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Diesel Hi, my name's Diesel. I run this site. I started it as a lark, because all of the other humor blog directories I found sucked. Anyway, my own humor blog is Mattress Police - Antisocial Commentary. It's listed over there on the upper right. That's what's known in the biz as a "conflict of interest." Deal with it.

The Humor-Blogs.com Blog

Thursday, August 16, 2007

What Pushes My Buttons

What Pushes My Buttons got very consistent, if not overwhelming, scores from our reviewers. The consensus was that it was smart, well written and sometimes amusing, but generally not laugh-out-loud funny.

CategoryScorePoints
Content5.1736/70
Writing6.53/5
Web Design5.673/5
Intangibles4.52/5
Read Regularly1.672/10
Frequency105/5
Total
51

Percentile Rank: 25

Some quotes from our reviewers:
The blog author does deserve points for my being able to persevere through a review after the first post I encountered detailed her being the victim of a "shit and run" (complete with photo). That was just wrong. Having said that, I found some of the posts and choices of material covered original and pretty funny at times. The overall template felt a bit cluttered (that may have been my ADD-ishness kicking in). I think if he declutters a bit, posts no more pictures of feces, he'd be a bit more humorous.

This blog makes me wonder if the author has an unhealthy obsession with food.

This blog falls into a pretty common category; writers who post clever observations without making the leap to being funny. When I read a humor blog, I want to laugh. Or snicker...hell, I'd settle for a good smirk. 'What Pushes My Buttons' is smart, it has the clever observations and the rhetorical responses, but it just never gets funny.

Not bad, but nothing spectacular. I like the fact that the post subjects are not the "same old" topics that everyone seems to cover. No "lol" but some solid smiles. Really solid web design.

Well written and sometimes amusing, but certainly not laugh-out-loud funny.
I have a feeling that What Pushes My Buttons was the victim of reviewers who are getting a little tired of blogs that are almost funny. It's a good blog, but at this point it doesn't really stand out among the crowd of humor blogs. The real problem, in my opinion, is that the blog isn't personal enough to compensate for its lack of laugh-out-loud humor. Zoning Out Again is a good example of a blog that isn't hysterically funny, but got a good review because ZOA makes the reader feel like he or she is peeking inside the life (and somewhat crazy brain) of the author.

In contrast, I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out if the author of WPMB was male or female. One of our reviewers referred to the author as a "she," which surprised me because I assumed the author was a guy. I finally found a reference to "shaking the snake," which confirmed that the author was either male or a sadistic herpetologist.

In my humble opinion, if you're trying to make people laugh you need to pick one of two paths: Either sacrifice coherency and accuracy to make as many jokes as you can (Sinister Dan, Pointless Drivel), or really let people into your life so they can see how funny things look from your perspective (Dorky Dad, Zoning Out Again). You can even veer wildly between these two paths as the mood strikes you. But a surefire way to get lukewarm reviews is to strike a compromise between the two paths where you relate mildly amusing, factually accurate stories without much of a personal touch.

10 Comments:

Blogger Chris said...

Chris from WhatPushesMyButtons here!

Firstly, thanks for the feedback everyone and thanks for taking the time out to review my blog.

I am indeed a guy (I'm surprised there was problems figuring that one out - honestly would women have the courage to take a picture of feces in a toilet? - my apologies to the reviewers who were grossed out with that one). That being said, with a little more digging you would find plenty of pictures of me on the site and also on the blogger version of my site there's a link to my profile which says I'm a male...if one wanted verification of course.

Anyway, I do honestly appreciate the feedback. Not to make any excuses but I will say the week I was reviewed wasn't my strongest week of content since I was pretty much exhausted from traveling for work. So the humor last week was kind of lacking. But hopefully you were able to check out some of the "funnier" pieces like the Ultimate Shower Songs and The Rules of Pedestrian Engagement (which was copied by Time Out New York months after I wrote it) and didn't just stop after the last few posts. But if you only read those last few posts I could see where you would say I wasn't funny. Hell I would say I wasn't funny based on those posts if I were reviewing the site.

