It’s an honour to be guest-posting here today, for the annual April A to Z Blogging Challenge.! Thank you Shailaja and Blog-A-Rhythm for the opportunity!
The criteria is to write about anything blog-related. What’s more important to successful blogging than engagement?
One of the best ways to facilitate this is by joining one or more blogging communities, like our very own B-A-R. Not only do members support and promote each other, many of them also form lasting friendships.
Picture credit: http://blogospherenews.com/blog/
Another major aspect of blogging engagement is commenting. This doesn’t mean slapdash remarks like “great post” or “good info” See it from the writer’s perspective. You just published a brilliant piece and all you get are generic platitudes. No better than spam, yes? It’s also good form to reply to comments received, as much as possible. Nobody likes to be ignored.
The Blogosphere thrives on post sharing. Unfortunately, not all bloggers understand this concept. Have you heard of the 80/20 rule for social media? Basically, the idea is to share others’ material 4 times more often than your own. You should (keyword – more of an ideal than a reality) then reap the rewards of having your scintillating insights publicized all over the internet.
To help this along, make sure you have proper (ie. large and easy to find) share buttons installed. To everyone using Blogger: I suggest you replace the defaults, if you haven’t already.. They’re almost invisible! Twitter is huge when it comes to sharing and I can’t figure out why so many aren’t involved or if they are, don’t have their twitter usernames activated. This is a major pet peeve! Please read this to learn more.
Pic from: https://flic.kr/p/8hW4LE
The Blog Hop, also known as Blog Carnival, Linky or Link-Up is always a great networking opportunity. We are currently involved in one of the biggest right here, with the April #AtoZChallenge. We obviously know the premise, but, not everyone embraces the commenting and sharing concept as well as they should. This is your chance to make new and interesting connections in the Blogosphere and to increase your reach. Go for it!
Do you have any tips to increase blogging engagement?
Looking forward to your comments!
Debbie D
Debbie D.
The “Doglady.” Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada. Writer/owner of THE DOGLADY’S DEN website. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller, history, literature and cinema buff. Eternal hippie/rockchick. Bi-national, German/Canadian. Speaks English, German, some French, a little Italian and a smattering of Spanish.
Contributor to the book Read for Animals Anthology #1. Currently working on a memoir of her year in a Swiss boarding school and another of the dogs she has known during her years as a pet sitter.
Connect with Debbie here:
WEBSITE FACEBOOK TWITTER GOOGLE+ LINKEDIN YOUTUBE PINTEREST AMAZON GOODREADS RSS FEED
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Blog-A-Rhythm’s theme for the month of April is
Come back everyday this month (except Sundays)
to read 26 guest posts on facets of blogging!
Blog-A-Rhythm 
Thanks you Shailaja and Blog-A-Rhythm for providing this wonderful blogging initiative! 🙂
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I couldn’t agree more Debbie. I’ve been saying it, literally, for years. Engagment is KEY. I never heard the rule about sharing until just this moment and now that I have, I’ll be sharing this post! Thanks for the tip! 🙂 –
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Hi Mimi; Nice to see you here. 🙂 Yes, this is something I learned early on and try to keep up as much as possible. Thanks for sharing!
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Good advice here Debbie. Twitter seems to be the most popular sharing platform, yet there are so many blogs that don’t have the tweet button set up. I will add to the commenting that we should reciprocate someone’s comment as a common courtesy. Seen so many bloggers who love to take but rarely give. I’ve found so many awesome bloggers in the AtoZ challenge – trying to visit every blog at least once! Nice to know more about you.
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Yes, there are so many still who don’t have their Twitter user names attached to the sharing button and also many who don’t even have such a button! You’re right about the commenting etiquette as well, Suzy. It’s definitely one-sided in many instances and that’s too bad. It would be fun to visit every blog – not sure there are enough hours in the day though. Glad you liked the post. 🙂
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Thanks Debbie. Sharing is something I am lagging in. But I see so much love and sharing on the #Aprilaa2z, I plan to follow on doing it. Great tip.
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“Sharing is Caring”, as they say. 🙂 Glad to know you’re planning to get involved with that, Lata.
