The Most Important Aspect of This Blog is You
It doesn’t matter if you write a blog about cats that wear sweaters or a blog about finding love, the most important aspect of your blog is your community … your readers.
Without them, you’re blogging for yourself. That’s okay, but I’m guessing most of you want to make an impact or impression on the world with your work.
In case you missed it, on April 1st I thought it might be fun to play an April Fool’s Joke during my introductory post, where I accepted the role as Editor for FuelYourBlogging, and announced that I had not only accepted, but also resigned as Editor in under 24 hours. That was only half-true. I will be stepping up as Editor (with help from Brandon), but I intend on continuing much longer than 24 hours. I’ve also never doubted blogging as my medium, nor have I really felt the urge to quit.
Moving forward, I wanted to provide a more revealing introduction in terms of what I hope to achieve with the FUEL community, by focusing on something that fuels everything I do here.
You.
I want to find out more about you as a blogger, your plans for your blog, and how I can help you reach your goals for your blog.
That said, I’d like to invite you to speak up, introduce yourself, and share your blog with the community … yes, I’m actually encouraging you to link it up in the comments section!
:D
Take 10 Seconds to Introduce Yourself
I’ve been able to connect with over 80 of you in the comments section below some of my previous posts as well as hand fulls on twitter, but let’s create a bit more context between us … and not just between me and you, but the entire community and you.
Use the comments section to introduce yourself.
If you need a starting point, consider answering a few of these questions:
- What do you blog about?
- How long have you been blogging?
- Do you use WordPress, Tumblr, or Blogger?
- What’s your most popular post (link it up!)
A few things I’d like to know about you and your blog as Editor:
- What do you find most challenging about blogging?
- Is there anything about blogging you don’t understand?
- If you could receive a free critique on your blog, what aspect would you want critiqued?
Questions and Suggestions?
Please, please, please don’t hesitate to ask questions or leave suggestions in the comments below as well.
I reply to every comment, but it might take some time due to the amount of comments we’ve gotta go through individually during the moderation process.
Want to Chat and Socialize?
Connect with me on Twitter: @FuelBlogging | @ChristopherR2D2
photo credit: _dChris
Christopher Rice is a publisher, entrepreneur, and abstract artist in Santa Monica. He’s a founder of Wearabl, editor of CreativeBlogger, and creator of Gumball. Friend him up at Twitter | Google+ | Facebook | Pinterest |
Hey Christopher,
I’m Ankit and I blog about Digital & Interactive Marketing Trends. I’ve been blogging for over 2 years now, and this is my 3rd blog. My Blog is based on WordPress, and the most challenging thing about Blogging is coming up with quality content for my readers regularly. My most popular post has been:
http://interaktivebasement.com/2010/10/what-matters-in-social-media-quantity-or-quality/
Cheers,
Ankit
@AnkitBathija
Awesome, Ankit! Thanks for sharing and nice to meet you! In terms of creating content, where do you find most your ideas coming from?
:D
I find most of the ideas coming from latest campaigns and trends across Social Media. How do you come across ideas, Christopher?
Cool.
Not sure where my ideas come from, but I think it has something to do with the willingness to continue to learn. The more I learn, the more my thoughts, feelings, and perceptions evolve; in turn, an idea forms, which couldn’t have formed before the evolution.
Hi, my name is Leena and I blog about cosplay (costume playing), in fact I make tutorials and share them in my blog, but also I recollect tutorials from other people (given them the credit) and share it in my blog too. I use wordpress for this, and my goal is to create a cosplay community of people willing to share their experience.
My most visited post has been: http://cosplaytips.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/patron-chamarra-haruko/
Well, thanks and take care :3
CosplayTips
@cosplaytips
Nice to meet you, Leena. Your blog looks great – and I can see why that post is your most popular … it’s very extensive!
I left a little comment on your blog for you. :)
Hi Christopher,
Nice post and congratulations on the new editing position.
By way of introduction, I’m Tom, a former newspaper journalist and now online writer. I’ve done a couple of posts for Fuel Your Blogging and I find the site useful for getting tips from other writers, particularly on areas I hadn’t even considered before.
Keep up the good work!
Tom
Thanks Tom! Nice to meet you and thanks for reading!
