Some of those bloggers have reciprocated by visiting your blogs. Some of their commenters have noticed you and your link and visited your blog. Now what?
Now that people are starting to comment on your blog, you must do two things.
One: Answer them. If they make a comment, comment back, right there on your blog in the Comments section. If they ask a question, answer it, right there on your blog in the Comments section. Your blog should not be static. It should be active, a give and take -- it should be Social Networking. That means you have to check your blog off and on during the day.
Two: Visit them. It’d be great if they left you a link in the comment box. But if they didn’t, take the time to find them. Click their name. It’ll take you to information about them. Scroll through that information and find the link to their blog (it may be easy to find - or it may be hidden among things like My Favorite Books or My Favorite Stupid Things I Say While I’m Sleeping or My Favorite Whatever). Some people (like me) have one blog. Some people have ten blogs. Unless one of them clearly is the one you want to visit because its title is a subject you’re interested in, choose the first one on the list.
Don’t just go, read the latest post, and disappear. Make a comment (see Day 2 of this series). Two words -- Social and Networking.
Tomorrow, Part 4 in Social Networking
Helen your advice is really just common courtesy brought to the internet. I had been feeling like maybe I shouldn't comment on blogs I don't know the people even though I read them. For two days I've been implementing your policy and already I had two people reciprocate! I'm so excited!! Your advice really works.
ReplyDeleteOoops ... then I forgot to put my link. Slow learner...
ReplyDeletehttp://thoughtsfrombotswana.blogspot.com
Yay, Lauri. And thanks for coming back to leave your URL. It makes it so much easier to find you.
ReplyDeleteWell said, couldn't have said it any better myself, so no comment. Except to leave a comment. (smile)
ReplyDeleteMarvin D Wilson, AT- (another big smile)
http://tiedyedtirades.blogspot.com/
Hi Marvin, I like that you left the link to your other - newer - blog. That's a nice shift.
ReplyDeleteHello Mike. Thanks for leaving your link.
ReplyDeleteAnother commenting tip: I know a lot of you host authors on your blog or you do Q&As with fellow bloggers. You may have a canned request you send out to people to ask them to appear. And that's fine. But when you email it, or post it on their blog, personalize it.
For example, Mike could have said Hello Helen (instead of just Hello) - my name is clearly at the top of my blog in the profile. And instead of saying "Your blog has been..." he could have said "Straight From Hel..." That too is easy to find.
I'm not saying it was a canned bot-driven comment - I haven't popped over to the site to check it out. I just thought I'd point out how bloggers can prepare a request to send to fellow bloggers, but then take the prepared invite and make it a little personal.
And thanks for the invite, Mike. I'll check it out.
Love this series. Linked to you in my post today on Kickin' Your Blog Up A Notch.
ReplyDeleteI did the bloginterviewer thingy last night, and it didn't even hurt. :)
http://angie-ledbetter.blogspot.com/
You advice always makes such sense. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJane Kennedy Sutton
http://janekennedysutton.blogspot.com/
Thank you, Angie. I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone hasn't read it, pop over. You can eat your grits while you vote for her blog as The Blog of the Month.
Thank you, Jane.
ReplyDeleteAs long as everyone's zipping around, drop by Jane's blog, too. She's giving you ten terrific sites to help with writer's block.
Helen, your advice makes a ton of sense. People have commented on my blog, and I generally haven't responded. That isn't intentional rudeness, as I do visit their blogs. But consider me corrected as of today.
ReplyDeleteBob
http://bobsanchez1.blogspot.com
Helen,
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to part four of your social networking series. This is great stuff! Thanks.
Lynnette Labelle
http://lynnettelabelle.blogspot.com
when I first started looking for book blogs it was really hard to find them. Once I was hooked in it was obvious there were endless possibilities. |:)
ReplyDeleteSpot on, Helen!
ReplyDeleteGonna go Tweet this now...
L. Diane Wolfe
www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
www.spunkonastick.net
www.thecircleoffriends.net
The only problem I have is my blog network is becoming large enough I can't visit all of 'em every day. I'm actually way behind on my visitations (heh...I sound like a ghost with a social schedule), but I agree with everything you said!
ReplyDeleteHelen, I can't imagine having ten blogs! lolol! You have some very good suggestions here.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is, many read blogs like magazines, read and move on. It's good to have readers and any of us that blog regularly, usually have site meters or stat visits built into our blog, so we know people are visiting but commenting... I have a list of blogs I read regularly. Not every day but I do try to get by at least 3X a week and leave a comment. Takes time, but I've met many wonderful people and read some fabulous content.
I like this series and I have a few I want to pass it on to.
Thanks for the info!
Blogger is eating my comments today. Here and on other blogs. Grr.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, let me say (again), thank you Bob, Lynette, Hagelrat, Diane, Dana, & Sia, for stopping by and adding your wisdom to the pot.
Dana, I like your ghostly comment.
I sometimes get frustrated when a commenter doesn't include a blog address with the signature, then I go to the profile and there are zillions, and the beginning ones are group ones. I do prefer to answer posts by the person who comments on mine, but I don't always have enough time to hunt around for a recent post.
ReplyDeleteMorgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
Do you know, when I first started blogging several years back, I was told it was in bad taste to piggyback on the comments section of your own posts because it looked like you were desperately padding the number of comments! I can't help it, though, I just feel like if nothing else, when someone takes the time to tip their hat and wish you good morrow, it's only fittin' and proper to curtsy and wish them the same!
ReplyDeleteHelen,
ReplyDeleteThis is excellent advice. I get frustrated when bloggers don't respond to comments. I respond to every comment, and sometimes commenters mention they are surprised because most bloggers don't. In my experience, most bloggers do respond, and I'm disappointed when someone doesn't.
However, I wish everyone had "subscribe to comments." That may not be available on Blogger, and I sometimes miss the blogger's reply to my comment. I leave a lot of comments every day and don't keep track of them. Even when I make a note of a particular comment I want to see the reply to, it's a nuisance to have to keep going back to the blog checking to see if there has been a response yet. The WordPress blogs that have "subscribe to comments" for each post makes it easy to know when the blogger has responded.
Guess I'm beginning to sound like an advertisement for WordPress. :-) But it has so many features that Blogger doesn't have that make it much more user-friendly.
Leaving a comment. Hi!
ReplyDeleteI'm loving all your posts on social networking with blogs. I do try to reply to everyone's comments on my blog, but I'll be the first to admit I'm horrible with consistency.
I am one of the ones that does not leave a link in the body of my comments. I only have one blog, I honestly prefer clicking on the persons name and reading their profile before heading over to their blog or website.
Maybe I'm one of the odd ones out. :)
Once again, great advice which should be followed. I often don't know what to say, but just a quick "great post" or something along those lines usually does the trick.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!
Joan De La Haye
http://joandelahaye.wordpress.com/
This is a nice series of articles. I gladly await the next part. Common sense, but so easy to forget, especially when time is a commodity.
ReplyDeleteR.G. Male
http://rgmale.blogspot.com/
Hello Helen,
ReplyDeleteI never thought of commenting on a comment. Thanks for the advice.
Maggie Bishop
http://damesofdialogue.tripod.com/damesofdialogueblog