entrecard The time has come. I’m saying good-bye to Entrecard.

My decision to leave didn’t come easily, as Entrecard had been very good to me. I developed a drop addiction, which helped me sustain a Top 5 position in the humor category for many months. And I saw traffic. Lots and lots of traffic.

I don’t object to paid ads like other members do, but it bugged me that people who bought ad space with me at a premium (usually over 4,000 credits) simply were not getting their credits’ worth anymore. Sharing airtime with paid ads at that cost is insane.

In addition, dropping cards for at least an hour a day meant that I spent the equivalent of one work day a week on EC, also insane.

Despite the negatives, I’ll miss EC. It was a great way for me to find other bloggers and I’m grateful to have discovered a lot of entertaining blogs in the process. Entrecard made that easy to do and I thank them for it.

My fear now is what will happen to Junk Drawer traffic. I know, as a Top Dropper, I’ll lose a good chunk of what Entrecard brought me. And by the way, I’ve never been part of the camp of people who think EC delivers junk traffic. I always felt it was my responsibility to keep people coming back.

What I like to think I did was draw in the very best readers in the network by consistently giving people something decent to read. No network, Entrecard or otherwise, can make people keep reading our blogs. WE have to make traffic stick.

Now, about that fear. If my blog can’t stand on its own two feet without Entrecard, then it’s not a good enough blog. In a way, leaving EC will challenge me to be a better blogger. And now, with extra time on my hands, maybe I’ll finally get my book off the ground.

To prepare for my departure, I’ve bookmarked many favorites that I used to visit during my 300-drops-per-day rounds. I’ll still be reading a lot of blogs I found through EC.

I’m also canceling most of the ads in my queue. If you had a spot, I’ve been assured by EC that you’ll receive a full credit refund.

Now here’s where I beg.

If you normally visit Junk Drawer via EC, and you would like to continue visiting, kindly add me to your feed reader or bookmark me. I’d love to keep you as a loyal reader! In fact, I’d like to make you dinner if you stay. Too desperate?

There are a couple other ways you can keep in touch with me, if you’re a fan of micro-blogging:

Follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook. I’m active in both places.

Thank you, Entrecard, for the great ride! You helped me build a solid readership over the last year. It is my sincere hope that you can make improvements that’ll put smiles back on your members’ faces.

As for my addiction, I expect I’ll get the shakes the first day I don’t drop 300 cards. Does anyone know of an EC rehab center in my area?

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