Cheers
Hi Christopher,
I’m Greg, and I set up my blog Orexis Dianoētikē as a place for me to write about philosophical issues, thinkers, and ideas I’m interested in for a general audience — ranging over topics from theory of emotion to political theory to religion to assessment of student learning. I’ve been blogging for about a year, but writing in OD only since last September. I use Blogger, and am fairly happy with it as a platform.
Until last week, by far my most popular post was (with over 500 reads)
http://gbsadler.blogspot.com/2010/11/pleasure-in-student-failure-aristotlean.html
In the last week, it has become (with over 800 reads)
http://gbsadler.blogspot.com/2011/01/is-college-ticket-to-success.html
What I’d like feedback on would be the blog’s design and look, and perhaps whether the writing is accessible enough. My biggest problem is not coming up with new content — I’ve got more topics than I can get to. It’s rather that I’m a busy college professor and have trouble carving out enough time to write my 2-3 entries per week.
Hey Greg – nice to meet you.
The design of your blog looks great. Have you considered publishing shorter entries?
Every blogger has his or her own style and voice, but if it means eliminating a challenge and continuing to publish your ideas and connect with people with your blog, it might be worth trying to change up your style a little.
Take Seth Godin’s blog for example … he manages to compact everything he wants to say into a bite-size posts. This is a great way to position yourself as an accessible blog, get your ideas across, spark conversation faster, and get on with your busy schedule.
Looks like you’re publishing a lot of great content … hope this bit of advice helps you to continue doing so :)
Hi Christopher,
I have been blogging for about 4 years, most of that for work. My personal blog launched one year and a few months ago, and I blog about life choices and their impact on living an inspired life. I use Wordpress. My most popular post right now is http://www.thindifference.com/2010/11/11/develop-a-personal-philosophy-6-questions-to-answer/
I like the critique question. Sometimes I think I would like a sanity check on the content, and other times I think I want to understand how to gain more attention and interaction. A critique which balances both would be ideal.
Thanks for the opportunity. I enjoy the content from your network.
Jon
Hey Jon – thanks for the feedback … I’m working on a few critiques I’m going to be running here at FUEL, so I’ll definitely keep your suggestions in mind.
I’d focus in on your headlines in regard to getting more attention and interaction. Take time to craft solid headlines that grab your readers and compel them to continue reading. For example, the best headline I saw on your front page was this: Are You Taking Risks in Life? Are the Risks the Right Type?
That jumped out at me and I read it a few times. Keep your headlines simple, universal, and compelling.
Keep an eye out for this week’s critique.
Love the design of your blog by the way.
: )
Welcome Christopher.
I started blogging in 2004/2005 and then got serious about it around 2006. I write and edit 4 blogs that are updated at least once a week, altogether I have 50 posts weekly.
2 blogs focus on Marketing, Advertising, Media and Sales. Another one is a personal blog that includes a local site of the day 7 days a week.
And the last blog I started this year is update 5 days a week, ScLoHo’s Social Media Adventure which is a resource for those just getting started in Social Media.
All of them can be accessed from my home page at http://scloho.net
I like and use Blogger although I also have a wordpress blog and a tumblr account.
Best way to find me is on Twitter @ScLoHo
Hey Scott!
50 posts a week??? That’s incredible!
Out of the three platforms you use, which platform do you like best?
Nice to meet you here, Scott
Blogger is my favorite due to familiarity with it, and it’s association with Google helps with search and stability.
I also like the new upcoming changes that they announced at SXSW which will allow more design options.
I use Tumblr.com as a catch all account which gets feeds from my blogs. http://scloho.tumblr.com/
Cool! Yeah, Google has been revamping some of their other services across the net, including feedburner, analytics, and more, so I think we’ll be seeing a lot of good things from Blogger soon.
Digg your use of tumblr … I just found another platform you might be interested in – it’s called chi.mp, and it’s all about helping people create one central hub for all of their activity, interaction, and content online.
Pretty exciting!
Hey Christopher. It’s great to have been able to discover this blog through Twitter.
I have 3 blogs (yeah, crazy huh?) but the most active is at http://www.tiffinbox.org. The idea behind it is to create a community of and for photographers. So, the blog posts are all about photography. The blog has been in existence for 8 years now. Initially the posts were all over the place, but now that I have found my focus, I am much happier. I use the WordPress platform as it is perhaps the most common one out there making all my guest bloggers feel right at home.
