There are a number of threads on the Blogger.Ed and British Mummy Bloggers forums asking about how to engage with readers when blogging; how to write, how often to post and how and when to comment. It's all about social engagement at the end of the day. After all, why do you write a blog if it's not to offer an opinion or keep in touch with people?
My Google Reader is chock-full of fantastic blogs and each evening I try to catch up with the new posts that have been catapulted into the blogosphere. Amazing pieces of writing, heart-on-sleeve type posts, comical events relived, sadness shared, problems solved, brilliant reviews and so much more. I noticed that a couple of "blogging friends" had been offered a helping hand in the shape of a washing machine, a cooker and a television by a company called Appliances Online.Wracked with jealousy, I gritted my teeth and I sent some comment love their way because this type of generosity isn't seen too often in this day and age and the bloggers involved deserved their gifts.
Fast forward to today. I am off work (again) with woman-flu (it's like man-flu but we keep on doing what we normally do, just stopping to wipe our nose and cough pathetically from time to time) and there's a knock at the door. The postman hands me a large box and inside is a gift from the people at Appliances Online...
They had seen my Christmas List and decided to buy me a present from it as their way saying "thank you" for commenting on the above-mentioned blog posts!
Really? A present for me in a box? What could it be? Was it the iPad? The netbook? The Filofax? The box was certainly the right size and shape!
No, it was EVEN BETTER! It was a Large Jar of Nostalgia from aquarterof.co.uk!!!
Even my husband emitted a "Oh BRILLIANT! Space dust... fizzy cola bottles... shrimps... aniseed balls... REFRESHERS..." and then tried to work out the best place to hide it so that son #1, son #2 and granddaughter #1 won't find it!
So the moral of this story is - spread yourself out a bit. Blogging is moving with the times, more interaction is taking place online and people are noticing and responding to that. If you feel as though you have something to add to the conversation then don't wait - just dive in with both feet and embrace the community spirit that blogging is built on. Your keyboard is your voice. And you never know who is watching...
My Google Reader is chock-full of fantastic blogs and each evening I try to catch up with the new posts that have been catapulted into the blogosphere. Amazing pieces of writing, heart-on-sleeve type posts, comical events relived, sadness shared, problems solved, brilliant reviews and so much more. I noticed that a couple of "blogging friends" had been offered a helping hand in the shape of a washing machine, a cooker and a television by a company called Appliances Online.
Fast forward to today. I am off work (again) with woman-flu (it's like man-flu but we keep on doing what we normally do, just stopping to wipe our nose and cough pathetically from time to time) and there's a knock at the door. The postman hands me a large box and inside is a gift from the people at Appliances Online...
They had seen my Christmas List and decided to buy me a present from it as their way saying "thank you" for commenting on the above-mentioned blog posts!
Really? A present for me in a box? What could it be? Was it the iPad? The netbook? The Filofax? The box was certainly the right size and shape!
No, it was EVEN BETTER! It was a Large Jar of Nostalgia from aquarterof.co.uk!!!
Even my husband emitted a "Oh BRILLIANT! Space dust... fizzy cola bottles... shrimps... aniseed balls... REFRESHERS..." and then tried to work out the best place to hide it so that son #1, son #2 and granddaughter #1 won't find it!
So the moral of this story is - spread yourself out a bit. Blogging is moving with the times, more interaction is taking place online and people are noticing and responding to that. If you feel as though you have something to add to the conversation then don't wait - just dive in with both feet and embrace the community spirit that blogging is built on. Your keyboard is your voice. And you never know who is watching...