If you’ve been blogging for a bit or you’re an experienced blogger, you have a better idea than a beginner of what to consider when making decisions for the long term. But it can still be difficult. You have to make a decision right now that you want to have a positive, desired outcome. You want to create plan that will carry you through the long “seasons” of blogging that has you reaping a bounty of traffic, influence, and, possibly, income. How do you do this? I’ll tell you how I do it, and maybe it will work for you.
I plant seeds.
Planting Seeds
More precisely, I think of everything I do as planting a seed. My blog is a garden, and I am the gardener. Writing a post is planting a seed. Leaving a comment on someone else’s blog is planting a seed. Making contact with another person through a social network is planting a seed. Decisions I make about monetizing a blog are seeds planted. Choosing an analytics package is planting a seed.
Planting Seeds When Posting
When I’m writing a post, there are long term questions I try to keep answer for myself with every post I write:
- Am I benefiting or solving a problem for my readers?
- Is the post linkable? Why would anyone want to link to it, add it to their social network, or stumble it?
- Am I fulfilling the long term mission of my blog?
Planting Seeds When Commenting
When I’m commenting on other blogs, every comment I write is a seed planted that will hopefully yield a crop. When I comment, there are specific long term questions I need to answer for myself with every comment:
- Am I adding value to the blogger’s original post?
- Am creating the impression and image that I want this blog’s readers to have of me?
- Am I writing content that is just as compelling as it is when I write for my own blog? Will people want to click my name and visit my blog because of my comment?
When I’m interacting with others in the blogosphere, I try to remember the following:
- Am I bringing something of value to this interaction? Even if I’m calling in a favor, I always try to do so.
- Am I making this person glad they know me?
- Am I strengthening my relationship with this person?
Sowing or Scattering?
Careful sowing of seeds vs. indiscriminately scattering them about will give you better long term results in your blogging. The points above which I try to remember as I run my blogs enable me to sow my seed carefully, in order to ensure a better harvest. But before the harvest comes, you have to nurture your seedlings!
Tending the garden will be the subject of the next post. Be sure to Subscribe to my RSS feed so you don’t miss it!
Technorati Tags: blogging, blog, blog management
I had never thought of this concept before. I am going to be a bit more careful with where I sow my seed now.