Update: TrafficJam.com is now live, read my Blog Herald news post about the launch.

Update 2: Blog Rush shuts down for good and I can’t say I’m surprised.

Good for you, John — everyone needs a break and I don’t mind that.

However, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard anything about BlogRush, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s just a stagnant project.

Actually, I quite like BlogRush, so — unlike some of the nay-sayers — I’m prepared to give it a go.

In the niche that my BlogRush-accepted blog resides, I’ve found some decent blogs because of the widget. Yes, I could’ve found them in other ways, but it was easy to do.

While my traffic conversion isn’t amazing, it isn’t terrible either — given that the whole system is effectively free (apart from the space you have to give up on your blog, of course, which could arguably be put to better / more profitable use)

Still, I’d like to find out a few things, and as your blog doesn’t accept comments (perhaps you’re frightened of criticism?), I’ll have to write my questions here. Whether you read them, is another matter, because…

1. …none of your support staff ever replied to my email enquiring why one of my sites was rejected from the network. That’s plain rude, given that your page invites such questions. Actually, you never sent the original explanation email either.

2. What’s happening with this TrafficJam.com project? It sounds dead in the water. It’s all very well talking about 2008 and massive opportunity but that was two weeks ago. Small time bloggers like me can still get away with that, but just because you’re “not a typical blogger”, you are still (supposedly) a “big fish” in your niche.

That’s why so many people joined and endorsed BR in the first place.

3. What other stages are coming up? That “stage two” video has been idling for months now. What about stage 3? How is my web site, and my readers, and my niche, going to benefit from being a part of BlogRush / TrafficJam / Project X, Y, Z … ?

4. I’ve heard that you kicked quite a few people out, and yet never told them why.

I’m wondering if it’s because they didn’t place the widget above the fold as you asked people back in November to do.

Yet, I’m still visiting blogs where the widget is way down at the bottom of the page, or stuffed —half-obscured — in an inline frame.

I PUT MY WIDGET at the top of the page — I don’t begrudge that, it looks OK — but why, three months on, are there still sites flouting your own guidelines. No wonder the conversion rates are pretty pathetic.

So, basically…

5. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE BLOGRUSH A KICK UP THE BACKSIDE

OR

6. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO OFFICIALLY KILL BLOGRUSH AND LET US ALL GET ON WITH SOMETHING ELSE?

I don’t feel any particular loyalty, but something nags at me to stick with BlogRush, even when many others have shunned it.

That won’t last much longer.

PLEASE, tell us what’s going on. At least update your blog more than once a month, even if it’s to say “we’re working on it” (don’t push it, though. If you’re still saying that in July with NOTHING to show for it, then it’s “goodbye”)

Thanks John. What’s happening?