Popular posts (and controversial are) all written by guest bloggers:
http://tiffinbox.org/a-photographers-life-is-a-juggling-act/
http://tiffinbox.org/an-open-letter-to-a-local-photographer/
http://tiffinbox.org/the-new-wedding-guest/
Clearly the two most challenging things I have found are: 1) Nurturing relationships with potential guest bloggers 2) Finding the time to write my own posts and uploading it all.
If you could receive a free critique on your blog, what aspect would you want critiqued?
Are you offering? I would love one. I think to be even more effective, I would love to be critiqued on whether I am reaching my target audience and what I could be doing better to do so. So, don’t be bashful. Jump in and critique. I’ll buy you a beer for your thoughts. Thank you!
Hey Seshu,
Thanks for checking it out! I offer free feedback to the community here every week (thinking about making it a regular thing on Fridays). For an example of this feedback in action, check out the last post I did about creating a helpful sidebar:
http://www.fuelyourblogging.com/does-the-sidebar-of-your-blog-help-visitors/
I think the best way to find out whether you’re reaching your target audience is their actions … are they talking about your blog, commenting, rating, or sharing your content? It looks like you’re getting a response from them on Twitter, but your comments are pretty sparse. This may or may not be revealing, as commenting seems to be dipping across a lot of blogs.
Have you tried running a poll, asking your community a specific question, or even asking for their advice?
Are you opening your posts up for discussion as you come to a closing point with each entry? In terms of the blogging niche, I sometimes imagine I’m hanging with everyone in the community in the Automatic lounge at WordPress headquarters … this helps me create a conversational tone because it feels as if we’re just throwing ideas out there and hoping they bounce off someone with ideas of his or her own, you know?
Is there a place you might imagine you and your community hanging out?
Hi Chris,
I’ve been blogging for less than six months and I blog about post-traumatic stress disorder. My biggest problem is convincing myself to just write and let my audience decide if it is worth reading or not. I’m a PhD student and would like to use my blog as an outlet for expressing, in layman’s terms, what I’m learning in my research and my own experience with PTSD.
My most popular post is:
http://www.ramblingsontrauma.com/2010/11/part-1-self-medicate-vs-self-regulate-for-ptsd/
You have already reviewed my blog for the, “What do visitors learn in 10 seconds”, post, so I’m looking for general advice on how to determine what is good content.
I use Wordpress for the blog.
Thanks!
Mark
Hey Mark — I remember your blog!
What you’re doing is awesome, man … your content is extensive, current, and awesome for those looking for it.
It takes time to build a readership around your content, and the old notion that great content will find its audience isn’t always true if you’re depending on search engines to bring you traffic. The best advice I can give off the cuff is to spend a little time researching the keywords your community is using to find information online. You can do this with Google Analytics. Once you find a few keywords people are entering into their search box, you should optimize a piece of content toward that phrase. Brian of Copyblogger talks about this in one of the best breakdowns of SEO here: http://www.copyblogger.com/simple-seo/ … it might be the only one you ever need.
You’ve got good content, you just need to help people find it.
Craft headlines that compel readers to learn more. I’ll be doing another critique post on headlines later this week so stay close.
Thanks! Your insight is much appreciated.
Mark
No prob!
Anytime, MD!
Hello,
My blog is brand new; my first post was on 2nd April, 2011! I`m using it as a place to store all my vintage and handmade fantasies as I am a homeless wanderer. I will also eventually link it to my Etsy shop.
The hardest part is working out all the HTML so I can make it look exactly how I want, because I`m not very technical, so it`s trial and error. And also promoting it, but that`s the fun part!
Your website has already helped me loads; thank-you.
CC
CC
Hey CC!
I’m right there with you in terms of trial and error with html. I’m not very much of a code ninja … more of a code elephant I think :)
Nice to meet you and welcome to the wonderful, quite unpredictable world of blogging.
Hi Christopher!
You know me :) A year ago I started my foodie blog, cooking one meal from every country in the world in alphabetical order. During that time, the blog has morphed and grown in both content, style and photography. But…I want to do more with it now – maybe a book?
My most popular posts are not international, but those that include oreos, twinkies and cheez-it’s…go figure!
http://whatscookinginyourworld.blogspot.com/2011/03/day-1185-homemade-cheez-its-usa.html
Getting feedback from readers all over the world and building that community is what fuels my blogging – plus the creative outlet. My biggest challenge is figuring out how to continue to grow this network. I also think about how to generate revenue with compromising the soul of the blog’s mission.
