Something that many bloggers, including myself, recommend you do is be as social as possible. On and off your blog, you should have a reputation for connecting with others and being a friendly person. Being social is what blogging is all about.
The problem is, not everyone is social. The blog itself is very sociable. It is open to discussion in many different ways. Nearly every single blog on the Internet has these basic forms of communication:
- A comment form
- A contact form
- A discussion forum
- Social networking profiles
Those are pretty basic, and just about any blog I visit has a comment and contact form, as well as some sort of social network connection. A discussion forum is something extra, not as many people have one (I’m still building the Blogussion forum). But they are great means of communication.
So if your blog has even 2 out of 4 of the things listed above, then you have a sociable blog. That’s fantastic!
But the problem with most bloggers isn’t necessarily the means of communication. Anybody can fill out a contact form, or connect with someone over Facebook (even my Grandma has an active Facebook account). The problem is, many bloggers aren’t social.
(Repeat for Emphasis) Most Bloggers aren’t Social
Shocking, right? Just because you have all of these things: a contact form, a comment form and an account on Twitter doesn’t mean a thing. Having them all is just a start; it’s all about how you use them.
Why aren’t more of us social? It does take a lot of courage to write articles filled to the top with your opinions and present them to people who won’t all agree with them. You are social in the way you write articles for others to read, but that’s the least social you can be on a personal level.
People do want you to get personal with them (to some degree). You know, basic stuff like your name, maybe what country you reside in and a couple of your hobbies. I knock all of that out in my author bio, my Twitter account and pretty much anybody who has ever met me online knows me as “Alex, the 16 year old kid from New Jersey.”
I have my face plastered all over Blogussion (sorry if it scares you) and I talk about myself all of the time (in the least obnoxious way possible). I like to think I am sociable online, and have a good amount of friends to show for it.
These are all of the ways I personally reach out to people:
- Blogussion comment form
- Blogussion contact form
- Blogussion discussion forum (full community will be ready this summer)
- My personal Twitter account and the @Blogussion account.
- My new account on LinkedIn
- I’ve even met some people from DailyBooth
The mistake that many people make is they think think they have to be everywhere. The truth is, you only have to be where your audience is. You only have to be where you want to be. Don’t go to every social networking site you can, only go to what you can maintain.
So, how social are you?
Are you as social as your blog? The blog itself has many means of communication, but it’s up to you how you use them. If you choose to write lame replies to emails, don’t talk back to your followers on Twitter and ignore your comments, you aren’t doing a very good job of being social. How do YOU do it?
28 Discussions
Since I have a website and not a blog, comments are out for me. But, I still have twitter and facebook. I also have the normal email on my site and I actually installed something very cool over a year ago… “Ask the Jeweler”
Ask the Jeweler is a Q & A section where visitors can ask me questions, send pictures and get answers to any jewelry related topics. It’s worked out quite nice. I get to meet people and help them out. I enjoy it. People always freak out because I answer every email as personal as I can, and I do it promptly. I get great raves over that one.
Hey, as long as you’re social. And why don’t you have a blog man!? Ask the Jeweler is a start, but you can make it 100x better with a blog. Plus, you’ll meet way more people and be even happier.
Like your sense of humour.
But one question when you are going to turn into 17 ?
Web Marketing Tips´s last blog ..New keyword targeting Adwords feature for advertsiers in Canada & UK
This July.
Lucky for you, it’s 1AM and I’m drained of most of my energy to ramble haha.
You’ve just convinced me that I’m too social. I need to stop handing out my Skype and GChat name to m readers… I’m becoming to social ay? Haha kidding.
But I totally agree with you here Alex, many bloggers should be social, it’s all about networking, networking, networking.
Being social and connecting with your readers comes along way. You never know what opportunities you are missing out on by not allowing others to connect with you.
Phew, that’s a relief then.
There’s no point in just living in your own blog. I mean yes, the actual blog itself acts as the middleman between you and your readers, but you need to keep up with emails you get, talk to people on Skype and just be a cool guy.
And you can never be too social my dude.
Hey Alex Great Point!
You nailed it with:
“The mistake that many people make is they think think they have to be every where. The truth is, you only have to be where your audience is.”
I agree, but I had one question:
How do you get time to reply to every email personally or interact with every person who has a question or comments on the blog?
You know marketing takes a lot of the time we have, so how do we get time to be social as possible?
Good question Nabeel.
I find if you answer emails in blocks, you will get things done more efficiently, but not necessarily as quick. If you want to get things done quick, then write short answers to their email and don’t really help them. But, if you take it slow and do it a little at a time, you will write better responses.
Usually, during my work breaks I will reply to some emails just to take my mind off of other things. If I ever get bored, I respond to email (I recommend you get a smartphone with email capabilities too).
And the way to get time is to make time. How did you find time to write this comment? You’re being social right now by responding to an open discussion. Basically, if you want to find time for anything: just do it!
Ok Alex thanks for the tips.
BTW You replied after 9 days
Not being too social
or are you trying to be where your audience is
Just kidding, I can see your quality response to my comment, which you couldn’t have done had you replied immediately, obviously because you would have been busy. (And this is exactly what you are saying in your reply).
