I truly think that the best resource for blogging information is other bloggers. Makes sense right? Who else knows as much about the time, dedication, and skill that are needed to create a popular blog?
For this post, I want to start a blogging conversation. I want your opinions about what bloggers can do to make a better blog. I’m not doing a survey because I hope that everyone will join the conversation in the comments.
I’m asking some questions below, which you can answer, or you can simply add your best tip, advice, or even ask a question, which I or other bloggers can answer. Links are encouraged, either to your own blog if you’re especially proud of something that you’ve written, or to another blog that fits with the question that you’re answering.
And if you’re interested, my answers are below.
So here we go. Let’s start a blogging conversation.
1. Say I’m reading your blog. I notice a typo or other error. What do you want me to do about it?
a. Ignore it. I don’t care if I have a typo or two.
b. Tell me in the comments. I want to fix it right away!
c. Message me. I’d rather hear privately.
I’ve told you before that typos bother me, but I know they’re inevitable, even with the most scrupulous proofreading. My thought is that you would want to know, but I don’t want you to think I’m a bitch just being mean.
2. Are you interested in joining a Blog Review Linkup?
Interested bloggers could link up their blog for review by other bloggers. Positive feedback will be strongly encouraged, but honesty would be key.
3. What is your most effective form of social media?
We’re talking effective here, not necessarily your favorite. What social media source brings the most traffic to your blog? How have you improved your use of that source? Would you be interested in writing a guest post about it?
4. What is your favorite blogging resource?
Is it another blog? A book? Or even a go-to person that you can ask honest questions?
5. Think about your favorite blog. What is it that keeps you coming back?
What does that blogger have that makes you love them? It’s probably a combination of things, what are they?
6. If you were to go to a blogging conference, what would you like to see on the agenda?
What are the most important topics to you?
7. Turning that question a little, what is the best thing that you have learned at a blogging conference?
Because other people might want to add it to their wish list.
8. What is one tip that you’d give to a new blogger?
I’ve written about it before, but I’d love to hear your thoughts.
9. If you could pick just one thing, what would you like to do better on your blog?
I know you guys! You’ve already thought of 10 things! Now narrow it down to one. Good job.
10. Your question, tip, or answer.
Keep the blogging conversation going. Let’s hear your best tip, the question that you need answered, or your reply to someone else’s question or comments.
Here are my Answers
- Yes! Tell me. Please. Thanks to readers I have known when my share buttons were blocking text on mobile view, when some of my video ads were obnoxiously loud, and other mistakes. Keep it up and thank you. Oh, in the comments is fine.
- Well yes, that’s why I suggested it.
- Amazingly it’s Facebook, which is my least favorite way to share my blog posts. Pinterest is a close second though, and probably will soon be the number one referrer.
- I wish I had time to read a book! I have a few blogs that I get tons of information from.
- I love bloggers who are honest and provide me with useful information.
- I think that SEO is one topic that, while it doesn’t sound all that interesting, is vital to the growth of my blog.
- So far I have learned that meeting other bloggers it the best part of blogging conferences. I have also learned some social media tips that I continue to use.
- Be prepared for the amount of time that blogging takes.
- Right now I know that I need to spend some time doing some Blogkeeping. Some of my pages need some work, I want to make a few theme tweaks, etc. Finding the time to to that has been a challenge (see answer 8).
- And now it’s your turn! Carry on…
I want to wish all my US readers a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy the holiday and the long weekend. I plan to do so too, so I’ll see you next Monday!
My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!
Sunday Blog Hop with Jenn
Meatless Monday with Tina and Deborah
Meatless Monday with Annmarie
Inspire Me Monday with Janice
Anything Goes with Marilyn
Bonnie, the Pin Junkie
Tip Tuesday with Debbie in Shape
Wild Workout Wednesday with Annmarie, Michelle, Sarah, and Angelena Marie
Wednesday Wisdom with Nanna’s Wisdom
The Blog Booster Party with Kathleen
Friday Fitness with Jill
These are also just great questions to ask yourself and evaluate what you’re doing as a blogger! Which might be my advice – don’t be afraid to step back, take a breath, and evaluate where you are and what’s important to you in your messaging.
Great tip. I think we can get caught up in blogging just to blog. It would be good take the time to remember our goals and why we started blogging in the first place.
# 3- FACEBOOK! Facebook is the most powerful tool in my arsenal, that’s for sure! It’s so interactive and there are just SO MANY different places you can share your content and discover new content. FB groups are magical! Google has communities that are pretty good as well, but I find them to be slightly spammy!
I do love Facebook groups. They have been really helpful to my blog’s growth. I should do more with my own page though.
My most effective social media is Instagram – I love the fact that through Instagram you can connect with so many, especially those outside the blogging world.
