Blogging: It's About More Than Just Having Something to Say
This topic is one that has been giving me a lot of pause for thought recently. I subscribe to a lot of blogs. I get an email telling me every time a post comes through, and I really want to read them. I don't just subscribe to a blog for no reason. However, when these emails come through, I read but a select few. This needs to change.
I am aware of the importance of reading blogs. I am a big believer in the saying ´You have to be a reader to be a writer' It therefore goes without saying that in order to be a good, and effective blogger, you need to read other people´s blogs. Obviously, the two theories are not mutually exclusive. One can blog about anything, that is part of the beauty of it. However, to be a writer, one must, in the modern-day also be a blogger. This is especially imperative with regards to Independent Writers. We few, we few we happy few we band of nut-jobs. We undertake everything on our own, and so need to be, not just the wearer of many hats, but the master of all trades that these items of headwear represent.
As a result, I need to make sure that I visit more blogs in the coming months. Not that there is a time limit in terms of duration. Really, I should just say that I need to pick up the pace effective immediately.
I should start reading more blogs, especially the ones I subscribe to. I should leave more comments. Why? Not because it is good for me, or for spreading my name… oh wait, it is… but I do it because it is a sign of recognition. You are letting the writer know that you have read their post, that you appreciate their effort.
The other thing is, it doesn't just do to visit the same ten blogs each week and leave comments. Sure people will see your name, but after a while the well of new visitors will begin to dry-up. Migrant traffic will keep the bottom damp but that is it. It is vital to ensure that you visit different blogs. You don't have to subscribe, just pop along and read a post of two.
#Hashtag searches on Twitter are a great place to start. I would recommend #ROW80 if you are looking for some writerly conversation and a general sense of literary companionship, #Amwriting for general writing themed articles, or #MyWana for a range of topics that can provide not only great reading, but also create friendships and result in very entertaining (and occasionally random) conversations.
Facebook is another tool. There are so many groups out there, you can easily find a few that have topics that interest you. Join them, or give them a browse and you will soon find a new world of blog posts opening up before your eyes.
The one thing I have always been bad at, is searching for blogs. A good old Google search on a subject that you enjoy is all it takes. Yet, for some reason I always forget about it. That being said, as I am making an effort to improve, I have already bookmarked a number of posts I intend to read.
What i have done, and may possibly work for you too, is to combine things. I am interested in getting more traffic to this site, in increasing sales of my novel Highway to Hell (which is now just 99 cents… oh that was shameless) and also about a secret project I am working on. Well, lo and behold, there are literally thousands of blog posts out there that meet or at least hold the promise of meeting my requirements.
This gets me reading blogs, and commenting of course, it expands my online social circle and also helps me move forwards in other areas.
So tell me, other than this incredible source of information and entertainment, are you a good blog visitor? Do you click the links that blogs offer, or do you just read the information on the page in front of you?