Cheers
Nabeel
I’m a social person offline and I bring that same personality online. Replying to comments, stopping in to see other blogs and commenting there, and responding to every communication in my inbox all help me converse and connect with people. To me, the social aspect of blogging is one of the main benefits.
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..How to Backup a WordPress Blog
Just be a friendly people person wherever you go and you’ll make friends. This is especially true in the marketing world, since everybody wants friends!
I am really social in real life but if you consider my blogging style I am not really social at all. Most of the time I just wanna share what I have learned about the whole make money online biz. I test a lot of things myself and don’t take things at second hand so I present those things to the readers.
You know I consider things like Twitter not a waste of time but time eaters with minimal results so I don’t do it.
I love comments though doesn’t matter where on my own blog or commenting on other blogs.
Alex @ Zahnbleaching´s last blog ..Braun Oral-B Sonic Complete DLX – Testbericht
Alex,
Thanks for the gentle reminders that as bloggers, we do need to come out of our shells every now and then.
Brandon
BrandonBurgh´s last blog ..What is Your Cloud Vision?
I don’t have a blog yet, but as a reader of blogs, I am definitely more apt to subscribe if the writer takes the time to be part of the community.
And to reiterate what Rabeel said, how do you find the time, Alex?
When i first started my blogging journey, that time i was not doing all this… even..not answering any email, no contacts on twitter….no reply any commentators..but now i really love replying to every single commentator and emails. It’s really fun doing all this
!!
Thanks for sharing this great post.
Thanks,
Dev
Dev @ Blogging Tips´s last blog ..Interview With Marko Saric From Howtomakemyblog
I’ve always been more of an introvert. I can be social but don’t put me in front of 500 people I don’t know.
I feel like I have a lot of ‘proving’ to do with people I know offline, hence them not knowing about my business online.
Awesome post!
Moon Hussain´s last blog ..Twitter, Social Media Tools and the “Numbers Game”
I am an introvert but I do network, and I build parameters around that, meaning when I need a break I disappear for a bit. I have all of the four elements for a sociable blog except the discussion forum is on The Blog Frog and I have never used it. I need to learn how to use it then publicize it. You just gave me the reason to do so. Thanks! Avil
Avil Beckford´s last blog ..The Invisible Mentor Interviews John Kremer, The Bookmarketing Go-to-It Guy
You’re definitely on point about just being where you audience is.
I see a lot of people trying to submit their blog to thousands of directories, RSS feed sites, subscribing to dozens of social networking/bookmarking sites but never take the time to integrate themselves with the community.
Stretching yourself too thin across all of the available websites means you’ll never be able to focus on the ones that are giving you the most return.
This is why Twitter, Facebook, your blog, LinkedIn and others are such a hot spot because that’s where you’ll find the majority of people. Also take the time to focus on one or two niche forums, where the activity is happening.
Murlu´s last blog ..Time Management For Successful Bloggers
Really great post Alex!
You are absolutely right with this post. Being social is not all about being on facebook, there is more to it than that.
Your readers want to have a feel of you and they want to know that you care.
Thanks a lot for the great post,
-Onibalusi
I realize this post is more about how bloggers are using their contact, social links, etc., but do you have recommendations on what plugins to use for making a blog more reader friendly, or social?
Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate´s last blog ..Tri Cities Washington Cold Winter Nights Makes For Abundant Springtime Babies
OK Rob said he was kidding, haha, but seriously, is there too social?
I swear, sometimes between it all, I get nothing actually done. lol
Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..Aweber Affiliate Link Contest! – This Is It!!
Alex,
Several years ago I decided to “go social”. I joined myspace, facebook, plaxo, friendfeed, bebo, linkedin, YouTube, flickr, Twitter, friendster, and even created my own social network on ning. Needless to say I was everwhere and, as a result, no where. One does not become social simply by joining sites. I learned that the hard way. So, I took a step back, analyzed the situation and figured out which sites worked best for me. Doing so allowed me to use each site to the best of it’s ability. (I think I’ll blog about that tonight!)
One simply has to find what works for them and run with it! Every persnickety is only as social as the work they put in. For a 16 year old from NJ, you are doing an excellent job!
I always try my best to get in touch with my readers as close as possible, but don’t too close or you will get problems, social problems.
Reza Winandar´s last blog ..5 Types of Comments That Attract Attention
Thanks for the great post buddy, i think being social means more, than joining FB, Myspace, blah, blah
Great post Alex!
After reading your post, I realized that i’m not very social.
I have a twitter account, sure. However, I don’t update it as much as I should be, neither am I promoting my blog on any other social networking websites. However, I have a question.. How would I promote my blog through LinkedIN?
Thanks!
Haris´s last blog ..SEO Friendly URL Structures
Inspite of my busy schedule I still find time to blog and socialize.. Have a healthy talk with my friends, co-bloggers, and blog hopping!
dess´s last blog ..Earn Through Your Writing Skills
Hey . U make me think about myself
How? What do you do to be social? How social are you?
4 trackbacks