Tip for a new blogger – be enthusiastic but also realistic – it takes a lot of hard work, time and dedication – more than they may realise! And always be yourself.
Do you get a lot of traffic from Instagram? I get very little. What do you do to bring then to your blog?
My biggest source is from Pinterest. And it’s not from recipes that I post. SEO is also foreign to me. I use the plug in for it but all I know is that I want each post green. Other than that….
Me too with the green light, though I did learn a little bit at Blogfest. I need more though.
Love this! Such great questions. I cringe about the typos because I know that there’s pretty much always a typo in my post. I would like to know if you leave me a note in the comments I’ll fix it! Most effective social media – Pinterest hands down. It’s made such a huge difference since I started to focus on it more. Best blogging resource? Any of the courses at Blog Clarity. So good. My advice to new bloggers is to maintain perspective and take a step back when you need it. No one is telling you that you NEED to post x times a week.
I never notice any typos in your work, but that could be because I get caught up in your writing 🙂
Thanks for the tip about Blog Clarify. I want to check them out.
#5 – What keeps me coming back to blogs is honesty & feeling a connection with the blogger. I don’t want to feel like I am reading an article from a online newspaper…I need that connection!
I like a personal touch too, even when it’s a workout post or recipe.
Thought provoking article, got my brain a spinning so thank you 🙂 As a fairly new blogger I feel like a total sponge and just soak up articles like this. Interesting first point, I had a ‘blogging expert’ contact me to pitch some business on how she could help me grow my blog and when I visited her blog there was a big typo – dilemma, should I say anything, or would I come off as a total @#$#
That’s so funny! Not very good for business when the first thing a potential client sees is a glaring mistake. That’s why I’m super careful when I write a post like this 🙂
1. B or C! Typos bother me as well, and I’ll sometimes come across em’ when I’m looking over a post after I’ve already published em’, but I want to be able to fix em’!
2. Potentially! I just have a super crazy schedule right now, so I don’t know if I’d be able to devote as much time to it as I’d want to.
3. Facebook groups, but not my actual facebook page (I made it a billion years after having my blog around, hah), so if that doesn’t count–Twitter! I schedule out tweets to share others’ posts when I have pockets of spare time.
4. Not sure that I have one!
5. Their personality! It shines through in their blog and I honestly feel like they’re a friend, so reading their blog is like catching up on life with them!
6. SEO would probably be a good one.
7. I’ve never been to one. :[
8. Be yourself, and don’t fall into the trap of comparing your blog to everyone else’s. Responding to comments is also nice. :] And please no captcha or popups or video ads that don’t let you click anywhere else.
9. I need to eventually work on getting more engagement, but at the moment, with said crazy schedule, it’s been on the backburner!
Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving! <3
I don’t think a blog review would take a whole lot of time. I haven’t figured out the logistics yet, but I’d think that those who participated would commit to reviewing two blogs.
I do well with Facebook groups too, but rarely spend time on my page. I should engage more, but, you know, time.
I hate typos! When I find them on my own blog, I go back and edit them immediately; however, I never knew what to do to help out my fellow bloggers. Thanks for this great post!
Thank you for adding to the conversation! I hope that people will tell me about mistakes because I hate them too. I’ve even gone back and fixed typos on really old posts if I come across them.
Such a cool idea!
Here are my answers:
1. B
2. Yes!
3. I would say Instagram or Twitter!
4. My blogging planner and connecting with other bloggers 🙂 🙂
5. A blogger’s unique personality and POV
6. Yes! And I would love to go to a panel about social media usage and how to use it more effectively!
7. Ive never been to one.
8. Consistency!
9. I would like to explore my site more and explore post ideas!
10. Invest in a good camera 🙂
xx Isabel
Classic and Crippled
I got a good cameras a few years ago and I still take most of my pictures with my phone. It’s just so convenient. I’ll let everyone know when I get the blog review link up going.
Hmm…a typo? I would definitely want you to privately message me. But I want to know. As far as my number 1 tip for new bloggers, I want them to know that it is a lot of work. And not just writing your posts. Reaching out to brands, developing relationships and interacting with others. All that takes time and in the end it is so worth it!
I think that many new bloggers are shocked when they learn how much time blogging actually takes.
1- C
2- Yes
3- I’m just starting – at the moment Facebook Groups would be my answer – followed by my Pinterest board
4- I research – books and online.
5- Consistent content. When I go to a blog and it is off topic I usually stop going to it.
6- How to find my niche.
7- N/A
8- Learn the terms and how to obtain what you want, plan it out before you launch.
9- Put more energy into my pics
10- Why do some people put no dates on their site? Do they think it is an advantage? This site has no date so I don’t know if it is even monitored anymore.
