Entrecard Basics #2: Be Noticeable
Note: If you haven’t read my first Entrecard Basics Guide, please do so before you read this one.
First of all, welcome to Entrecard again. I’ll try to cover what you need to do after you join Entrecard to gain popularity or be noticeable by other Entrecard members.
Change your default Entrecard Banner
First of all, replace your Entrecard profile banner (the 125×125 image banner)! It will be your identity. It must be unique. It will be.. YOU. It’s the only way (trust me) to recognize other Entrecard members. Have you ever seen a profile being dropped to your inbox and thought “Hey I know this one, I saw it a couple of times” or “What a gross and ugly looking profile image”? That’s how you are being remembered by everyone else on Entrecard.
If you are not a designer, you may want to use your own photo as the banner. I’d suggest not too, though, unless you really have to or you are very confident about yourself 
At first, I had to put my own photo there because I don’t know what else to use. If you don’t know yet, there are some Entrecard members willing to design the banner for you! Some will charge you, some will ask you to do a favor, and some will just design one for your, completely FREE!
This was my first Entrecard profile image that I used when I first joined Entrecard.
I’m not a Narcist and certainly not really proud with how I look, but I’m not a designer and I didn’t have a clue on designing a good one at that time 
Then, Mark Lloyd (he’s nowhere to be found now ) designed one for me for free:
As you can see here, it makes quite a big difference!
Mark and I tried to get rid of the photo (I asked for it) and had come up with a few other designs.
However, we’ve ended up with this one. Hope you guys don’t mind seeing my face there lol
Back to topic, the Entrecard banner matters!
Here is a list of sites that I know (most are Entrecard members), who are giving FREE Entrecard banner designs:
- http://dietpulpit.com/125×125-designs-free/
- http://free125cards.com/blog/
- http://www.romelo.com/2008/04/07/generic-cards-for-entrecard-members/
- http://marcroger.com/free-entrecard-designs/
- http://www.scribblesandwords.com/free-125×125-banner-ad-or-entrecard-design/
(Note: If you are giving away an Entrecard banner design and want to be listed here, please contact me. I need to see some of your designs first to make sure that you are “worthy” to be put here )
Put your Entrecard Widget on the top of your blog/site, above the fold
I like blogs that have their Entrecard widgets above the fold (meaning, you don’t have to scroll your browser window to see it). I hate it when I have to waste my time searching for the widget, hidden among advertisements. Entrecard members are bloggers, we don’t normally click on ads, so no need to fool us (Unless if the ads are really interesting or when we are trying to help you out a bit by clicking on an ad)
It’s true that there will be a lot of people who drop like a mad to your widget and don’t even bother to look at your posts or write comments. By putting your widget above the fold, it will make things easier for them. Sounds bad? Not really. If they love your site, they will come back for it, hopefully daily. One day, they may become your loyal readers. They will also contribute to increase your site/blog’s Alexa rankings because of the traffic
Some people suggest putting your widget at the bottom of your site, so that those droppers will have to go through your site to find it (forcing them to read your posts). I don’t think this will work. When I’m in a dropping mood, I’ll scan your site/blog for the widget and for the widget only. If you put your widget on top, while I click on the “Drop” button, I’ll have a skim through of your top post’s title. If it’s interesting enough, I’ll stop, read the post, and sometimes write comments. If the widget is at the bottom, goodbye.
Always Reciprocate (drop back to those who drop their Entrecard profile to you)
Don’t get confused when you get these drops to your inbox. Don’t be skeptic, either.
When people drop their card to you, they will get 1 credit. If you drop back to them, they will get another credit. Get the idea? We, Entrecard members, love it when we find someone who always reciprocates drops. It shows that you are active on Entrecard, it shows that you care and notice them too. It works both ways, you see. Now we understand that not everyone can spend their time hours in front of the computer, but unfortunately, this is one way to gain popularity.
If you look at your Drop Inbox, you will see those cards that have been dropped to you. Cards that are surrounded by yellow/gold lines mean that you have already dropped your card to that blog/site today. So, click those that are surrounded by a black border and drop your card back to them.
New Drop (Drop yours back to them!) VS You’ve already dropped your card to them today
Write Comments on other people’s site/blog
Writing comments to other people show that you are reading their posts, you are interested on their blog/site, and you are interested to get to know the blogger/communicate to him/her. I know it can be a pain to have to rewrite your name, email, and URL every time, but the effort is not a waste. Your comments attract traffics to your blog and definitely attract the blog’s owner. Sometimes you’ll get a comment back from the blog’s owner, but don’t put up an expectation. Comment because you like the post or to show that you care with other bloggers too.
Some blogs will have this:
This means that the blog’s owner has “swear an oath” to comment back to your blog/site whenever you write a comment on theirs. It also means that for every comment you make, you will get a back link to your site or “no follow” link turned off (which is good for search engines, especially Google) – thanks Miranda, for adding this info on the comment section.
Of course, just like in real world, an oath or a promise can be broken ^^ By joining the movement, you’ll also attract more commenters to your site. If you want to join, go to Randa’s blog.
