I Googled "what makes a blog... work?" and "what makes a blog popular?". The results were not what I'd hoped. There are an incredible number of answers, all varied. I'm so sad to find out that there is no list of things to do. No list telling me do this, then this, then that and then your blog will be popular!
According to what I read, a popular blog consists of, but is not limited to:
- original content
- well-written posts
- focus
- its personal
- voice
- written to an audience
I am afraid. That's it.
What if i suck? What if I offend one or more people? What if my grammar and punctuation stink up the joint? What if people make fun of me? And then there's the worst of all, What will they think?
So since I did not put my real name on my blog and my original intent was to hold forth and hammer at readers (any readers) with my opinions on various topics, that is precisely what I will do.
Like it or not, in my next post, I will rail about the modern day funeral business. I have strong opinions about this. And when I talk, one or two people just might listen.
(i never said i was e f hutton, or lauren hutton, or barbara hutton or any other hutton)
Ha! I'll keep ya posted!
If you want comments you have to visit and leave comments related to that person's post. Don't ask them to visit you.
ReplyDeleteIf you do that enough times one or two will comment on yours and then you exchange comments. Blog by blog you build a neighborhood.
If you don't work at it there will be no magic.
Tilden -- what Dr. John said ....
ReplyDeleteFind blogs you like. Visit them. Leave genuine comments behind. Be consist with who you visit. After you've been by 2-3 times most will come back to see who you are, then you start the going back and forth and soon a relationship forms.
OR -- if you don't care about a relationship, you can build a niche blog where people come because they want your opinion or expertize.
To me the second one is harder. I build relationships quite easily. Expertize I'm markedly short on.
Dr John, Thank you! I sent you email with a couple questions I hope you can help with. I am dedicated to working at it, I'm just going to try a different tack here for a while...
ReplyDeleteQuilly - thanks for the input, i think youve told me this before, more than once. it all sounds so oddly familiar. im just not into the meme scene so much and i decided i would go back to my original plan, which was to share opinions. im still going to go with the advice you and dr john graciously offered. thanks for sticking with me.
ReplyDeleteI rarely do meme's and only occasionally play the ongoing games. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what you want to do. I visit other people and then they visit me. i post what i am interested in.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, aside from agreeing with Dr. John and wise Quilly (who has the results to prove she knows the answer) I'll offer the advice to be as bold as you feel and as sincere as you can be in your choice of other blogs to participate in. I tend to think the more genuine the shared perspective and/or affection, the easier it is to keep interested and keep interest.
ReplyDeleteAll of which is to say, I think with reference to Quilly's and Dr. John's advice, and with Nessa;s in mind, commenting on a blog you especially get or enjoy probably helps build your own community more than commenting on blogs you don't particularly like. Your brother and I were both writing Ambrose Bierce-based blogs when we came upon each other and were immediately regulars on each other's blogs. It should work the same for people of better character like you, Nessa and Quilly.