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I read a good bit of articles on blogging and twitter before I began back in February. I had tried blogging twice before and didn't really like it. I never knew what to write or why but this time I came at it with a focus. I developed a system. I wanted to publish my short fiction to introduce myself to the readers of the world and discuss writing to connect with the online writing community.
I'm coming up on the two month mark of the blog and one week on Twitter. I've gained 45 followers on blogger and 56 on twitter. I'm able to point possible producers and publishers to both this and my website for samples of my work. I've made a few friends and found some new writers to follow and have learned a good bit about the craft and business side of writing.
Ultimately, I hope to increase my readership and that's in its beginning stages. I will only gain a true readership when I deserve one, when I'm able to consistently put out material worthy of anticipation. I'm working hard at it and I believe one day that will happen.
Until that day arrives, I'm pretty content with all the little extra perks that have come from blogging and twitter. The side benefits have been an increased productivity in producing short fiction, a new support system, bettering my craft and having fun. I never thought I would read so many cool blogs or get so much good advice.
To me, even if you don't get four thousand followers in your first week, blogging and engaging the reading/writing community are absolutely worth the effort.
Any other opinions out there fellow bloggers and readers of blogs?
I know, I see these people with five hundred followers and I wonder how it happened in a year's time. Crazy.
ReplyDeleteMost of my followers came from the A to Z challenge (which you totally should have done since you post every day anyway). I've noticed some people in the challenge went out and followed EVERYONE who signed up and in return have picked up 100 plus followers. But are they really followers? I still don't see a lot of comments on those people's blogs.
They (don't know who "they" is) say you need to start blogging three years before a project is due to be published, because it takes that long to build a following. Kind of makes sense. It's a slow build.
Comment long enough for you?
L.G.
ReplyDeleteI'm always hesitant about blog challenges (always being strong since I really just started in Feb). When I first started I wanted tons of followers, who doesn't, but now I just want readers whether they follow or not. I'll take five readers over 100 followers any day. That being said, I am jealous of your 85 followers!
I think you're doing well for just having started. It's important to engage folks and try to connect with them. Blogfests are great for getting numbers up and meeting new friends.
ReplyDeleteThe writing community on the blogs is very generous. So, I've found.
I've been on Twitter 2 years. They make it so much easier now than when I started. Talk to people. Look at #amwriting to connect with other writers. Most folks talk back.
Retweet people. It increases your visibility. Be social [but professional at the same time]. Don't just try to sell. That falls on deaf ears.
Blogs take time to build. The secret is to stick with it and stick to a schedule. When not in a blogfest, I post 3x a week.
I enjoy you. Others will find you and feel the same way. :)
You are doing it right. It takes time to build up a readership. Just like in submitting stories, persistence is the key. There are signs you can look for that your getting the readership you are looking for. (Increase in comments by people you don't know, for instance).
ReplyDeleteFollowers on blogspot will always underreport your readership. It isn't counting people who read via your RSS feed, for instance--like me. Add your feed link to Feedburner and you'll get some additional stats there. If you're not sure how, send me an email and I'll walk you through it.
I think the key for me has been consistency (over 4,000 posts since 2006) and stuff of topic interest to the readers I am targeting (the science fiction world). Knowing a few people doesn't hurt either. ;-) Aim for consistency--something you're already doing--and be patient. It takes a while for these things to get rolling, but once they do, you'll see it snowball.
Thanks guys! I'm working my way up to it! :)
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm # 46.
ReplyDelete:)
I found you from Mary's blog. She's a great blogging friend, and I've found so many great ones in the blogosphere. Hope you find the experience well worth it!
I've found that most of my readers are also bloggers. I suppose it's just a culture - people who write blogs also like to read blogs. At first, I was a bit frustrated that not all of my friends thought my blog was the best thing ever or even ever read it, but I finally realized that not everyone likes reading blogs, so I forgave them. I've met a few good friends through blogging and do find most of the blogs I read through other people's blog lists.
ReplyDeleteI did get a job interview for a copywriting job based almost completely on my blog, which I mentioned in the cover letter. Of course, I didn't get the job, but at least I got a foot in the door!
As for Twitter, I get tons of random followers and it's an excellent way to make contact with people or organizations that you might normally not be able to access. Weird as it sounds, there's some really good exposure opportunities on Twitter, particularly if you can provide some interesting, original content, in addition to retweets and links.
I would agree absolutely. I think a good portion of my readers thus far are bloggers as well. There's a lot to be said for that. Blogging's been a wonderful experience and it's nice to feel like you're not typing into the void. As an emerging writer, it's easy to feel as if you're work will never be seen, seeing my page views increase every day let's me know that that's not true.
ReplyDelete