- Don’t Be An Ass.
You know that friend who thinks she’s better than everyone and has the answer for everything? She’s assertive and bossy and mean funny and talks only about herself? You can only stand to be around her for maybe ten minutes before you feel like cutting her eye lashes off? If you’ve never met someone like this than you’re probably her. Stop acting like that. No one likes to read a blog that focuses on how great you are or how right you are all the time. Unless you’re me.
- Make People Love You
You can’t go it alone. Find people you like who are roughly in the same place as you in the blogosphere and win them over with your winning personality. It’s so nice to have other bloggers to go to for help or advice with your blog. Not to mention they’ll email you any juicy gossip they find in blogland and you can giggle together at the ridiculousness of others when they start fights with each other on their blogs. If you don’t have a winning personality you really should think about investing in one.
- Linky Love
Linking to blogs you like will not only get you in good graces with those bloggers you link to, but it shows you’re selfless and lovely and interested in promoting things that mean something to you even if it takes traffic away from your site. Karma is real. It will come back to you.
- Comment
This isn’t as important as it used to be. It used to be that we would spend hours hopping from blog to blog leaving comments that would entice people to come to our blog and fall in love. Commenting is nice and it makes us feel good and we shouldn’t stop, but as far as using it as a means to grow your audience? It’s not an effective use of your time. Don’t STOP, but don’t spend hours upon hours of your day doing it solely for traffic. Do it because you like to do it.
- Tweet-a-leeta-leet
If you are new and you want to be the next big thing…you must must must open a twitter account. Follow people like crazy. Engage them in conversation. Talk about falling down the stairs or how your dog keeps pooping out kid sized socks or WHATEVER it is you do all day. If you spend just 15 minutes a day extending yourself to people on Twitter they will learn to love you. And guess what? The more people you get to love you on Twitter? The more people who will click over when you tweet a link to your blog about your mom throwing herself off a ladder…or whatever it is your mom is throwing herself off of.
- Forums: AKA Find People To Argue With
Don’t limit yourself to just one platform. It’s easy to get stuck in a neighborhood in blogland where it feels you’re not meeting anyone new. By posting thoughtful questions and giving drop dead hilarious answers to other questions, forum friends are going to come racing over to see what your blog is about. Or they’ll fight you. And that’s not fun. Forums are also a great resource for blog topics. Sometimes your question or answer on a forum can be turned into it’s own blog post. If you spend just 15 minutes a day extending yourself to people in forums they will learn to love you and check out your blog… BlogFrog is a great forum platform for this. Not only do you get all of the perks of regular forums, but when you leave questions and answers in different communities, the link to your profile shows up on their BLOG. Which is awesome. The more places you can leave your mark the better right?
- Ignore Your Family
Bribe your kids in exchange for computer time. A bowl of candy goes a long way. How is anyone going to take you seriously as a caring mommy blogger if you don’t consistently write about how much you care?
- Don’t Ignore Your Family
As lovely as blogging is. And as wonderful as it feels to get the feedback and comments and traffic we crave. Your family needs you present. If your kids are continuously ‘bothering’ you while you’re on the computer, if your two year old is closing the screen of your lap top while you type, or if your husband sighs loudly when you assume the position with your computer on your lap…these are all signs your family is needing more of you. Get involved. Blog posts and twitter and emails will all be here when you have time. A healthy family life begets a healthy blog life.
- Be Responsive
Whether it be through email, twitter, your comment section or by returning visits to their blogs every once in awhile. Respond to the people who spend time leaving you comments. This isn’t easy. I have yet to find a balance with my time management online. When you begin to extend yourself on a number of different platforms it can be tricky to prioritize, but it’s important if you want people to know their feedback means something to you. If you spend just 15 minutes a day extending yourself to people leaving comments on your blog they will learn to love you.
- Learn Something About Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
You won’t learn it here…but souping up your blog posts with strong tags, descriptions, key words, and permalinks means your blog will come up on Google search lists. For example, if you post about neutering your mouse and soup up that post properly with mouse neuter links…and say Oprah talks about that topic and all of her viewers get online and google neutered mice…BOOM! A bajillion people hit your blog. And that’s all I know.
- And Most Importantly…Write Gooder.
You can spend hours begging a million people a day to read your blog, but if it’s not readable they’re not going to come back. Keep your posts to the point, keep your blog looking clean, and remember, paragraphs and line breaks are. your. friends.
