I've spent quite a bit of time wandering around in Blogland lately. Not only do I maintain this site, but I write media and movie reviews on Families.com. I've observed several things that I'd like to mention to you here.
1. If you're trying to promote anything, having a blog is a great way to go, but particularly if you are an author. On a blog, people have the chance to become familiar with your writing style and to get to know you a little bit, and this will make them curious about your books. The same works for if you're promoting, say, bowling shoes. By reading your blog, your customers see that you know a lot about bowling shoes and they feel like they're making an informed decision.
2. Once your blog is up, start visiting other blogs and leaving comments. When you do that, your information is encoded into that site, and that blogger can click on your name and learn more about you. Not only is this great for promotion, but I've made some pretty good friends with other bloggers in this way. It's a win-win.
3. As you visit other blog sites, check out the links they have down the sides. They have linked to sites they enjoy or blogs that are similiar to theirs, and you can find wealths of blogs to visit by clicking on those links.
On the side of my blog, you'll see the list of all the sites I visit. I spend about fifteen minutes a day flipping to my favorite blogs.
4. One thing that I'd really like to emphasize here is that you should be adding a new post regularly. Each reader has their favorite blogs. If they like your content, they will check back frequently. Even if you just share whatever thoughts you've been having that day, it counts. The more fresh you keep your content, the more your readers will return, and they'll recommend your site to other people.
On the flip side, if you only post, say, once a month, your readers will soon forget about you. After trying the site for a few days in a row, they'll lose interest. One of the most important things I have learned as a blogger is the importance of fresh, current content.
I know that for myself, if I don't see new content regularly, I tend not to waste my time checking. I like to go to sites where I know I'll see something new.
The Internet is going to become the way we do almost everything in the future. Establish your name as a presence on the Internet. Leave comments on Amazon. Join Yahoo groups. Start a blog and leave comments on other blogs. Whatever your reason is for being on the Internet, make your name easy to find. Do a Google search for your own name and see where it turns up, and then keep it up. Name recognition is very important, and it's in your own control.
10 comments:
I agree that Blogs are waaay cool. In fact I copied your blog for today's blog entry :) Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks Tristi for the encouragement. I thought you had to be a computer whiz to create a blog, but I just did it. check it out carolethayne@blogspot.com
I agree wholeheartedly as well--blogs rock. I have 3 or 4 I check once or twice a day--and you're right that they are ones that post on a daily baisis. I not only check the blog, I check the comments and see if anyone is in need of my infinite wisdom :-)
You're very welcome, ladies. It was pretty easy to do, wasn't it, Carole?
I had to laugh when I saw the title to your blog entry . . .
It sounds like you are trudging through the tundra, knee deep in the earth . . .
Great blog. yours is one that I frequent as much as possible.
That's how it feels out there sometimes!
Okay, I already commented on this one, but I noticed i made a mistake on my blog address. It's actually http://carolethayne.blogspot.com
I hope. I copied Tristi's book list blog for my blog today. It was fun to do.
Great advice. I do like visiting other blogs but it takes me more like two hours so I can only do it once or twice a week. The same with new postings. And the book blog usually only gets new entry when I finish a book which I could do more regularly if I didn't blog.
I did buy one of your books after meeting your in blog world. And I truly will read it someday.
BTW, is that a new picture of you? Very nice.
Now I think I will go look at Carol's book list.
Forgot to add: You can set up your blog so that you get a notice when one of the blogs you link to publishes a new post. That way you don't have to check the blogs all the time. I just haven't done it yet. And it doesn't tell you when new comments are added to others' blogs. I really like reading the comments.
Thanks for your compliment on my picture, Framed! It was taken about a year ago, I guess; I have been using the other one because I'm skinnier in it :) but this new one is more up to date. I figured up to date was better than skinny.
And thanks for letting me know about subscribing to updates on blogs; I saw the link but I haven't done anything about it yet. Silly me!
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