ViewMasters: How to Reach 100 Views

I'm pretty sure that if you've seen the premise of ViewMasters, you've probably thought to yourself, 'How exactly do I reach 100 views on an article, anyhow?' It's not easy, but there are a few simple things to know if you want to reach that vaunted number.

1) Games usually don't work. In most cases, a game attracts multiple comments from one person - but that person counts as one view. As a result, you can end up with several hundred comments on an article, and only ten views. Of course, games have an inherent advantage in that people are more likely to want to comment on (and play along with) a game than to argue politics or critique poetry -- a factor that drives people up the wall. Paradoxically, the more comments a piece of content has, the less likely people are to view it - because it takes longer to load (and read through the comments.)

2) Chats usually don't work. This is basically for the same reason listed above - you're likely to attract a lot of comments, certainly, but usually most of them will come from a few people.

3) Asking questions helps. It's a natural instinct for most people to answer a question, and if your article asks a question - in the title or at the end of the article - you're likely to draw people's interest and get a response. Don't abuse this, though -- asking twenty questions a day is likely to make people assume that that's all you ever do.

4) Take it easy. The more content you post in rapid succession, the less likely each article of yours is to receive the attention it deserves. If you have fifty separate pieces of content vying for a friend's attention, it's going to take a long time for any of them to reach 100 views. If you have a lot of photos to publish, and no particular urgent need to get them up quickly, take your time and give people time to appreciate them.

5) Have some serial. Maybe you don't feel inspired to write every day - but if you can write one article every day on a theme, you're likely to build and hold an audience from day to day who will continue to read your work. Write a poem every day, or write about your work experience, or write about what you think about. You'll be surprised at how well a bit of honest self-expression can do.

6) Talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you're having a good day, write about it. If you're having a bad day, write about it. If you see something ugly or peculiar or interesting, write about it. Practically anything in your life experience can be turned into an article, if you want to share it with others. Unique experiences, tragic events, strange places, and special moments can be a wonderful source of inspiration to write,

7) Take a picture, it'll last longer. A picture is worth a thousand words - and is just as easily published. While not every picture you take will be a winner, the more pictures you take (and the more you practice at taking them), the more likely you are to have that one perfect picture that everyone wants a better look at. Try to publish a diverse selection of pictures - you're more likely to get people to view six different flowers than to view one flower from six slightly different perspectives, for example. Furthermore, pictures are more likely to generate views than articles or videos - they load faster, and they appeal to a wider audience. If you have something interesting to show, go for it!

8) Take a stand. Don't have anything interesting to talk about? Read the news, read Gather's Hot Topics, check out your Gather groups, turn on the television and see what's on. Tell people what you like, tell them what you hate, tell them what you stand for, and tell them what you can't stand. You'll find that people love to contradict, argue, discuss, and support others -- and as such, you'll find that view count rising without having to worry about it at all.

9) Write a review. Have you recently read a good book? Gone to see a movie and found out you can't stand the plot? Seen something incredibly vapid on television? Had the best frozen dinner ever? Write a review and tell people what you thought about it. Not only will you attract readers, but you'll also be providing information that others might find useful before they try it - in short, your viewpoint can shape whether a product succeeds or fails!

What advice do you have for Gatherers trying to reach 100 views?