But I think the observation that was most curious and eyeopening to me was the fact that I'm not "personal enough" with my content. I guess that's a bit of a surprise to me because nearly every post I write allows the reader to see into my mindset and irrational thinking (some posts more than others). However I will admit I'm not one to delve into the really personal nuances in my life because I'm not sure people would care about that.

I guess it's a tough line to cross but it's obvious the bloggers that really talk more about their personal lives are more popular than the ones that aren't giving people that look. I agree they necessarily aren't funnier but I guess it's the voyeur in all of us that appreciates the peek into their lives (which would explain why sites such as Dooce are big hits).

Anyway, thanks again for the honest feedback. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a bit disappointed with my score. I know the marks for read regularly were very low and that was kind of saddening, especially since I have a loyal following of readers. But then again I completely understand. If I saw a pile of shit in a toilet too, I wouldn't come back either ;)

Oh and the reviewer that said I have an unhealthy obsession with food...you may be right. I do hang out with competitive eaters and I'm in the process of writing my own cookbook. So I guess that's a sign of being slightly food obsessive! :)

Thanks again to everyone and keep up the great work all around!

Happy blogging!

Chris
WhatPushesMyButtons.com

August 16, 2007 2:17 PM  
Blogger Diesel said...

Chris,

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'm sure I was exaggerating when I said "10 minutes," but I did have a hard time finding anything consequential about you as a person. The "not personal enough" stuff was just my own impression, and again it's not necessarily a bad think if you're just going for yucks. On the other hand, you're right that people love Dooce not because she's LOL funny, but rather because they get to peak into her life. It's up to you which style you prefer. As I mention, I personally can't make up my mind either way, and people don't seem to mind. :)

Sorry we caught you on a bad week. In any case, don't let one middling review dissuade you from doing what you want to do.

August 16, 2007 3:47 PM  
Blogger G said...

Chris, as one of the reviewers who actually enjoyed some of your blog (maybe it's a NY sensibility), a "crappy" review is not easy to take. Allright, I'll admit, I'm the "shit and run" commenter and I see that I referred to you as both a man and a woman. Sorry, it was late.

I don't necessarily agree with the "not personal enough" as there are all different types of bloggers. Your humor (from what I gleened in my short stay) is original and I could tell that you're a funny guy in real life. So I'd say, keep doing what you're doing - you've got a pretty good crowd of commenters who I have to say add to the whole funny interplay (now that I've gone back and read a bit more).

I think often the whole personal thing comes in when people are married, have families, blah/blah (guilty). But I think you write from your own perspective which comes across as funny as it is original and not canned or forced.

Good luck and don't take it too harshly. Look at the bright side - I'm sure you did better on your SATs.

August 16, 2007 9:09 PM  
Blogger Chris C said...

As someone who struggles with mediocrity probably too many times, I can emphatize with this review.

Before I continue, I'd like to comment on the personal stuff in a blog issue...

This is very thin ice for many reasons but one I find to be the most important is that humor is about making fun of things.

You post about a 'Shit and Run' in one entry. All bets are off as far as I am concerned as to where you will go with your humor. I wouldn't add personal life into that mix because you will eventually offend someone you give a crap about. No pun intended hehe.

The best bet as far as personal life I feel is make stuff up. Your readers are entertained, your family and friends are laughing too. Nobody is mad.

Back on point...

I have been writing humor consistantly now for about nine months. I have done many other types of writing over the years, and I have learned four important lessons so far when it comes to comedy:

1. Humor is the hardest subject to write because it varies from person to person.

2. Try different things, new styles. At this stage of the game, don't be afraid to try different approaches. You might find one that brings out something you never knew you had in your writing.

3. Strike while the iron is hot.

I go through the same hot and cold streaks when it comes to being funny. What I have been doing the last month or so is take advantage of when I am en fuego and write a bunch of things.

Now when I go through the down times I have essays I can use that just need an edit. Also great for when you need something on the fly.

4. Try to let your articles/posts/essays sit for a bit before publishing.

Ever had someone make fun of you and ten minutes later you think of a funny comeback? That is what publishing something prematurely is like.

