Earthling

Note: The below is an archived entry from Earthling, formerly EarthLink's official blog. The blog itself has been decommissioned and is no longer updated, and comments are trackbacks are no longer accepted.

Noah Kagan recently added a "submit a quote" and rotating quote display to OKDork.com's header image, and it's worthy of a best. It's a total click/refresh magnet, and it also provides something of some value to readers.

To add something, you just hit the "+" and then fill out a very short form.

I like that it offers readers something visible to participate in on the page, beyond regular blog comments. I think lots of people walk around with comment stage fright, especially if they've never gone through with commenting on a blog before. But a quote is light and easy and fun; it doesn't feel like a lasting record of some fleeting thought you had. It doesn't even have to be your quote. And when you're a frequent visitor to the site, having a way to leave a piece of yourself that others can see makes you feel like you're a part of the site. it's not quite as public as showing a photo/profile via MyBlogLog, but still personalized and meaningful.