10 Ways to Chase Down Your Visitors

Let me give you a reality check. What you write is really not that important. Now before you go off and pout in the corner, let me explain.

There are a zillion blogs out there all vying for attention. No matter how good you write, or how funny you are, there is someone better than you. So what is a blogger to do?

Chase your readers!

1. Meet Your Commenters

   Meet Your Commenters is simply an awesome WordPress plugin that allows you to, well, meet your commenters. It displays web pages and social network profiles of your commenters in the dashboard. You simply go through and click to their Twitter, Facebook, Digg… profile and make friends. This is by far my favorite.

2. Disqus

   Using Disqus to handle your comments will allow you to see where else your readers are visiting. This is kind of like stalking without fear of getting arrested. This is also a great way to find new blogs. Then take a look around on your new found blog and leave a good comment or two. Your reader will see you there along with other potential readers.



3. Leave a comment on their website

   Nothing flatters a commenter more than having the owner of a blog they commented on go and comment on their site. Make their day!

4. Follow them on Twitter

   While you’re poking around on their site keep your eye out for the blue bird, and follow them. This is cool because you can learn a lot about your readers, and a reciprocating follow from them is pretty nice too.

5. Subscribe to their RSS feed

   This one takes a little bit of common sense. If you subscribed to every commenter’s feed, you wouldn’t be able to keep up with them all. Pick the best ones and subscribe.

6. Promote your readers blog

   Now that you’re subscribed to your readers RSS feed you’ll be able to post replies to their exceptional blog posts. Share the love, and spread the weath… or at least the readers.

7. Reply to the comments

   This is your best way of interacting directly on your site. Let your readers know you appreciate them. Answer comments, and mingle. Develop those social skills… it’s never to late.

8. Keep up with your posts

   Follow your stories on sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, and Delicious. Befriend those who voted and submitted your post. Repeat customers are easier to get than new ones, and they can help promote future posts.



9. Use a Gravatar

   Gravatar stands for Globally Recognized Avatar. Using one will let your readers easily recognize you on other blogs they read. Keep yourself in front of them, and your blogging niche for that matter.

10. Find stories submitted on Twitter

    Use Twitter’s search to find stories that were tweeted by your readers. All you do is search the post title, and voila you have new people to follow. The law or reciprocal follows kicks in and you have new followers. Next time you post… tweet it. Remember repeat customers.

Never forget the value of your readers. The truly successful bloggers are the ones that took the time to promote others. Take the time to toot the horns of your followers, and don’t forget to chase your visitors. Remember you’re building a community. Nurture it, and watch it flourish.

Happy Blogging!

Thick Skinned Blogging

My last post was a rant on CSS vs Tables. The result was a lot of angry commentors. Here are a few of my favorites.

Juventus says: Evolve.

Justin says: Yeah you should be burnt at the stake. Move on man!

Mike says: You are retarded.

Jason says: This post is funny for two reasons. One, you are obviously trying too hard for attention. Two, your inexperience shines brightly enough to void any sort of point you were trying to make.

I am proud of these comments. I wear them like a badge of honor, and you too should wear yours proudly on your chest.

The mark of a successful blogger is to be different from the thousand of other blogs out there in your niche. Now I don’t mean over the top goofy and weird just for the sake of it. You should let your opinions flow without the concern of being squashed by the community.

The wonderful thing about this is you will get more respect and recognition from others if you are yourself and express your opinions… not the opinions of the masses. What the web doesn’t need is another “me too” blog.

That’s right… Stand up and be original.

Write something that is compelling, opinionated, and funny.

If not, do us all a favor… shut down your blog. Heaven only knows we don’t need another carbon copy site on the web.

In the above quote Jason is saying that I’m trying to hard to get attention. That is why I blog. I don’t want a blog with one reader, and neither should you. If blogs aren’t about getting attention then what are they about?

Don’t wear your emotions on your sleeve. Don’t cower in fear of the masses. Don’t hide your head in the sand of similarity.

I’ll say it again… Stand up and be original.

Before I wrap this up I want to give you one more comment.

Ollie Wells says: This can of worms can go on for years, and well done for generating an interesting heated debate. Bring on more!

Ollie left this comment after disagreeing with just about everything that I said. Proof that the web wants content that breaks away from the norm.

Now go blog and make me proud.

Disclaimer: I welcome and appreciate the above comments and hold no ill will toward the commentors or the comments voiced. Please feel free to voice your opinion and don’t be shy.