Here are all five tips, and here’s my post on the first one, and here’s the second one.
I think this post is perhaps best expressed in list form… here’s a list I wrote some time ago about why I write lists, and another almost identical post that in turn is almost identical to this one.
And here’s why you should write them if you want your blog to keep going.
- Lists are quick and easy. They’re good for keeping momentum. If in doubt write a list.
- Lists kill writer’s block.
- Lists encourage discussion – nobody ever agrees with what you’ve included or the order in which you include it.
- Lists are linkbait – they get shared. My most amazing day of traffic ever came from a list.
- Lists allow you to share unfinished ideas in batches.
- Lists force you to structure your thoughts in a succinct manner. They’re good for the reader as well. I’ll read lists that come through my RSS feeds every time. They offer a good return on reader investment.
Top five rules for blogging: #2 don’t blog for comments
Here are all five tips, and here’s my post on the first one.
Comments are great. All bloggers love comments. They make us feel special. Almost as special as a link. Depending on your blog love language (which Simone posted about back in January).
Comments indicate reader engagement. Comments – even negative ones – show that someone cares enough about your ideas to respond.
But if you hang your blogging hat on the number of comments you get – and make a decision to continue, or not to continue, on that basis – then you’re bound for disappointment. People don’t like to comment. I read about 300 blogs, I comment on a handful. I should comment on more – knowing as I do that people like getting comments.
Comments are not a measure of quality. They’re not a measure of how much your post is appreciated. They’re not really a measure of anything except how good you are at annoying people or how cleverly you hook your readers.
Because I like awesome scientific analysis I’ll repost this graph I made a while back.
And further analysis – I mentioned how bad my blog was when I first started the other day (prompting some people to head back to the archives). It was really bad. Terrible. And yet I scored more comments per post in those days by a long shot.
If you’re going to blog for any measurable outcome regular visitors and subscribers. Or blog for google keywords so that you can attract random visitors who might subscribe.
Blogging for comments is a thankless exercise.
November 11, 2009