, 2007