{ 83 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for posting this on my first Blogoversary. If I knew then, what I know now?
Oh, never mind, I still don’t know…I guess I need to read this more than once!
Great list – and I think the last one is the most important. If your content isn’t up to snuff, folks will go elsewhere to get their giggles.
good points all of them. I keep hearing that content is king, I guess so, I’m still a growing blog. Fighting at forums?..uh, okay, I’ll have to give that one serious thought…I like to be nice, but hey, anything for clicks…
totally kidding.
Crud. I think I can be an ass and ignore my family. I’m doomed.
You are just a veritable font of information, aren’t you?
I’m sorry, but I still get pissed off when comments on my blog drop. Which they have, significantly in the past months. Makes me sad. Makes me wanna cry.
Maybe I should give Twitter a try.
Justine :o )
That last bullet …. don’t you mean, “Write good?”
And here I was hoping being an Ass was a good thing. I may have to rethink my whole style ;)
You can’t write so how in the world do you get so much traffic?
Kidding, I am totally kidding. You know I love you.
Anyway, great tips.
I am hosed. I’m anti-Twitter, an ass, I comment on too many blogs, & know absolutely zero about SEO. I wonder if that is why I have hits to my blog for how to make a butt cake, wonder woman necklace charms, and super mario obstacle course? Maybe I should ummm check that out or something?
OK, I resolve to be a Twit, not an ass, and not comment on blogs.
Shit. Failed on that whole comment thing again. Ummm, starting…… NOW.
Yeah I’m screwed too. SEO is absolutely NOT my forte and I’m not so sure I write all that well, either. Good times :)
Oh, crap. I’ll seriously consider what you said about forums and twitter…but it’s so against my nature.
But, since you’ve got a HUGE case of the smartlies, I’ll start.
Tomorrow.
I agree on paragraph breaks. I go crazy when I click over and see 500 light grey text words against a dark patterned background, and no breaks.
I like blog visits to be as efficient as possible (you know, limited time and and all) and posts like that are just too much dang work.
Yes I’ll ignore my kids while I try to write good and grow a blog–I’ll have the kids continue to make messes –good points ;)
I can’t be an ass?
Damn.
Crap, entered the wrong URL for my blog on previous comment. ANOTHER “don’t”. LOL.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEExcellent tips.
Okay, I am INCREDIBLY stupid and a halfwit. The previous TWO comments have the wrong URL. LOLtastic. That’s what I get for changing the URL last night late…. I can’t even remember the damned thing in the morning. Sorry.
THANKS for this! I swear, every week when I make a little blogging to-do list, I put “learn more about SEO” at the top and I always get sidetracked. I really need to make it a priority since I hear so much about it.
Hehe, this is all really great advice. Thank you Mama Kat!
Can I just say that I loved the one about commenting? Sometimes I feel like the only reason *some* people comment on my blog is so that I will come and read. Then, I notice that if I don’t visit their blog on a regular basis, they stop coming around.
I’m all for showing respect, but if I don’t want to read your blog on the regular, I’m not going to do it just so you’ll continue to leave comments.
Seriously. Don’t underestimate the power of strong writing and proper grammar (crazy, I know).
Write gooder eh…
Today marks my 300th post. I don’t know how many people I have enticed to my blog because of the number of comments that I leave. But I do know that I have gained some followers because of the type of comments I leave. Quality vs. Quantity even in comments brings people over. Then you have to write gooder in order to keep them coming.
Thanks for being an inspiration,
Thanks for sharing this with us! :)
I heart tips…thank you!
I love: “if you don’t have a winning personality, maybe you should invest in one.” Cracked me up!
Great post!
I’d probably write gooder if Mungee would stop pulling the keys off my keyboard while I’m ignoring her so I can comment.
Thanks for the tips!
Great advice and thanks!!
Andrea
Great post. You’re so funny!
Can you tell me where I can invest in a good personality? Where did you get yours? I discovered that giving my son a laptop of his own gives me more computer time. He turned 3 last Monday, so it was about time.
What great pointers.
I just found you on twitter recently through a fellow blogger and this is the first time I’ve come to your blog. Guess I chose a good time to start! Just shows that Twitter truly can bring traffic ;)
I used to try to comment all over the place all the time, but that’ll suck up hours of your time before you know it. So at the least, I try to respond to every comment on my blog, and stop by the blogs of regular commenters. That seems to work in terms of making my blog grow.
