More blogging advice…

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

(c) Heather Ivester

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/.