I've never been the type of person who wants a throng of people mindlessly following me. I'd rather have 5 loyal followers that ACTUALLY read what I have to say than 500 who only add me so that I will add them. I've always been that way- on MySpace, Facebook, etc. Sure, you might be "friends" with J-Lo, but unless she visits your page personally, who cares? I made a Facebook page for my CAT, for Heaven's sake, just so that I had one more "neighbor" for one of those stupid games- does that make me cool because I have 50 "friends", if 49 of them are for show?
I'll admit, its a bit of an ego boost to pop on here and see that I have another person following me. The idea that 55 people are following ME- wanting to read what I have to say... its kind of mind boggling. My KIDS don't even care what I have to say, but 55 people who have never met me have decided to follow me so they can be sure to get an update on their profile when I've posted something.
I know that not all 55 read me regularly- I often get caught up with the outside world and its responsibilities (for SHAME!)- but even if 25 of you read me semi-regularly, that's still pretty cool. My standards aren't that high, remember? I'm stoked if 5 people like me.
So, since I'm not looking to gather an army of robot readers, I'm ok with not having 5000 followers, however, I can see how it could be useful to do some of the things other bloggers do- like 'Hops' and what not. I'm thinking that I might start doing a few things that will increase my readership- any ideas? The way I figure it, as long as I don't let those things change me and the way I write, it can only be good, right? And after all, you never know what follower will turn out to be loyal.
So, if you're reading this, and you have ideas, I'm open to them. Incidentally, it'll be interesting to see who comments... you know, all things considered. ;-b
Talk to you soon. (And I promise my next post won't be a filler post.)
I feel the same way, I want quality over quanity. Since I only post once a week and I am asking people to read an essay I know I may not fill the bill for everyone. I try to stick to blogs that are also writing blogs, but that said, I do follow a few advice/giveaway blogs and I really enjoy them. I follow what I like and I comment on a regualr basis. I find that has worked well. Newtorking groups are great, but I would steer away from "follow me I'll follow you" groups unless you are just looking for numbers. VoiceBoks is great, Lexie sends out lists everyday and you can go through, check out the ones you like and follow the ones that work for you. I have bulit my blog along nicley, I don't have superstar numbers but I now have a little over 200 and I depending on my post for the week I get anywhere from 20 something comments to my all time high of 55 comments. Enjoy what you do and write what you like and you will find an audinece. I love you blog, it is a lot of fun!! Good luck and take care!
ReplyDeletei don't know, but i'm interested in what kind of ideas others come up with here. and just for the record i think i was your second follower. dang. so close to being #1;)
ReplyDeleteThe blog world is pretty crazy, eh? Found your blog & love it. Will read =)
ReplyDeletexo from brittany
@ www.myabcsoup.blogspot.com
Having raised two sons to some semblance of adulthood, I very much appreciate your perspective on life, parenting, and the importance of a sense of humor! I enjoy reading your blog, I'm a follower from voiceBoks, and I believe what you have to say is more important then being heard by only 5 people!
ReplyDeleteA few things I've done to increase my (actual) readership:
I use Tweetdeck to schedule tweets throughout the day, and follow people with similar interests to mine that I can engage with.
In the beginning I also hired someone to review my website to make sure it was reader-friendly, easy to navigate (its easy for me to think it is, but I look at it every day and know where everything is!), and giving a consistent message.
Finally, I don't have time for bloghops, so can't address how helpful that is for building a larger base. But I know that the time I've spent going to other blogs and developing relationships, offering to guest post, leaving significant comments, has gone a very long way in building my loyal readership.
I wish you a whole bunch of hope, joy, and energy!!
RJ, the HOPE Coach
http://jrrsehopecoaching.com
hi! i apologize for not responding to your comment on my blog sooner...i just got back from vacation and have enjoyed catching up on your posts! as for the blog hop...i am so lame when it comes to this computer stuff i have no idea how to begin a hop, lol!!! let me know if you figure it out, i'll "hop" right on!
ReplyDeleteYour posts are so funny! I agree - quality beats quantity with followers. I'm building my readership slowly. I really don't have time to read all the wonderful blogs I've signed up to follow, so I'm trying to figure out a schedule. That always helps!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to get on the with Stylish Blogger Award today, finally!
Blessings!
Lisa
http://susannasapron.blogspot.com/
I agree with this idea. I started my blog and was surprised by 5 followers. The only way to keep up with other blogs is to comment, otherwise it is a never-ending world of blogs...That is what I do? Good luck with your blog.
ReplyDelete