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| we heart it |
TGFI! Is all I can say. This week seems to have been sooooo long. Anyone else feel like that too? Hope your weeks haven’t been too long or arduous.
This week’s Friend Friday topic comes courtesy of Linda from The Auspicious Life who suggested we do a Friend Friday on the topic of reader connectedness. As Katy said, Sounds like a great topic to me, especially since it is that ability to connect with readers that will bring them back week after week, day after day.
1. How important do you think reader connectedness is to the success of your blog?
I think that while many of profess that we would still enjoy writing our blogs even if no one was reading them, in reality, knowing that there are people out there who are reading them – and commenting – makes the whole process so much more worth it. I think that having an engaged readership encourages better content and therefore a continued success. But I would like to add a caveat, I know of at least one blogger who has received negative feedback for the changing style and content of her blog but that she has stood strong and gone with what she feels is best. It can be difficult to stick your ground when faced with such negativity but you have to really believe in what you’re doing to make it a success and if you lose a reader or two along then, so be it. I think.
2. What do you do to draw readers in and create that writer-reader bond?
This is something that I am still working on. I try to get my blog out there as much as possible – getting involved in Friend Friday and IFB. I then try to create conversation by asking my readers questions at the end of each post that I hope will encourage comments and responses. I am also working on trying to be more responsive to the comments that I get so that a comment from a reader is not the end of the conversation but maybe the beginning.
3. What is one way you could improve this connection?
As I said in response to the previous question, I am trying to reply to comments more often. I am also always keen to find new ways to engage and connect. Will be interest to read the responses of others to these questions this week to see how I can improve more.
4. Is there a blogger you think does a great job creating that writer-reader bond? Why?
There are a fair few bloggers on my reading list that are doing a great job in creating a meaningful writer-reader bond and that is why they are there. I am always impressed and in awe of those bloggers who have 50+ comments on each of their posts (e.g. Grit and Glamour) and yet still take the time to respond to each one, to visit each blog and to comment back. That is commitment and it makes me, for one, want to reciprocate that commitment because I know the amount of time that has to go into that.
5. What do you do to cultivate new readers? How do you get them to your site in the first place?
Again, as in my answer to question 2, I try to put my blog out there as much as possible. IFB’s Links a la Mode has been a wonderful way for me to gain new readers over the past year and now Friend Friday is doing the same. It is also important not to just expect people to come and read your blog, I am constantly looking for new blogs to read and comment on.
As always, remember to check out the other responses to these questions and to join in the conversation by visiting Katy's blog, Modly Chic. You can find out how to get involved in the Frien Friday discussions each week here.
POSTSCRIPT: It is strange how often the Friend Friday themes seem to be oh-so-relevant as posts pop up in the weeks following related to one of our discussions. There are two this week that I would particularly like to draw your attention to.
The first is the plight of a new member of the Friend Friday group - Jill of Street Style London: Jill recently discovered that a blogger for Elle Spain had not only used photographs from her blog without her permission but had also failed to credit her and to add insult to injury, had passed them off as her own!! You will remember the Friend Friday topic re Blogger Copying? If you feel as strongly about this as I do, go and read Jill's story in her own words here and here and leave a comment to show your support.
The second post that caught my eye this week was From Gem With Love's post - which you can read here - and which seems so completely in tune with a Friend Friday topic of a few weeks ago: Blogger Self Promotion. Gem's main point of contention - which echoed again and again in the Friend Friday posts - is those bloggers who leave a one line comment with no reference to the post and just asks for you to follow them or to enter their giveaway or whatever. Go read her post - she says it far better than I could - and show your support.
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