metaphor

noun.

1. A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison, as in “a sea of troubles” or “All the world’s a stage” (Shakespeare).

Recently, I briefly posted about the benefits of EntreCard for a blogger attempting to promote their blog and who also might be looking for other interesting blogs to follow. Blogs that have registered with EntreCard are regularly updated and well-maintained. Owners of these blogs generally understand how interaction with commenters can drive visitation rates up. Whether they are interested in making money from their blog or just finding an interactive audience, EntreCard has proven to be a useful tool towards either end.

But there seems to be a Freudian undercurrent to the creation of EntreCard. Let’s consider the following:

1. It is more satisfying when my drop is reciprocated.
2. If I’m tired or don’t have time to do much dropping, it’s still nice to be dropped on.
3. I’ll drop on people for a while, but if there is no eventual reciprocation, I stop dropping on them.
4. I usually drop on people first and only afterwards read their blog to find out more about them.
5. If you drop on someone and they then drop on you but you are not interested in dropping on them anymore, is it rude to ignore them?
6. It’s really cool when I drop on someone and they drop on me at the same time.
7. I’ll drop on ugly or cute widgets, but I prefer to drop on cute ones.
8. I think twice before going back to drop on a blog that takes a long time to load or is too complicated for me.
9. It’s nice that there are no strings attached to dropping.
10. After dropping on people, they sometimes become your friends.
11. Some people talk to you more after you drop on them, others do not.
12. Sometimes EntreCard is up, sometimes it is down. It is mostly up.
13. The more EntreCard credits you have, the richer you are, and the more people that want to be your “friend”.

So there you have it–some food for thought. Gotta go. The Girl is waiting for me to drop on by.

Update (April 8, 2008): EntreCard has modified their economy and, in my opinion, reciprocation is not as big of a deal as it used to be. I’ll still try to reciprocate as much as I can though because I’m just that kind of a guy.

Update (January 1, 2010): I no longer have Entrecard attached to this blog for various reasons. At the top of the list: Change in ownership of the organization, unfilled promises, no time for dropping anymore.