Work on your material for a week or two before publishing it. Keep reviewing it and thinking 'how can I make this funnier?'

5. Bounce ideas off people.

I usually test out my blog topic ideas to my social circles. People in that situation usually will chuckle as a courtesy but if you make them laugh their balls off, then you have something.

It can also help you refine your material as well.

One final note, ask people who know you in real life if they can 'hear' you in your writing.

In closing I would like to say I am no expert, I am no Dave Barry when it comes to humor writing.

These are just things I did after I was called mediocre and kinda funny on my review and I do believe they have helped my writing become funnier.

As I said above I still struggle with it, so it it a work in progress. The important part is keep practicing, the only way to get better.

August 16, 2007 10:33 PM  
Blogger Zoning Out Again said...

Those of you who are looking for a consistently "laugh out loud HYSTERICAL" blog, check out Captain Smack at http://captainsmack.blogspot.com"

This guy is just drop dead funny every single post. I keep trying to get him to join H-B because he is the EPITOME of Funny.
Pay him a visit......

August 20, 2007 1:13 PM  
Blogger Chris said...

Hey ChrisC...thanks for the feedback. I'll take some of those points into consideration. Although I'm not sure if I completely agree with some of your points. Specifically letting some things sit a few weeks before publishing.

I may do that with some of my more "conceptual" ideas, like the Rules of Pedestrian Engagement, but normally if I have an idea I go for it right then and there. If I need to refine it down the road I will. I've done that with my Ultimate Shower Songs posts and I think was a good approach, because I thought of funnier and funnier things as I went along.

Also I tend to react to a lot of current events stuff so you can't really afford to sit on those for a few weeks lest you want to be "irrelevant". So I find most often I write what's on my mind then and there. And my friends here my voice in every post so I don't have problems on that front.

Like G mentioned, I'm fortunate to have developed a loyal following over the past year and a half and I'm "in bed" with a great group of funny bloggers. If other great writers like my work it is truly an honor and keeps me motivated to keep going. And I know reviews are normally taken with a grain of salt. But the only question/problem I have about the process of reviewing is that all the reviews are often rushed. You have a week to give honest feedback about 3 blogs. Like people have mentioned, most people will look at the blog on Friday at Midnight and then make judgements based on what they see off the bat.

As far as I'm concerned that's not honest feedback. When I review I try to read back as far as possible or jump around to look for consistency. That and I read the user comments cause thats where a lot of the humor of a writer comes out - in the banter with commenters. But to tell people to "feel out" a blog in just a few days is impossible. And I think the reviews (like yours ChrisC) end up suffering.

I mentioned my concerns to Diesel but I think it's worth addressing. I mean, personally, the review is what it is. I didn't move up on the list because I only "get" 50% of my 51 pts = 25 pts. That and my URL here (whatpushesmybuttons.com) is different from the mirror site I use to drive traffic to humor-blogs (hence my 0 in referral score). So basically after being reviewed, and receiving positive yet lukewarm reviews, I'm still 200 something on the list of humor-blogs. Not that rankings matter to me, but honestly look at the top 100. See how often some have been updated. Or take a look at how unfunny they are. Honestly, can you tell me IzzlePfaff is any funny? And that's #15 on the list? Not to shit on any blogs, but seriously. If you think that's funny and worthy of a "top" Humor-Blogs spot then I should fold my blog and go home right now.

I could argue this till I'm blue in the face. And I understand the whole trying to create a community aspect to this site. But as I mentioned to Diesel, you reward people based on referrals (which is ok to build popularity for your site) but not on content. Or when you're weighing them equally as done here, it becomes just as important in how many people you can "refer" to this site rather than being funny. And the top rated sites on the list probably take advantage of that by creating links to this blog every week or so through their posts.

Is that smart? Sure. Is that necessarily funny? Well no. I can just as easily post a link in one of my articles to a funny comment here once a week and drive myself wayyy up the list. But am I being "original"? Or am I just becoming someone who's concerned about a ranking and I'm trying to do anything to keep that position.

