This is a great video by Mark from 45n5.com that expresses his opinion on the guestblogging phenomenon and how he believes that reading guest posts is a waste of his time. Classic quotes from the video include:

“I look at it as 90% garbage, regurgitated stock-type copy and about 10% of value”

“I know that Problogger has said all of this stuff before on his blog”

“Quit trying to make your site too much like a magazine”

“Quit trying to be so official and just give us two minutes a day”

I haven’t always agreed with Mark, but I’ve always loved and respected how he isn’t afraid to express his opinions and this is one video that is 100% on the money! Personally, I also find myself skipping over guest posts and generally ignoring them. Here’s why:

• Bloggers don’t just give away their “A-material“. If the post was really good and had the potential to be a “landmark” post, it would be published on the guest blogger’s own site.

• Many host bloggers often introduce the guest posts or justify them by explaining that they are giving their readers a “different perspective” and a “fresh voice“. Bullshit! I’m subscribed to over 200 sites..I already get more than enough perspective and freshness and it’s insulting that the host blogger thinks that their opinion is the only one that I read.

• Most guest bloggers do it because they want to promote their site. Therefore, their #1 priority is not providing great content and you can often tell that their heart isn’t really in the post.

• The host blogger is getting free content for their site. Chances are that they’re not as concerned about the quality of the guest post as they would be with their own writing.

• I subscribe to blog ABC because I want to know the thoughts of Mr ABC. If I wanted to read the thoughts of Mr XYZ, I’d subscribe to XYZ’s blog. It’s like going to the Mercedes Benz dealership and being asked to take a test drive in a Ford!

• It just feels like spam! I feel like the blog is drawing content from a variety of different sources, just like how the ‘Made For AdSense‘ sites steal all their content from RSS feeds.

I’ve often been a guest blogger and I’ve occasionally had a guest post on some of my sites. But do I read them on other sites? Nah!

What Problogger says about his guest bloggers:

“When I take a week off and hand my blog over to guest bloggers - my traffic almost always goes up.”

That’s not a good sign Mr Rowse!

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