Don’t just Reciprocate, be active and initiate your own drop
Don’t just wait until other people drop their cards to you. Be initiative and pro-active!
Where should you drop your card to, you ask? Some pointers:
- Drop to those who have commented on your blog before as a token of appreciation and a reminder to them to make another comment on your new posts
- Drop to the top people of their categories (they are the ones that are most active on Entrecards)
- Drop to those who participate a lot on the Entrecard forums (they are the Entrecard’s “geeks”
) - Drop to the people on the same category as yours. They are most likely the bloggers that have the same interests as yours.
- Drop to those who has joined the “U Drop I Follow” movement like above. They will have one of these tags:
Like the “U Comment I Follow”, these people have sworn to do reciprocate drops. If you think you can reciprocate all drops (or at least most of them), feel free to join the movement at Lee’s blog.
Be active on the community
Join those movements as well. Participate on the forums. Advertise your site here and there through other people’s widget. Send messages to other Entrecard members. Give out genuine recommendations to other Entrecard members.
Be known, be nice. That’s the only key. There is no quick shortcut, you have to work hard for it, unfortunately
If you think that this post is useful or can be of any use to someone you know, please help to spread around this guide by bookmarking it!
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Great tips. Thanks!
Garden Gnome’s last blog post..Hard Boiled Eggs, Deviled Eggs and Scallop Potatoes
I think I’m at a spot right now where I can’t spend my Entrecard points fast enough! It seems to take forever to spend even 1000! I don’t like the shop I deal I just want to do the Entrecard spot typical add!
In one of your next blog article it would be cool to see am easy way to spend your points. Some sort of technique or method to save time. Right now I’m right clicking and opening all these window in a “new” window but its still time consuming! I like to buy cheap ad spots and don’t normally buy anything over 100 points!
blogengage’s last blog post..The war in Afghanistan, Canadians set date to leave!
This is a very good article, specially for the new EC users. Thank you for sharing Michael
Nk’s last blog post..Entrecard Basics Guide #2: Be Noticeable
I’d like to reinforce the idea of finding the EC forums and particpating. You will quickly discover who is actually active in EC this way.
Oh, and blogengage: you can always send me some
I can never keep enough ECs to buy all the ads I want!
Debt Free Revolution’s last blog post..Links and a Podcast Interview
Funnily enough, yours was one of the first cards I noticed regularly and remembered.
I try my best to reciprocate drops. Sometimes with the baby in the house, I don’t get to everyone, so if you’re reading this and I didn’t drop you back, I’m sorry
Nice guide Michael, looking forward to more!
Miranda’s last blog post..HBV Vaccinations – Informed choice?
Oh! And another thing, the U Comment, I follow symbol on blogger also means you deleted the rel=no follow code so search engine trackers crawl through comments people leave.
Miranda’s last blog post..HBV Vaccinations – Informed choice?
This is a great article, well done! The design aspect is really important and a lot of people overlook that to go with a default. I may not recognize some people’s sites, but over time I’ve certainly remembered a few images.
Remember, coffee beans for the win!
Crystal’s last blog post..The Art of Negotiation
Thanx for the article it was great.Until you showed it i was thinking design didnt matter at all.
demigod’s last blog post..Stumbler magnet
Thanks for dropping in, fellas. Well, research says that our brain remember images better than texts. I think it’s quite true on Entrecard
Nice tips. Being active with Entrecard and its members is a great way to boost the popularity and readership of a blog.
Jonathon’s last blog post..Swarm- The Polling Network
(research says that our brain remember images better than texts). couldn’t agree more and on this topic i mad a post about
making your banner or your site logo if you interested read it
and agree on this point
small business idea’s last blog post..How to Build Incoming Links for your site
Great guide again for entrecard, nice community guide, nice tips for entrecard design I d love to try. PS: seems most of entrecard users just drop in ur blog for less than 3 sec, just to find and drop their entrecard, maybe my blog is not so attractive,
Well Franca, you probably just have to “introduce” yourself more to other bloggers on Entrecard. Join the discussions often, help them out, comments on their blogs, offer services, etc
When people feel that they know you, they’ll surely visit your blog more!
Excellent information on broadening your profile within Entrecard. I have found two of these recommendations to truly be of great significance to me.
First, changing the Entrecard Banner. Establishing a banner that you are comfortable and want to be associated with is key, because it’s going to do one of two things, attract people, or cause them to skim right over you.
Reciprocating drops, that’s a biggy! People really appreciate it when you respond in kind. You can establish a good group of people that you can count on.
Shelia’s last blog post..Update: Sony Ericsson Open Round 3
Great tips, and very well written post. I have found EntreCard to be like anything else — the more time and effort I put into it, the more I get out of it. I never do “dropping sessions” anymore like I used to. I find that was a waste of time, I just drop when I see it and focus more on commenting and other marketing strategies.
I used to do dropping sessions. However, ever since I’m on the top 3 of my niche (Technology), I usually wait until someone drops on mine and reciprocate them.
Once you get on the top 3, those cards are coming every 5 minutes or so! If you do your own dropping, you probably won’t have enough drops left for the day to reciprocate back!
