I wrote this the other day to a relatively new blogger and thought others might get something out of it.
Dear fellow blogger,
I can tell you are interested in driving up traffic to your blog, which is great. You're a good writer and your traffic will increase as you keep blogging (daily, if possible). The other things you can do are:
Leave comments all over the place. Find a nice long blogroll (mine is over there but there are others) start going down it and leave a comment everywhere you see something you like. My blog went from zero to 70 hits a day from just doing that and then I was on my way.
And don't leave a "visit my blog" comment. They'll visit anyway.
Only leave on-topic comments or sincere compliments. Nobody likes trolls or self-pimping***. Make the compliment TRUE, and specific where possible. Only praise posts you really do like. And link to them where possible, too.
We're all human, and we bloggers are more narcissistic than even the average American. And most of us work very hard on our blogs with little thanks. Every comment matters.
I have personal likes and dislikes but if I follow the rule of "only say something if it's nice" I really like Shakespeare's Sister and Crooks and Liars. The other big blogs I can take or leave, and I leave'em. Those two have nice people attached to them: people who care about small blogs, the blogosphere, and are not puffed up with their own importance. We all need to emulate those qualities. Don't forget it.
Do you have comment moderation at your site? Get rid of it, for the time being, until somebody bothers you. As a Blogger user, I've found word verification works very well to keep out the spam. Better at the beginning not to put too many barriers between you and commenters. You can always hand-delete those comments you don't like, if you're lucky enough to have that many comments.
Also check out this post from Enigmatic Paradox, as well as Brainshrub's excellent series on tips for political bloggers.
Keep blogging and keep the faith.
***Big exception: DO pimp your blog when Shakespeare's Sister has a blogwhoring day. She does it about once a week and again, you just leave a comment there. Update: Oops, she did it today.
yup, you were one of the first to give me some great advice back in march when i started up my blog. you're awesome!
ReplyDeleteCould I add one?:
ReplyDeleteDon't get so upset, so angry, or so discouraged the first time some nasty, Nazi troll comes to your blog and leaves an awful personal attack there that you want to quit. (I did that, and then my blogger buddies set me straight.)
Just let another layer of epidermus grow on to what you've got, and boogie on.
Hi Blue Gal, You are delicious too
ReplyDeleteNice touch of humour adding the crayon cartoon, if only we could get the girls to draw kisses and flowers and render them useless.
Thanks for the mention.
I wondered where the traffic was coming from.
PS - I love Technorati hoes. lol!
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ReplyDeleteHi Blue Gal,
ReplyDeleteI should add great post.
Awesome tips to successful & fun blogging.
You could say I learnt from the blog mistress lol!
Hope you are having fun
Wishing you a lovely day! - Q.
Thanks, Blue Gal. Shakes Sis usually has blogwhoring on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so there are lots of opportunities to get posts out there for wider readership.
ReplyDeleteOne other tip I'd add is if you find a political story that's interesting and complex, and you keep following it and digging around and adding more to the mix, you may find yourself hitting the big time.
I'll be there Friday, BG.
Apropos of this post, I decided to check out a few of your links, and Figleaf's Real Adult Sex popped up. Heh heh.
ReplyDeleteBG, you naughty thing.
But seriously, if I started posting nudes, I wonder how fast I would get into trouble with my wife/community/hospital. Otherwise I would be so there.
Narcissistic? Where's me mirror? Did it muss me hair up?
ReplyDeleteOkay Doug. Time to tell you about Figleaf. I discovered him when I wrote a post about abortion, and did a google blog search to find out who else was posting on the issue that day (another tip I heartily recommend. You can start a great conversation that way, particularly if you are writing about a big issue or something not everyone is blogging that day.) Figleaf is one of the best writers on the issue of sex out there. The fact that he includes some, shall we say, intimate, photos of himself is both illustrative and illuminating. That is all.
ReplyDeleteme, i love shakespeare's sister, and this one and some local ones, then i just click round and the fates have found me some great ones! ; )
ReplyDeleteWhat about the key to your success? - A.k.a. search words like panties, thongs, naked, teenager - of course this pretty much only gets you males who troll on through - I haven't figured out the super female search words for females yet - "low fat chunky chip ice cream" would be one of mine.
ReplyDeleteAll good advice.
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ReplyDeleteGreat advice, Blue Gal. It should be in Blogger FAQ.
ReplyDeleteBTW, "panties" only got one extra hit...
But, then again, there's nothing like Blue Gal's panties.
Thank you! Another blogger sent me here since I'm just getting started. Good advice!
ReplyDelete