It's a fundamental question that I don't expect changed. Diesel has a good thing going here and I hope the site grows in popularity. But in that you risk getting non-humor type blogs into the mix (as seen by the reviews recently). Then is the point to really showcase the "funniest" blogs out there? Or is it to keep building a list of bloggers (regardless if their sites are funny or not). I'm not saying I'm the funniest guy/blog out there by any means, but the frustrating part for me is when you're in a community among your peers and you see people who get terrible reviews yet maintain higher rankings than you do.

That and since everyone starts at 25 points, there's no difference between my blog which has been reviewed someone else who just started a blog yesterday. Not to say one is funnier than the other, but the system (at least for the starting points aspect) should be looked at more closely. Otherwise what's the sense of even having rankings.

My opinion is to only rank the blogs that have already been reviewed. Then in a separate list, either alphabetically or by date joined, you can list the other blogs in the community. This way you can get a feel for the "real" score that a blog has received. Because if you're gonna have a scoring system...why "reward" someone who just joined with a higher score than someone's blog who has been reviewed (even if the review was poor).

That's just my 29 cents worth.

August 20, 2007 4:08 PM  
Blogger Diesel said...

I call longest comment ever.

August 21, 2007 9:22 AM  
Blogger Grannys.Myth.Peeler said...

Hey folks this is my first comment on this blog but here goes.

Firstly I enjoyed the reviews of “what pushes my buttons” I thought they were fair & well balanced.

There have been some fair & honest comments posted too. Chris however does make some valid points when he mention the ranking system. I agree it should be based on quality. As a customer I want help in choosing an item so a ratings system should be about how good that particular item is.

He also talks about catering for different tastes, fair point, can’t please everyone. However I think this is taken care of by having a variety of reviewers. This bring balance to the equation.

The bottom line though, is quite simple. It’s either funny or not. No amount of explanation after the fact can change a readers mind.

Not unless you are casually waving a gun at them whilst they are tied to a chair.

regards,

Granny

August 21, 2007 1:52 PM  
Blogger Diesel said...

Ok, let me respond a little more seriously and thoroughly.

First, IzzlePfaff is freaking hilarious. Possibly the funniest blog on this site. The only reason it's not higher is that the blogger doesn't do ANY promotion of his site. He doesn't post often and hasn't even been reviewed and he's still consistently in the top 20 because his posts are ALWAYS funny.

I think I'm going to be doing some tweaking of the ranking algorithm, but basically I think it's sound: 50% of the rating from a large group of independent reviewers and 50% from referrals. Breaking down the "referrals" number, that's basically a measure of 2 things: (1) How popular is the blog? and (2) How much does the blogger help out his fellow H-B members by promoting this site? Seems fair to me.

It's not a perfect system, but it's a nice compromise between disinterested critical opinion, popularity, and self-promotion. If there's a better system out there, I haven't found it. And I'm not saying that it doesn't exist -- I'm saying I HAVEN'T FOUND IT. And why haven't I found it? Because a site that ranks blogs based totally on reviews isn't going to be very popular, because the reality is that no one is going to link to it. People link to this site because they get something out of it. That helps our rankings in search engines, and ultimately helps all the member bloggers -- particularly those who (1) Write a lot of funny posts, (2) have a lot of visitors, and (3) Help promote this site.

Also, keep in mind that a LOT of the blogs listed here still haven't been reviewed, so the rankings will become more accurate over time.

Again, it's not a perfect system, but I think it's a pretty good compromise given the alternatives.

August 23, 2007 4:21 PM  
Blogger johnqcasual said...

The funny thing is, the reviews for What Pushes My Buttons weren't even that bad. In fact, they were good enough to get me to visit the site--however, I was almost immediately turned off by the "ouch! those reviewers killed me!" post and its subsequent whiny comments(I know you have no control over the comments, but I'm just giving you my honest initial impression).

Take it like a man, man! If you're funny, then be funny. You seem to have a pretty big audience(seriously, I'm jealous over the amount of comments that you regularly get)...certainly, there are plenty of people who find you funny. So let that speak for itself. Don't badmouth other bloggers just because they don't share exactly the same sense of humor as you.

August 25, 2007 8:12 AM  

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