Today I’m trying to encourage views on my blog. One piece of advice that I was given years ago (by Doug Richard of all people) was that if you are trying to improve web hits, just look at the things that do get hits on your site and write more of them. So what gets hits on this blog?
- Career practitioners conceptions of social media in career services is the all time most popular post on the site. This is a review of an interesting academic article, but also chimes into two of my main interests (and I guess reason’s why people come to the site) in career and social media.
- The second most popular article was my debate with Charlie Ball about his Guardian article. This had controversy and the scent of blood so I guess that is what attracted people.
- Controversy also accounts for number 3 in my brief report of Heather Jackson and Tony Watts decision to resign from the National Careers Council.
- The fourth most popular one is an odd one as it is a call for papers from the BJGC. Career and technology again I guess.
- Is my summary of all of the resources that exist to support the Blueprint for Careers.
- Is my innocent question about Which University has the best careers service. Once again the whiff of controversy seems to be driving hits.
- Youth Mentoring Across Professional Settings. My summary of a very good doctoral thesis.
- Launch of the Career Development Institute. An important moment in the history of the sector which is rightly attracting some hits.
- My discussion of university marketing campaigns (England’s number 1 University for Employability) also hits the controversy button which rockets it into the top 10.
- Career development and employabilty – same thing, different name? A presentation that I gave which also hits a hot topic issue.
So what is there to learn from this? I guess that people come to the blog when I either talk about careers and technology or when I say something controversial.
So if I want to drive hits I guess that is what I have got to do.
Adventures in Career Development 
I think the clear implication here is that we need to have more fights.
But underlying that point is that I think people do get engaged by a discussion more than they do by someone, no matter how well-informed or articulate, putting across their own view.
Perhaps the way forward is to frame more pieces as conversation or discussion?
Could we start with an interview? I’m sure that we can touch on some controversal ground. If you are up for it I’ll send you some questions.
Of course I would!
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