Thanks for all the thoughtful advice and feedback – you’re the man!
I think a book is definitely up your ally … and I wouldn’t be surprised if certain traditional print persons were keeping an eye on you in light of the incredible things you’re doing at “What’s Cooking in Your World?”
Have you started thinking about what you’re going to do once you finish your amazing journey with What’s Cooking?
I think the best way for you to generate revenue from your work as a foodie blogger, without compromising the soul of your current blog, is to think about the type of revenue you’re actively building … interest.
You can’t buy people’s interest.
If you focus on building your brand as the foodie on a remarkable journey around the world, you’ll have the eyes and ears of your community when you need them most … when you announce what you’re doing next. Whether you want to write a book, start a new blog you plan on monetizing with ads or products, or a combination, your community will give you their time willingly because of what you’ve given them with What’s Cooking.
I’m excited … and I’m not even really in the food community! Let’s talk more about this soon.
Hi Christopher,
I set up my travel blog at the beginning of February and slowly building up readers, mainly through engaging with fellow travellers on Twitter.
As a web developer I initially wanted to build my blog CMS myself but in the end realised its more about what I write than how I created it as this was a travel blog not a developer blog. My CMS choice was WordPress.
Most popular post to date is http://www.mypostcardfrom.com/united-kingdom/what-i-gained-from-tbu11 which ironically wasn’t about a place I’d been but attending a travellers conference in the UK.
I’ve found my stumbling block of how to pick out the little stories within larger trips, they are either too short or I find them boring to read myself.
Being at the conference with fellow bloggers, gave a real insight into blogging and how important it is to engage with people in the same blogging community.
One thing I need to work on is my writing skills and trying to convey a feeling rather than I did this and then this approach.
You are so right, Paul … it’s about the message, not the platform. I think a lot of people tend to get lost in the tech or minutiae of blogging instead of focusing on the content they should be sharing with the world.
Love the simplicity of your blog — very elegant.
I think the key to sharing content is to remember that you have to remove yourself from your content as much as possible. There are people out there that don’t have the ability to travel … or they plan to “someday” … so while you might view a particular story as uninteresting or unworthy, I bet you anything that person interested in traveling would love to hear it, even if it were the most boring story ever told.
This happens a lot in the blogging niche … bloggers tend to ignore the basics because they’ve been at it for a while and prefer writing about more advanced techniques. In reality, the majority of their readers aren’t interested in the advanced stuff yet … they want the basics. Just food for thought here.
Looking forward to seeing more of your content, Paul. :D
Hi Christopher,
I’m glad to hear that was a joke – because I think you’re an awesome blogger with so much potential – I can see you doing great things here!
Glad you’re here to stay! :D
Thanks Kiesha!
Hi Chris,
We met during last Sunday’s #blogchat! I’m @wendypgreene.
I have been writing my blog for about a year now (http://wendypgreene.blogspot.com/). A couple of months ago I decided to create two additonal blogs because my one blog was beginning to feel disjointed – I was writing about too many unrelated topics. So I created my second blog (http://mexico-casi-cielo.blogspot.com/) to write about my love for Mexico. I especially enjoy writing stories about some of the people I have met on my trips and I try to capture the beauty and positive spirit I experience when I’m there. My third blog (http://a-good-connection.blogspot.com/) is where I share my knowledge of communications and social media, and it’s related to what I do for a living. I felt it was important to have a blog dedicated to my line of work in order to position me as an expert in my field. I also continue to blog from my original blog about topics not related to Mexico or communications.
Blogging has been a wonderful experience, because, as an introvert, I naturally tend to “live inside my head,” so getting my thoughts out in written form has been great. I’ve found the whole blogging experience addictive – the more I write, the more I want to write!
So that’s me. Thanks for providing this forum to share!
Wendy
Hey Wendy!
Just connected with you over on Twitter (@CreativeBlogger) — looking forward to hanging with you here and there!
Hi Chris,
We met already in your sidebar polishing post (which was awesome!), but thought I’d pop in again here for a quick intro.
