I have added the popular bookmarking tool from AddThis to the bottom of each of my posts.  This way, if a user was so inclined, could bookmark a post with any major social site, email the post to a friend or even subscribe to my blog.  All of this from the same little button.  Great idea right?

Well, I went to the website today, because I just realised they will track emails, feeds and bookmarks for you.  Looking back at the last year of using the plugin on various sites, including this blog, I actually have ZERO users using the button.  What the hell?

But wait a minute, have I ever used it?  I must admit, I have not.  I have seen this button on many sites and I have not used it one time.  Does that mean all others are doing the same, by not using it?  I would hope not.  The button seemed like a good idea, packing all the “addthis” stuff in one place.

There are many ways to get people to interact with your blog.  Floating newsletter subscriber boxes, links to subscribe or comment at the bottom of a feed and even special badges so you can addthis or stumble or digg whatever it is you are ready.  But when users are not using them, they are not a helpful part of any user experience you are trying to provide and sometimes are even getting in the way.

So, the question is whether to keep the button or not.  I am not sure, I will have to analyze this one a bit more before I make a hasty decision.  I would think that readers to my blog are in the affiliate blogging or marketing business, and my content is nothing more than what they have already seen.  Which would be bad for me, but a reason users would not use the button.  What is the point of bookmarking something you have seen already, right?

Or maybe new users don’t know what it is or what it is for.  Most people that read blogs and websites need to have their brain tickled to stick around for more than 10 seconds.  If they aren’t getting or finding any value here, they won’t be looking for a button like addthis either.

I don’t know, I will have to take a week or two and see what others think.  I have a nice network of blogging friends that I can count on, so we’ll see where this is going to go and I will report back in about a month.

What do you think?

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