The other week I had this great idea that I would learn how to a screencast and do a “welcome to my blog” screencast to show new visitors what my blog was about and maybe even show newbies how blogs in general work. Wouldn’t that be fun? At this exact same time I read a post by Problogger called “Welcome to Problogger” and besides not being a screencast, it was the exact idea I had. (Yes. I really am comparing myself to Problogger.) So, this is kinda sorta a little bit going to be one of those posts. These are the
Top Ten Things You Can Do To Make a Blogger Happy
1. Subscribe
Do you see that bright purple button on my sidebar? It’s a subscription button. You can click it and subscribe to my blog via a feedreader. Which is basically like a big inbox for your favorite blogs. Here’s a screenshot of my Google Reader:
If you’ve just been bookmarking all your favorite sites or clicking on them eleventybillion times a day to see if they’ve updated then YOU NEED A FEEDREADER. It will make you happy AND it makes bloggers happy to have subscribers! (I mean how cool do you feel if someone loves you enough to know the second you update your blog?!) Of course, there is another option—subscribing via email. You can get an email every time the blog updates and read the post right in your inbox. I love that idea except for the fact that I get like 100 emails a day. And adding another one to the mix would be horrendous.
2. Comment
Comment is like crack to bloggers. It is why we do it. If we didn’t want comments, we would keep the thing private or write in a journal.
When I first started reading blogs, I would see the blogger ask a question and see all the people that left comments and I always thought, “Am I allowed to do that? I know she just asked a question, but certainly she doesn’t really want ME to answer it.” YEAH. SHE DOES. If you answer the question, leave your own similar experience or just say, “I read every word.” you will absolutely make someone’s day. And on top of that, you will probably make a friend. Every one of my best bloggy friends started with a comment.
If you are still unsure, Ill walk you thorugh it. Do you see that little purple box at the bottom of this post? IT says, “Got something to say?” and then a clickable “5 comments”? Click that. Then fill in the fields–name, email, website (it can be your blog, facebook, twitter or just leave it blank). Then type to your heart’s content.
3. Facebook Fan
I know you’re on Facebook. If you’re not. Well, just crawl out from under your rock and skip to #4. If you are and you think of it as just a place to snoop on your High School boyfriend, think again! Facebook is fast becoming a place to connect with companies, organizations and other like-minded people.
I know you’ve probably become a fan of “Texting Someone While In The Same Room” and “People Who Have Mullets” but how ’bout being a fan of Impress Your Kids, Once A Month Mom and Silly Eagle Books so you can see blog updates and fun links on your status updates? I also love being fans of companies and local businesses because they always give coupons!
Another tiny little facebook-love tip is to share a post on Facebook or LIKE the status of a blog. That will enable your friends see it and hopefully they’ll click, it too!
4. Stumble
Ah, Stumbleupon! This is my new favorite site. When you read a really great post (after leaving a comment) why don’t you click the StumbleUpon button below the post? (See it? It’s that round one at the end.)
When you do, it sends StumbleUpon a message that says, “THIS POST IS AWESOME.” Then when other people search around StumbleUpon for a cool post to read, they’ll find your first! It’s like a search engine of GOOD posts! And it can bring BOOKOOS of traffic to a blogger’s site. Some nice person stumbled my How To Wrap and Detangle Christmas Lights and I STILL get hits on that every week. (Who still has their Christmas lights up?!)
Christine has a great StumbleUpon tutorial for those of you who are interested.
5. Tweet. If you are twittering (and who isn’t? our town has a tweetstream!) bloggers love a nice tweet or re-tweet. Does all this sound like it’s for the birds? (Couldn’t resist.) Well, what’s great about twitter is the large amount of people you can reach quickly. I have about 3000 followers on twitter. So, if I send out a link on twitter there are potentially 3000 people who might read it! 3000 people who didn’t know about the link until I sent it!
You might not have 3000 followers, but you probably have followers that I do not. So, if you read a fun post, tweet about it!
6. Click Their Ads. Did you know that I can make money if YOU buy new shoes on Amazon? It’s a small percentage, but who doesn’t like getting money in the mail? In the mommy-blogging circle, lots of ads on sidebars are to other small mom-owned companies. When you click (and buy) through a sidebar ad, you could be helping out more than one mama! I’m not suggesting you buy stuff just to buy it–let’s be reasonable! But if you are going to buy Signing Time or Robeez– anyway, or were already planning on shopping via Amazonclick through my a blogger’s site first!