I also use lots of steroids. Like, a hell of a lot. My blog is growing immensely, but has terrible bacne.
I have a family?!
Whew that I mastered the ignoring them part. Now, on with the rest of the list!
I am an ass.
I ignore my family.
And I definitely get that *SIGH* from my husband.
Great tips and as always you make me laugh. VERY important on a Monday morning before the coffee has kicked in.
LOL, love it :)
The 1,365th rule of blogging is; Blog about blogging and people will come and comment.
Oh my word, I do love your writing style–gooder writing and all!!! I honestly have considered putting a “grammar” tab at the top of my blog with an open letter to my favorite high school English teacher, who taught me so much about grammar–but also about writing in my true voice.
Wow, I have no idea why I just told you all of that…and why I don’t just hold down the “delete” button… Sometimes, I just cannot help myself, and give way too much info.
Anyway–just wanted to say thanks for the great tips! And also–I love reading the comments. Sarcastic writing draws sarcastic readers (and commenters)–and I LOVE THAT!!
Thanks for the rad tips. It’s a tricky thing doing what we do, but we are rad and we shall be successful. At least, I hope so….
Thanks for the rad tips. It’s a tricky thing doing what we do, but we are bitchin’ and we shall be successful. At least, I hope so….
Thanks for the article! I’m kinda new to blogging and I’m just now starting to get into link building. Have any advise?
I love all of your suggestions! I need to find that balance too.. Not being an ass is probably the best piece of advice – it probably cuts back on those forum fights LOL!
I love BlogFrog but get there often enough. I just saw that you have a community. Off to check it out.
Finally!! Someone being real about what the blogosphere is all about. I can’t quite pin what it’s all about, but if you reference the stuffs in this post? That’s it. Right there. Hooray!
So am I stuck just barely almost but not quite meeting you at BlogHer or are you totally over that?
Your funny! I love how you write…..especially your seo explanation – funny thing is I totally got it when you explained it that way! :) Thanks for the tips – I need all I can get! I promise I will try to write gooder. :) Have a terrific day!
Great advice given in a humorous way :) you always crack me up!
I love it….Learn SEO, but not here. Great list of tips, MamaKat!
I’m leaving a comment so that you’ll visit my blog. hahahaha Totally kidding. Awesome suggestions.
I used to run a bargain blog and I was all over trying to get more and more and more readers…now, I’m just blogging for me…which in a way, makes it much more relaxing and I only visit/comment on blogs I truly love. My family is much happier because of that! ha!
~melody~
Hysterical, and yet sooooooo true!!
Dont ignore your family, ignore your boss. Works for me.
This is great, Mama Kat! I have 2 bloggy friends who do your workshop, and I just stopped by a few days ago. I’m a new follower and just love your humor. This is a great list, and I heart Blog Frog, too!
I try every day to write gooder than I did the day before! ;) Thanks for the tips. Some of them I already do. Yay. Oh wait…is that no no to boast about great I am?
Thank you for the words of wisdom1 I’m fairly new to blogging and this was super helpful. Blogfrog – I gotta check that out-
WOW, awesome advice, Mama Kat!! I am one of your followers on Networked Blogs…or is it stalker?? LOL Right now, I have 19 followers which is cool considering I just started on there, maybe, a week or so ago…waiting for that 20th follower – so, who’s it gonna be, heh, heh??? LOL
Your writing is so sarcastic and zany, I LOVE IT!!!
I took your advice and joined Blog Frog and am in your community – COOOOLLL!!!!
Hugs, Patty
Great Advice! Thanks.
I had to read the first one out loud to my husband. I hate asses.
Thanks for all the awesome advice! I guess I should stop ignoring my kids now. Damn it.
Great list of suggestions and had me giggling at times :)
PS I too struggle with balancing all of the different formats, comments, twitter, etc…
taking notes and kickin some ass in my blog life! thank you Mama Kat!
You’re funny. I think you made me love you. And the tips didn’t hurt either :)
Have I ever told you how much I love love love (that’s 3 “loves”) your blog. Not only is it wildly entertaining, but you are helping me to grow as a blogger and I thank you for that. I’m not to much interested in traffic on my site. It’s just a ranting about me and my madness but you on the other hand…well, 2 thumbs up!
