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Those who have been blogging for a while know one of the biggest challenges is getting comments. We have all heard the tips to encourage discussion; I even wrote a tips post about commenting. But a thought occurred to me while reading My Blog Traffic Sucks (affiliate link) Monday. Who is reading your blog? I know most of my readers are bloggers, which led me to think about my own commenting habits. My resolution is to comment more this year. To make it easier to stick with it I'm setting my goal at 5 comments a week. Will you also set this goal? (Click to tweet if you will commit to 5 comments a week) I believe if we each are proactive in commenting on each others blogs we will change the commenting climate in the blogosphere.
Another area I'm going to work on is my reviews. I hope by limiting myself to one review a week I can work on making it the best review possible. I think sometimes I'm rushed to get a review posted that I don't take the time to really think about what I am saying and it isn't always as good as it could be.
I also want to get more active on social media. The last few months I've really slacked off on interacting. There are so many sites now, but since I've reflected on what works for me I know which sites to concentrate on. If you are struggling with social media, here is how I rank the importance of each:
1. Twitter - this is a must have for bloggers. it is quick to broadcast new posts and mini-reviews. Also it's a great place to connect with experts so you can get the latest and greatest on blogging tools, authors, new books, and we vents.
2. Facebook - interact with your fans more with a fan page. I'm going to focus on having discussions there that might not relate to what I am posting on the blog. It is also a great place to find groups, like my GWR Publicity group.
3. Google+ - mostly use it to increase my post's ranking in search. I recently joined a PR group there but haven't done anything with it.
4. Pinterest - low priority as far as using it for my blog. If you are a graphic heavy blog it might work for you. I use it for blog tours I organize.
5. LinkedIn - low priority as well, except for my tips series and GWR Publicity networking.
I probably will do little with Pinterest and LinkedIn this year, instead I will use that time to focus a bit more on social bookmarking sites, such as StumbleUpon and Reddit.
What changes are you hoping to implement on your blog this year? I would love to hear your goals. Let me know if you will join me for the commenting challenge.
Happy new year!
Posts
I've rebooted both my personal blog and the group blog I run for 2013.
ReplyDeleteFor me, as a writer, there never seems to be enough time to do all the social networking and WRITE. Since writing is my priority, I'm vowing to do more of that this year.
Do you have any thoughts on TUMBLR, Donna? I'd be interested in hearing them.
Definitely one of the hardest parts is prioritizing what to do when time is short.
DeleteOf course I have thoughts on TUMBLR. Check next week's tip.
LOL, okay, I'll check out the tips next week!
DeleteHehe. I can't share all my tips at once. Today's convo has given me ideas for two more posts.
DeleteI too am trying to keep up with commenting. I think part of the issue for me is that I have so many blogs in my Google Reader, sometimes I just get overwhelmed and don't comment on any. But I want to interact more, so even a few comments a week is helpful!
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to your thoughts on TUMBLR. I don't really "get" it yet...
I follow a lot of blogs too and they aren't all in one place. I should probably add that to my list of resolutions - organize my blogs to read.
DeleteGreat idea Donna! I accept your challenge. (One comment down, four to go! :)
ReplyDeleteAlli
mrscaptkirk51.blogspot.com
Yay! It isn't nearly as daunting when I set a weekly goal. I did my 5 on New Year's Day, but since then I read a couple of more blogs that I had something to contribute to so left comments there too.
DeleteI just started my blog, so this is all new to me. I have a facebook page for me as an author, and I try to keep up with that. I also have a twitter page, but I don't really understand twitter fully, so most of my focus has been on facebook. I'm making a commitment to blog regularly and learn more about twitter. I will also make a commitment to comment on other blogs regularly. I like the idea of the weekly goal. Having five children, working, writing, and keeping up with blogs, facebook, and twitter keeps me very busy. I have to live by a strict schedule, so having a schedule for the online world will be beneficial for me!
ReplyDeleteI have a lot going on to which is why I gave myself an achievable goal that allowed flexibility.
DeleteI'm actually happy with the way I blog. Mine is a newer blog, but it continues to increase in page views by the thousands every month. One thing I always do is respond to every comment on my blog. I don't want my readers thinking I'm ignoring them.
ReplyDeleteVampire Bite Blog Hop
I think each blog is different and depending on your niche. Some have great traffic and high page views and not a lot of comments while others are tight knit groups with few, but active visitors.
DeleteI not only want to see more comments, but true discussion occurring. The conversation should just be between me and the reader (they already heard my long winded discourse) but all the readers talking to one another, commenting on each others comments.
I don't have a blog, but I subscribe to many blogs via email. Even when I loved a blog post I rarely feel encouraged to comment. I really don't know why... but, I wanted to make it a habit to post comments more frequently to show the bloggers that I love that I appreciate their time and posts.
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