7. Gravatar. (Hmmm…sounds like a movie I once saw…)
This is the globally-recognized-avatar. And all it means is when you leave a comment, you’ll see your own little picture next to your comment! Why do bloggers like this? Well, it helps them recognize YOU. And it makes their blog feel more like a community. I love seeing you smiling face smiling down below my post!
(Gravatar has the best tutorial on setting up your own picture.) I also love Gravatar because you can set up different pictures for every email you own, or put the same one on each!
8. Paypal. Then you can always send them money. KIDDING. (But I do think Once A Month Mom should have a donation button on her menu posts. She’s like having a personal grocery assistant!)
9. Comment. Did I mention comments are like crack?
10. Get Involved. The highest compliment you can pay a blogger is by getting involved. Every blogger loves to see people become a part of their community. So start considering your favorite blogger a friend. Show them you care by making them apart of your online world and who knows, you may get a new best friend!
Are you a blogger? What makes your day?
Next week’s Top Ten list: How To Make Your READERS Happy
:: :: ::
Speaking of getting involved I’d LOVE to hear your Top Ten list! Please link up today! For official Top Ten info check out my Top Ten {Tuesday} page!
Hello admin excellent submit considerably thanks loved this weblog actually significantly
I used to be curious about your up coming publish admin actually needed this weblog super astounding blog site
thanks you page good thanks antalya porno
I truly like the arragement of your site. I value the excellence of the information. You have done a excellent job. Thank you very much
I am glad you are in therapy and lenraing to reprogram from negative self talk.What I do not know is if you are suffering from depression or what in your family and past is triggering the problems you are dealing with. I hope the counselor is Christian and prayerful with you for Holy Spirit guidance and revelation.Do you prayer journal? Mine is a journal where I sometimes confess pain anger or confusion. Mostly I speak life and write out song lyrics. God pours out through me and I am refreshed by listening in these times. Highly recommendable.About your list:1. Yes amen2. Writing is one thing. Publishing is another. Selling more than just to friends and family is another. You already have blogging success and now you can publish your posts as a book in print or to Kindle. Is what you want to reach the masses with a new message?.3. Life in Christ is an adventure for sure.4. Your sisters and brother in Christ really do love you.5. God is the God of more than enough. Plan your work and work your plan to see Him come through like you have never imagined.6. The world is yours. An author on my twitter got a recent invite as her book is coming out. Moving forward your dreams are connected.7. Yes God made you beautiful. It radiates from the inside out but your picture is cute too.8. Like He created Adam & Eve plus the other famous paris from the Bible He is still crafting marriages for us singles. Love will find you.9 Your uniqueness is divine. Your growth is assured in your salvation. Your acceptance at every stage along the journey is found in scripture. He will not love you more then. There is no more He can do for you. It is done. Receive it. As soon as you reprogram and believe it the strength will over whelm you as opposed to where you are now.10. It is the American mis speak to say anyone can do anything. We have been created very specifically. Setting the mind towards goals will produce success however.
I have this strong beilef on this site that ever since the ARTPARIS Showdown was initiated, that no one was ever united by the art, it seems to me that the egotisctic votes seemed to bind the art, not the appreciation of it at all! This really questions whether it is the art that has won or the persistent votes that people had to give to the people behind the art. The voting bracket on the other hand is like swiss chesse; its so full of holes and red tape, and whilst I’m at it, there was definitely a bit of ballot stuffing going on. There are examples of people mentioning this on the comments, and I too experienced such scandal! Oh, and the voting scheme, whoever thought of this tedious strategy where for a 15 day period, you have to constantly, constantly, constantly, constantly, constantly, constantly, constantly send copy and pasted messages to people to support your art. What an absolute disgrace? This is not a cultural awareness of the character of the artwork, it is simple propaganda and politics. And I say it again, its simply not the art that wins, its the amount of people who get the vast votes because of the swift, highly mighty, incredible messages to people saying Oh please, please you will be doing such a humble, rewarding, grateful, spectacular, tremendous help for my piece, and you will make me massively happy!!! Oh, here’s my link by the way: Sometimes I wonder what true service we really are doing for ART, and whether we are satisfied when we put art into one big, feisty, pretentious, battle royale of a competiton’. Now will you excuse me, I’m off to send a gazillion copy and pasted messages to online interrogate people to vote for my piece that is named Winner of Competition from the Start Anyway’. I’m adamant that I’m going to win!!! Oh never mind about what the art has to say or communicate about hey, It’s just the votes that count I suppose, and I know that I’ve got loads of friends on this site who have about 4 or 5 multiple accounts that will keep voting this piece, but that’s alright because Saatchi Online won’t address that issue .Patrick.