articles and blogs Archives - Tricia Goyer

Here is the first travel story contest entry, it’s from Martha Rodgers.

Enjoy!

And, don’t forget to leave your comments…the prizes will be awarded according to the amount of gab generated by each story!

Oh, Tricia, I have a funny story that happened at the San Jose, CA airport on our way home from Mount Hermon (a writer’s conference). I was traveling with DiAnn Mills and Kathleen Y’Barbo.

When we checked our bags, the ticket man said my bag was only a 1 lb below the limit, and he had a difficult time getting it checked. We laughed about it and I went on to security. Well, I got flagged and the handlers started pulling everything out of my carry on satchel. Way down in the bottom of an inside pocket they found a small Swiss knife.

I had completely forgotten about and had left it there instead of the big suitcase. The guard saw my initials on it and knew it was special. He called over the manager and the security manager walked me back to check in. The clerk recognized me and when the manager asked if he could put my knife in my checked bag, he just grinned and said “Sure, I know right where it is.”

I headed back through security and joined DiAnn and Kathleen to wait for our flight. About 10 minutes before the flight we decided to move closer to the gate. Clumsy me tripped on the edge of a mat and went down on all fours. I hurt my hand, but brushed it off and got up to follow my friends.

Well, before we boarded the plane, my fingers really swelled and hurt. I asked the flight attendant for some ice to put on them. She asked me how it happened and when I told her, she quickly showed me to my seat and then hurried away. Another attendant gave me the ice pack. A few minutes later, an airlines employee showed up with a clipboard. Yes, the same baggage clerk. He saw me and shook his head. Anyway, he had a bunch of questions for me about the fall. He had to fill out an accident report. He was very kind and very concerned about my fingers which were now quite swollen. He told me to be sure to check in with the Continental desk if there was any more pain or other injuries to my knees.

I was fine when we got back to Houston and went on home. Later I sent an email to Continental telling them how wonderful the young man had been. Later I wondered if they were worried that a 67 year old woman was going to sue them. 🙂 Needless to say, Kathleen and DiAnn had a good laugh and Kathleen threatened to put it in one of her books.

Thanks Martha!

And…Don’t forget to check out today’s stops on the A Valley of Betrayal Blog Tour!

http://michelleswritingspace.blogspot.com
http://mountainbreezewriter.blogspot.com

Well, just when you thought you were sick of hearing about blogging, I got this great information from Heather Ivestor from Mom2momconnection.com. So, of course, I thought I’d share!

Six Tips for Building a Savvy Blog Readership

If you’re starting a new blog, you’re probably wondering how to build up a readership. That’s the whole point, right? You want to build up an audience with people you connect with.

The great thing about building up a readership is that people will start linking back to you. Search engines love this. When you’ve got a lot of links back to your blog, you’ll be ranked higher in the search engines.

This means when people are surfing for information on topics you blog about, the chances are higher they’ll surf on into your blog. That’s why the blogosphere is all about community.

You can’t expect much, though, if you aren’t willing to give a little — by contributing your time and energy to help others in your blogging community. The good news is that helping out is fun — and will help you discover your niche in the blogging world.

Here are a couple of good articles that explain how to build up a readership:

This post explains all about Technorati, and what you can do to make Technorati work for you:
http://scribbit.blogspot.com/2006/12/blogging-101-ten-technorati-tips.html

This site, Blogging Basics 101, is full of information for new bloggers, and even seasoned bloggers who have more advanced questions. The authors focus on Blogger and Typepad blogging specifics:
http://www.bloggingbasics101.com/

I’ve been blogging for about a year and a half, and I’ve enjoyed surrounding myself with a community of like-minded people. I’ve developed friendships all over the world — and it’s an easy way for me to network with people in my profession without ever having to leave my home.

Here are my top six tips for building a savvy blog readership:

1) Write interesting content that people WANT to share with their readers. They should link back to you if they quote you directly.

2) Leave thoughtful comments on other people’s blogs. This is fun and a great way to find other people writing about the same interests you have.

3) Participate in blog carnivals, or other gatherings of bloggers. If you want to build up a readership fast, then sponsor your own carnival or contest and promote it — so people will come to your site and link back to it.

4) Join blogrings and promote them on your site. This is a great way to discover blogs where you can visit and leave comments.

5) Offer to host a blog tour for an author on book tour or some other type of activity that’s going on. You can end up with free products this way in exchange for your time and blogging efforts.

6) Post frequently, or at least consistently (such as twice a week, on certain days). Then your readers will know when to expect new posts from you.

Some bloggers consider it a breach of blogging etiquette (netiquette?) if you ask directly to be linked back to them.

But it’s definitely OK to let someone know (by email or comment) that you’ve written something on your blog they might be interested in. For example, if you review a book, it’s a great idea to contact the publisher or the author and let them know. They may even link back to you, which is a nice way to reciprocate.

Gratitude and thoughtfulness go a long way in the blogosphere. Happy blogging!

Heather Ivester is a columnist and author who blogs at Mom 2 Mom Connection,
http://www.mom2momconnection.com/.

Stories for buttons travel contest…

More blogging advice…