How to grow your blog community
Most bloggers would like to have more people coming to read their blogs. Most would like to see some results for all those hours of writing and sweating over their words and trying to write good content.
And I guess most bloggers would like to see people leaving comments on their blogs. In this way you can develop a community of readers who are loyal and regular readers.
But how best to grow a blog community?
Ben Yoskovitz on his Instigator Blog has posted a useful list of 8 Steps to Growing Your Blog Community One Person at a Time.
I’m pleased to say that I usually follow most of his suggestions. I am particularly careful to follow his first four suggestions.
- I often aim to write in a way that will encourage people to leave comments.
- I usually followup comments with comments of my own engaging the readers in conversation.
- First time commenters are usually thanked via a personal email.
- I also like to visit their blog to see what types of things they are interested in, their passions and topics.
- I reciprocate by commenting where appropriate. All this helps to develop that sense of community.
Related articles:
Are you afraid to write?
I’d never thought about being afraid of writing until I read an article on Angela Booth’s Writing Blog. But when I thought about it there is quite a deal of anxiety surrounding the writer’s life.
Some of these fears could include:
- Fear of starting – call it writer’s block, procrastination or whatever, this fear plagues so many writers.
- Fear of finishing – never sure that the written piece is good enough to be thought worthy of being published, constant revising being the symptom.
- Fear of rejection – never sending any manuscripts off to publishers because you might be rejected.
- Fear of ridicule – putting out some of your writing into the public arena is like undressing in a shopping mall; people will see you for what you really are, warts and all.
- Fear of Success – perverse as it might seem this is a very real fear. Some people are genuinely afraid of the demands of being in the spotlight, of being public property and being seen as a role model. It is the same kind of fear that makes strong men shake in terror when a microphone is placed in their hands.
Links:
- Fear of Writing – five tips to calm you down from Angela Booth’s Writing Blog.
Related articles worth reading:
- Overcoming writer’s block – some hints
- Maintaining Motivation as a writer and blogger – some more tips.
- Procrastination and the writer – further hints.
Re-introducing Trevor’s Writing blog
Observant regular readers of this blog will notice a small but significant change to the title of this blog. The blog hasn’t changed, nor has the content or direction of it. The URL remains the same too, so no need to panic.
Since starting this blog in March of this year I have never been totally happy with the title. My son, who does all the technical stuff in maintaining my three blogs, came to visit this week for my birthday. While he was here we did a lot of talking about blogging and where we are heading with my three blogs. He also spent a little time tweaking various aspects of the blogs.
To rename this blog Trevor’s Writing better reflects what this blog is all about. I will continue to share some of my poetry, short stories and ideas about writing and blogging. I will continue to share more thoughts about the writer’s life, writing hints and observations on life as they relate to writing, blogging, books and literature.
This name change also brings a quirky consistency in the names of my blogs. They are as follows:
- Trevor’s Writing – this blog about writing.
- Trevor’s Birding – about my observations and photos of Australian Birds.
- Trevor’s Travels – about my experiences and photos of travel in Australia, Thailand and Nepal.
Blogs are not like books
Blogs are not like books.
That might be stating the obvious but it is worth thinking about if you are a serious blogger. Even if you just blog for the fun of it, most bloggers want traffic to their blogs. Most want their readers to return and to become loyal readers. Most would like many visitors to comment on their blogs.
When you read a book you often start with page one and read right through to the end. This applies mainly to fiction, of course, but I usually do the same with non-fiction too. The obvious exception to this is reference books which are not designed to be read cover to cover.
Liz Strauss on Successful Blog asks the question “Do you think of your blog as if it’s a book?” She points out that not all readers come to your blog on the front page first. It fact the majority probably come via search engines and links from other blogs to other pages on your blog, sometimes deep within your archives.
For example, on my birding blog, the most popular post was written six months ago in April of this year about nesting behaviour of Blackbirds. The nesting season is now in full swing here in Australia and it has recently created a new flurry of interest with many comments.
Some suggestions:
- How up to date is the information in your old posts?
- How often do you update your old articles?
- How often do you return to the archives and rewrite or edit your writing?
- How often do you link to old posts, thus driving visitors deep into your archives?
Link:
- Blogs aren’t books – Not everyone starts reading on page 1 – this article written by Liz is worth reading.
It’s Nice to be Recognised
It is always nice to be recognised, especially by one’s peers.
Liz Strauss over at Successful Blog has said some flattering things about my three blogs.
To read the article click on the link below.
Link:
Welcome:
A special welcome to any readers who come to this blog from the link on Liz’s blog. I invite you to browse through some of the articles via the categories or the archives. I also invite you to comment or ask questions.
Writing Project for my readers:
Links:
- Trevor’s Birding – my blog about Australian birds, including photos.
- My photo gallery – photos of birds, flowers, animals, places and much more.
- Successful Blog – thinking, writing and business strategies with Liz Strauss.