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While I almost always leave a comment on the blog/post I read, I lag behind in sharing, especially on Twitter. Somehow, that medium hasn’t really caught my fancy as Facebook. I definitely reply to all the comments I receive and truly agree with you on the part about leaving meaningful comments as opposed to generic ones.
A very insightful post, Debbie. You’ve covered it all and with great style 🙂
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Thank you, Uma. 🙂 I have my Twitter account set up to post to my website’s Facebook page simultaneously, which makes it easier. Glad to know you reply to comments.
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You picked the best word ever for the series, Deb. The whole idea of blogging is interaction – or we’d all be happily writing in our private diaries. But with writing publicly comes a lot of responsibility and each one of us falls somewhere along the spectrum – some days are filled with engagement while others are lonely. Ultimate it is a give and take equation, eh?
Great post! 🙂 Happy A-Zing!
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Glad you enjoyed the post, Vidya. 🙂 True, some days there’s more time than others to engage, and that’s fine. You’re also right about the give and take. The Blogosphere thrives on reciprocity.
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I have been thinking about what you said, regarding engagement, for awhile now. I’m big on engagement in social media–whether it’s commenting, sharing, tweeting/retweeting, and just talking in general. I try to do it as much as I can but it can get frustrating. And yes, general comments are okay, but a constructive response to a post, well, that is always appreciated much more, I think!
I’ve noticed too, that with twitter, there isn’t a lot of engagement in the “talking” sense. If that makes any sense. What I mean is, people follow each other, but they don’t “talk” to each other. I have so many followers that seem to want the follow back or the numbers, and not actually have discussions or talk about books, or writing, or music, or whatever it is I’m babbling on about. Other than a handful of people I talk with, there just doesn’t seem to be a lot of talking going on. I don’t know, though. Maybe I’m just boring? Cause it could be that, I guess. LOL
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You’re right about Twitter, Kat and I plead guilty to that “share and run” approach, although sometimes I add a comment of my own and always respond if someone engages me in conversation. Quality over quantity is better in my opinion too. Some people just want to inflate their numbers, for whatever reason. Blog comments and Facebook posts are more conducive to actual dialogue, it seems. 🙂
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I don’t always return comments, but I make an effort to go to the blog of the person who commented, especially if I have never come across the person before. That said, i know I can do better with commenting!
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Hi Michelle; 🙂 We all have other priorities and sometimes it is difficult to keep up, which is fine. My quibble is with those who consistently ignore the comments received and never reciprocate either. As Suzy said, some people take, take, take and don’t give back. Altruism only goes so far!
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I am with you on that post. I have been on BAR for less than a month and I am seeing such great support from almost everyone that it feels really good. The 80/20 rule is good to remember. I started sharing posts with A to Z but I am going to do that even when April is over. And yes, commenting is always a booster! Thanks for a great post!
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Glad you enjoyed the post, Parul. 🙂 Sharing and commenting has always been an important part of blogging, assuming you want your blog to have a following. As they say ‘Tis better to give than receive”, but in the end, that should help you, as well. Cheers!
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Such a well written post, Debbie. I agree about engagement and interaction being key. Also, yes blogging communities are a great support system. I personally have experienced it with BAR. The 80-20 rule is good to know. I will keep it in mind. Thanks for sharing. 🙂 Happy AtoZing!
*Shantala @ ShanayaTales*
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Glad you enjoyed the post, Shantala. Yes, this group of ours is one of the better ones when it comes to supporting each other. 🙂 The 80/20 rule is great in theory, but not everyone subscribes to it, which makes it a bit frustrating. One day (and one convert) at a time. 😉
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Debbie, I agree with you about sharing posts, I read something good and click on ‘share’. Maybe because I have a social networking website and we do social media for brands, but I love doing it. Leaving meaningful comments is also an art most of us have perfected, others are still learning the ropes 🙂
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Yes, sharing is definitely caring, as they say. 🙂 Glad you agree, Sulekha. I learned a lot from business bloggers when I first started getting serious about doing this.
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Engagement is certainly important and key to developing online blogging friendships. However, I do the best I can with what I know. My technological knowledge is not as I would like and I have yet to learn how to add those share buttons – thanks for the reminder – and when?! 😉 I did attempt to before with someone’s help but wasn’t able to. ❤
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Hi Elly; Unfortunately, the Blogger platform is not so user friendly when it comes to adding better share buttons, but a friend of mine wrote a great tutorial on the subject, if you’re interested:
Share Buttons for Blogger. I’d say you’re doing better than many, otherwise. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Down Home Thoughts and commented:
Trying to build your blog readership? This could help!