Love the write gooder tip. lol That’s awesome! I love reading your blog and all the tips you share. You are a gem!
Good post! Thanks for the advice :) I could definitely use it!
Great post, but I should kick your skinny butt for sucking me into the world of BlogFrog. Sigh!
Happy Tuesday! I want to let you know that
I am Honoring you with the Sunshine Award! You deserve some sunshine and I love reading you blog! You can head over anytime and Grab It! Enjoy your Week! http://www.miamamiah.com/2010/05/im-into-sunshine-sunshine-award-that-is.html
I command that you love me! You said it in your own post… make people love you! :) But no really, I really enjoy your blog. You make me laugh.
As someone who only started blogging in February this is great advice. I have been struggling to see the worth of Twitter, but your explanation has helped me a lot to see why this can help, so thank you for that. I also really need to work on SEO (now I know what it really is!) and figure out what permalinks are. I had not thought about forums – as you say, it is easy to just exist in the same blogosphere corner without finding new places and people, so I am going to investigate Blog Frog. So a thousand times thank you again for some great advice.
Now, if someone can tell me why it is my blog post feeds take days to show up, if at all, I will be even happier. Such is the life of a technophobe
Oh Mama, I love this post. I particularly love the part about not ignoring your family. I’ll be over to pay attention to your family this weekend.
Write gooder. haha! Yup. That is what i am striving towards.
GREAT advice Kat. As usual. :)
“You know that friend who thinks she’s better than everyone and has the answer for everything? She’s assertive and bossy and mean funny and talks only about herself? ”
Oh god–I’m that friend, aren’t I? I know it’s me. Dammit!
Some of us have to be superior, mean, bossy know-it-alls though, right? It’s a position that must be filled, so really, I’m doing the world a favor. Imma keep doin’ it. ;-)
OMG – cutting her eyelashes off? Freakin’ hysterical. Love it. Great visual.
First you direct me to Ignore my Family, then not to… what will it be?
Seriously, all great tools to keep in mind. I used to pride myself on Time Management. And now – I – SUCK at it.
Cheers!
I triple agree with that last one. I seriously stop following people just because they dont use line breaks and paragraphs. It hurts my head.
Thanks for the advice! Especially loved “write gooder” and opening a twitter account! Twitter is how I have found so many great blog writers, like you!
Okay, so you know how you hear a certain thing, like, three times in one day and you have to just bow your head and say, “I GOT IT!”? Well, that’s me and Twitter today. I fear it but I’m going right now. When I understand and love it, I will thank you for being my tipping point …
Great post. I took notes …
I like your writers workshop and love your blog. Thanks for the laughs.
Now I am wondering if I am a constant ass on my blog. I think I am.
Great Advice because I am horrible at a lot of these…
In this big world of blog, you are my lifejacket. Thank you.
Awesome! Thank you
This was awesome! Thank you!
Noel
OKCBlogGirl
PinkDivaCafe
Thanks for the tips. I need to hang out on blogfrog more often.
TY – suppose there is no single path to success, but now that I am a part of Blogher.com I am really searching for ways to thoughtfully, and “authentically” to expand my horizons.
If you get a few minutes, I’d love to have you visit http://www.AnAuthenticLife.com
XOXOXO
KT
Thanks for the great tips!
Oh! I just posted on fb with the other comment (that is my main comment) But, how do you link this to fb? Maybe you have a tutorial? I’ll have to check it out… thanks!!
Awesome tips! I’m new to the whole blogging thing and I will put some of these tips to use.
Thanks for sharing!
I just wanted to thank you for your great advice. I am a new blogger and this article, as well as your writing prompts, have been really helpful. Thanks for doing a great job and helping newbies like myself!
Thank you for all the tips..I love your blog, and you keep it very interesting. Thank you!
So THAT’S what SEO stands for!!! Nice to know. Really, I didn’t know that before reading this. LOL. Great tips, Kat. I totally agree about the commenting thing. I haven’t been blogging for that long, but I absolutely hate it when people come to my blog and leave a comment like, “new follower here… please follow me back.” Huh? Like, really? At least take the time to READ the post. Le sigh. Comment because you want to, not for traffic. Okay, I’m done. And we just met so… *end rant*
Ok I loved the opening tip–You should make a T-shirt and it should be the mantra of every blogger, tweeter, facebooker and stumbler. Someone mocked me on Twitter once and I had flashbacks to high school gym class.