Hi! Michael,
This is a very good explanation and very useful to the newly joined entrecarders, They don’t have a clue just like us when we first started entrecard. They are lucky though because all they have to do is to read the content like yours.
thanks so much for this great and insightful tips, a great share, by the way, your blog is amazing, all useful and well written
Jasko’s last blog post..When the music’s over
Hi I have the u drop I follow badge. I wanted the U comment I follow one too. Where do you get it. I have been trying to find where you get it, I have no idea. Can you help? Thanks
SUE’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday 4 – Back to School, No Strike
Hi Sue,
You can get the badge +how it works here: http://randaclay.com/blog/i-follow/
I’ll add that up to the guide! Thanks for asking
Thanks Michael for the info! Also thanks for info on entrecard I might look into getting a new photo made too. I don’t really like mine but have no idea how to make a better one myself.
SUE’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday 4 – Back to School, No Strike
Hi Sue, your current one is good enough (except maybe for the font?), but you may try to ask the designers that I mention on the post to see if they can come up with something better!
hy all ,you can download free Entrecard cards form here ,this is not spam
http://www.gizmohunt.com/index.php/2008/03/28/entrecards/
This is all great stuff, and it boils down to this, to have a friend be one. And it takes time!!! Some times I feel like I am the only human on the planet who still gets only 24 and 7. Everyone else has discovered some widget that they put in their blog or something that makes time stand still while they do all this stuff. Please send me the link to it!
Colleen’s last blog post..How Commerce Works
Hello,
Thanks for the tips. There are great for someone just starting.
Love this article Michael, I read it a while back but forgot to comment. Good work.
Carls last blog post..Entrecard Contest, 3500EC up for grabs
Michael,
Just now visited your blog and checked this entrecard stuff. It is new to me. Still didn’t digest it properly. Will read it again.
Gr8 article….
somewhere you mentioned your english is bad. I say no. it is good….
Nihars last blog post..Six-Figure Professional Bloggers Featured in Channel TEN TV
Thanks, guys. Glad I can help. If there is anything that is unclear or need more explanation, please let me know and I’ll update the post.
@Nihar: You have no idea that I got a 5/10 for my English writing skills a few years back, lol
Well the spell checker and grammar certainly help me a lot on my “blogging career”
Michael,
Just now i got enrolled in entrecard….
Nihars last blog post..Six-Figure Professional Bloggers Featured in Channel TEN TV
Michael,
I joined and approved two drop outs. Those two should be visible in my site am i right?
Do i need to put some more code to get those approved widgets?
Nihars last blog post..Six-Figure Professional Bloggers Featured in Channel TEN TV
Nope, you don’t. As you can see, they have started to appear on your widget now
(only one at a time for ONE full day)
Welcome aboard!
PS: I used that theme before this, lol
Thanks a lot for your tips
Vans last blog post..Create high-definition video quality on any disc format with CyberLink PowerProducer 5
Wonderful tips. This looks interesting. I am planning to join Entrecard now.
FYI, link to Randa’s blog is not working.
Thanks, now I’m sure I’m gonna join, and I already took a look.
What I liked the best about this thing is you can have more blogs, and you can send your credits freely among them. Well, at least I saw this in the help page…
And today I found a good blog. Again
It was the Jay F.H. blog, I took a look and liked it very much. thanks for the link
I love your tips about Entrecard and I’ll translate it to my language and also share to my people. Thanks
Thanks for the tip.
leonographys last blog post..Outbrain Content Rating and Recommendation
I just started using Entrecard a few days ago, and I’ve not had much luck with it so far.
I’ve dropped loads of cards, and attempted to advertise on loads of blogs (about 30), but after 1-2 days only 7 ads have been approved (1 rejected).
I’ve dropped 227 cards in total, but only had 54 dropped on me.
Maybe I just need to give it more time and wait for more of my ads to rotate on?
Michael, do you get much traffic from Entrecard? Is the effort worth it?
I’ve read that some people say Entrecard is easy to “game” and the popular blogs stay popular, because they are popular; not because they are necessarily good.
Once you get popular I presume it’s plain sailing?
Hi Richard,
I’m not so active anymore on Entrecard now (in terms of advertising and dropping). It took so much of my time that I’ve decided to just reciprocate drops.
My Entrecard traffic is around 100-150 a day now. It’s not bad, especially if you have a small/medium sized blog
Being popular doesn’t mean that your blog is good, you have that right. When you drop, try dropping on some top popular blogs since they are the most active and most likely will drop back on yours
Hi Michael,
I have joined Entrecard few days back. This is a nice post for ppl like us and i believe this would be helpful for me. In few days only i have seen a drastic change in traffic to my blog. You post has cleared some of my doubts .. Thanks
That’s good to hear
I’m not so active anymore like last time on Entrecard but hey, welcome to Entrecard!
Michael, thanks for the information. Thanks to you, I think my Entrecard badge should be much improved
Good luck
Better late than never to comment, I suppose; Nice tutorials. It helped a lot. One question I have is this: do paid advertisers give you ec for advertising?
Hi Salem. No they don’t. Why we need to approve the paid advertisers, is to help Entrecard out basically. They get money, they can give a better service (hopefully)