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Thank you for sharing this to your own site, Shawn. 🙂 Hopefully it will spread the word even further.
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Great tips for engagement! And always remember to repost! probably the most important one.
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Thanks again, Shawn. 🙂 I usually share others’ posts to Twitter and Facebook; also sometimes Google+ and Tumblr.
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Community is an important part of an engaged readership.
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You are so right, moondustwriter. Nice to meet you! 🙂
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Great advice!
You have to get involved… become an active member of the online community! 🙂
I do try to tweet and re-tweet as much as possible.
I also share on Google+ and notice that bloggers don’t use this platform enough.
Writer In Transit
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Hi Michelle; You’re right about Google+. Although I do share posts there, I find it difficult to understand in some ways and concentrate more on Twitter and Facebook. Thanks for your input. 🙂
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Debbie, I can barely put into words how wonderful I think it is to have so many wonderful bloggers as resources! I’m in awe as I think about everything I learn every time I read another blogger’s post and this one was not different! I must concur about engagement! It is vital to what we do. Thank you
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You’re welcome. Glad you enjoyed the post and I appreciate your comments. 🙂
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Definitely a source of great information. I have noticed more often now due to the A to Z challenge that people on Blogger do make it a little difficult to comment on their posts or to share. I really enjoy the engagement with other bloggers, and it puts a damper on things if you can’t. I know personally I have tried to use Twitter and Facebook more often than I was when I first started my blog back in July. I’m still fairly new to everything, and it’s a learning experience, but a fun one! 🙂 Thanks for a great post! ~ Paula
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Hi Paula; If you’re using WordPress, the easiest way to comment on Blogger sites is to use a Google or a Blogger account. I made myself a one page Blogger blog which has an RSS feed to my WordPress website plus all other relevant links. Yes, there’s always something new to learn in the Blogosphere – just like in life! 😀 Glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for your comments.
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Wow thank you so much. I actually have a blogger blog (which I started the same time as WP) but felt more at ease on WP. I didn’t know you could link a RSS feed (learned yet something else new today) I was trying to copy posts there but it was tiedious. Now I will go update my Blogger blog and be able to utilize it as well as comment with much more ease. Thanks again! Happy A to Z~ing 🙂
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You’re welcome. 🙂 Glad I could help.
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Engagement is so important and yet, sometimes, I find that I can be too caught up reading blogs and writing posts that I don’t have enough time to reply to comments on my site. And I hate that! I still tweet posts and comment on other blogs though.
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I know what you mean, Sanch. 🙂 It’s especially difficult during the A-Z, with daily posts. Commenting on others’ posts and sharing them is good too.
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As you probably know already, this is one aspect of blogging I am somewhat uncomfortable with – excessive reliance on sharing and promotion on social media. I understand the need, but somehow the part of blogging I am more drawn to is the idea of engaging the reader through meaningful content than excessive promotion. I know it is a minority view but that’s ok 🙂
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Quality content will always be top priority, Beloo, but unless some promotion is involved, you’re essentially talking to yourself. 🙂
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Or maybe some of us have to be content with just a few readers 🙂 But I completely get what you are saying, Debbie!
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Debbie!! Well said and all the relevant points covered too. You hit the nail on its head. I too find lots of bloggers have no sharing buttons on their blogs, especially new ones and forget about twitter handles!!
Very relevant post.
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It’s really too bad, because there are so many brilliant posts out there! I was surprised to see that even some seasoned bloggers were neglecting this aspect. Glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
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Great post, Debbie. I appreciate the help you’ve been giving me so I can “Engage” more with the readers. Crazy Blogger Template. I got so frustrated trying to figure out where to put that code that I gave up and will have to keep the tiny buttons for now, I guess. I try and comment when I can but could do better. Wish I was quicker at reading and commenting so I could do more blogs.
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Agree with you, Debbie! Engagement is key for successful blogging! I am all for meaningful comments, responding to comments and sharing on social media. Blogging communities are my absolute favourite. There is so much to learn and grow through these communities!
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