Well, I’ll address #10 first. Yes, it’s still monitored, this post was actually published today. I imagined that people don’t do dates for a variety of reasons. I believe that since a lot of my content remains fresh and informative, to put a date on it makes it seem less pertinent. But that’s just me. Thanks for joining the conversation.
Dates – I only put month and day on my blog posts. Since doing that, my older evergreen posts have had far more views, likes and shares! The moment someone sees “2010” on a post, they think it’s irrelevant. I try to go through my old posts regularly and keep them up to date.
I definitely like to see a blogger’s personality shine through, yet still provide helpful information. Facebook and Pinterest are my biggest social media referrals. Be proactive about building your email list and keep trying different things until you find what works. Keeping your end goal in sight helps bring direction in the daily writing. #BlogBooster
Blogs that I keep coming back to? They either have a great sense of humor, they write (and therefore sound in my head) like real people I can relate to, they have great suggestions of things to try, and are writing about things I’m interested in. So, uh, basically the basics xD But in all honesty, it comes down to the writing style. If I can feel like someone is enjoying what they’re talking about and are having a good time, it shows, and that’s what I would much rather read. Also being open and honest – if something didn’t work out right, and you share about that, I appreciate that so much more than just hearing how things went well!
Facebook groups are such a valuable resource for me and have helped my various social media channels and in turn my blog to grow. I’m expecting my Pinterest to eventually be my number one referrer to my blog but it is currently still in its infancy stage.
I SO appreciate it when people send me an email or a text if they notice a typo on my site. That kind of thing doesn’t happen often, but I’d much rather know about it when it does!
My favorite blogging resource is the Elite Blog Academy 🙂 Totally revolutionized my blog. And Pinterest is definitely the most effective social media platform I’ve used.
Love the idea of a blog review linkup! Yes please 🙂
I definitely want to know if there are typos. I hate typos too!! I would definitely be interested in a peer review!
This is really an interesting article, in fact reading other bloggers views in comments is more fun! Pinterest is wonderful as well as Yoast. their new update is good. My recent blog post is filled with many tips & tricks related to it. I hope you enjoyed that already. Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend.
I found myself just asking myself these questions because they are relevant to me in the beginning stages of my blog. I have yet to attend a blogging conference but I’d definitely love to keep learning about new traffic sources and growing an email list.
That’s a lot of questions. I’m a 2-month-old blogger so I’m still a little overwhelmed with everything I want to do but don’t have time to do because I work full time. Stumble upon has surprised me and brought me the most traffic the last couple days! I can’t believe how many social outlets there are with blogging!
http://funfamliving.com/taste-a-like-dominoes-bread-bowls/
I spend a lot of time on Facebook and Facebook groups but Pinterest is my number one referrer. I would also love it if they would email me about typos and stuff but I never hear anything but I know there has got to be some there
I have mixed feelings on the typo thing.. I usually would like to know if I have a typeo, but it really depends on how someone brings it up, haha..
Typos – I’m pretty careful about my writing (and I’ve done copy editing for years), so typos are rare. However, when they happen, I want to know. Message me privately or reply in comments – either is fine.
Reviews – I’ve got into trouble with review exchanges in the past. Apparently I’m a little too heavy on the honesty. I am willing, and I’m able to take criticism, but I am probably not the best participant!
Social Media – Facebook. Hands down, my most effective is Facebook. I am thinking of writing about it, but that is absolutely not my blogging niche, so it would need to be a guest post.
Blogging resource – My goodness, I’m not sure I have one, other than the internet. I read, read, read, read. I pay attention to what the big bloggers are doing, look at what struggling bloggers are doing, compare them, and read, read, read. Then I test and read some more!
Favourite blog – Again, I’m not sure that I have a favourite. I like this blog, and Mostly Blogging, but I read many. For me, solid information is the number one draw. If I’m looking for entertainment and time-killing, I just scroll my Facebook feed for something interesting that catches my eye. Foul language and terrible writing are an immediate turn-off. Most blogs have terrible designs, to be honest, so I do my best to ignore the design and focus on the information. (See what I said – too heavy on the honesty)
Conference – SEO, creating evergreen content, building quality backlinks, decreasing pageload time, creating lead magnets. I’ve never actually been to one, though. I’m a mom with four little children!
Improving my blog – I need more “upgrades” – lead magnets, downloadables personalized for each post that give more value.
Tip – My biggest one would be to optimize your graphics. I’m shocked at how many blogs I see that don’t even have a good Pinterest graphic. How am I supposed to share your post on Pinterest and Facebook and Twitter if you don’t graphics that work? I’ve tested it over and over, with my posts and other people’s posts – a properly sized graphic gets FAR more clicks and shares.