I have been blogging for nearly a year now and it has been a very exciting time figuring out what exactly my goals are and the direction I want to take. My blog, Small Business Bliss, is for small business owners and entrepreneurs. If you’re confused with all that web stuff and how to make it work for you business, my blog is for you. In addition to online marketing, I also cover general topics of interest to small business owners, and of course I sprinkle in doses of inspiration :)
Here is my most popular post from a few weeks ago. http://martinairing.com/blog/the-art-of-not-promoting-yourself-on-twitter/ Super pumped on the response I got on it, so want to keep that momentum going!
One of the most challenging things for me is finding the time to blog with a busy schedule. I also want to continue to grow my community and encourage people to stick around, so a critique around my blog’s ability to do that would be useful for me.
Just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed the interactions you encourage here and your incredibly helpful approach. The value you offer is fantastic and much appreciated. Keep it up!
Thanks Martina!
I remember seeing that post from a friends on Twitter — awesome work. Love your welcome video on your blog! Such a great way to create a connection with your visitors.
Thanks for hanging out! :D
Say Thanks for starting this tread. You mentioned Chi.mp. I apparently signed up for that awhile ago, but never populated it. Guess I’ll set that up now at http://scloho.mp/
Yeah, seems like a pretty cool service that might make it easy for everyone to manage their stuff.
Hi Chris, Fell for your April Fool’s joke – hook, line and sucker. But it did make me look at my own mixed feelings about blogging.
My original plan was to blog as support for my soon to be published book, “Don’t Hang Up!” I set up a website http://www.donthangupbook.com and added a blog. Then my book contract fell through so I decided to continue with the blog, using the same theme as the book: motivational for former professionals (mainly 50+) who, after job/home/status, etc. loss, are at a crossroads in life and need/want to make a new start. A secondary theme is cultural identity as I’m English, part American, part Mexican, lived most of my life in Mexico, and am currently residing in the U.S. http://www.donthangupbook.com/blog and I’m also on Facebook and Twitter.
Currently, I’m learning about social media and all the things I need to do to create new connections and attract more visitors to my blog. It’s going to be a while but I’m in it for the long haul. Thanks for any help you can give me.
That’s awesome, Penelope! I love when people are passionate enough to stay the course, even when their original plan doesn’t quite work out.
Glad to have you here!
:D
Hi Chris,
Just found this post while googling around for ways I can start to increase traffic to my blog! I write http://www.fromchinavillage.com and I’m really trying to figure out how to get more readers who aren’t related to me! Ha!
Found this site super helpful, but would also appreciate any comments you might have on my site!
I think the biggest problem I have is figuring out what niche I actually belong in? I read a lot of design blogs and a lot of food blogs, but I think I might be a lifestyle blogger. If I could figure out where I belong I might feel more confident trying to make friends with others!
Thanks a mil,
Emily
Hi,
I am probably doing this quite a bit later than your other posters but I feel that it’s never too late to make an introduction.
I’ve been blogging about dogs since 2009. I started blogging because of a class I was taking and use the blogger platform.
My most popular post is 20 dogs That Make Great Running Companions.
Probably the biggest challenge is writing consistently. I go to school part-time and work irregular part-time hours. I try to let my readers know if I am going to be away for awhile though.
I wish you the best of luck in your new position.
Elena
I Want to meet you sir!
I see this was posted in April so I am a bit late but wanted the chance to say hello. I am not new to the blogging, but I am new to blogging for a target audience. My blog, Nifty Things for the Thrifty Mom came about just after my son was born. I wanted to create a place for the everyday, working or stay at home, mom to go for low cost solutions, activities and ways to learn and grow with your baby. My blog has been rising up but I feel rather stuck sometimes. I can’t figure out HOW to reach more moms not for numbers but i feel like i want to make a difference – i do realize there are millions of mom blogs out there. I post my link and a little about myself on other forums and such. I find it difficult sometimes to post regularly because I run out of things to blog. Sometimes there is only so much to say about my little one without being repetitive. My most popular post was a post about making a pacifier into a teether with style and cheap http://pluspeace.blogspot.com/2010/08/whose-binky-is-whose.html
suggestions and critique are totally welcome – please?
Thanks!
But the trick is, as you veteran bloggers know, that you dont have to be blunt about it. The worst thing I ever done – yep, I feel embarrased about it – is to say something like: “Hey, buy my book!” Good lord! at least this – me – jerk – knows he’s a bore…. (ya