Discussions

Creating a Community of Readers

Posted by MidwestMom • 10/07/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: blogcatalog spotlight, blogging, blogs, community, Feature, little four eyes, readership, Vision

How do you foster interaction among your readership or create a community with your blog?

Today, I had the distinct pleasure of featuring Annz and her blog, Little Four Eyes in the BlogCatalog Family Blog Spotlight. She has done a terrific job of fostering reader-to-reader interaction (much better than I've been able to do at Midwest Moms!)

blog.blogcatalog.com/blogcatalog-spotlight/blogcatalog-spotlight-little-fou...

Part of her strategy is to allow her readers to submit their family vision story and photos of their own children. The effect is a powerfully-written blog that is very personal, yet accessible.

I wonder, if building a community of readers is your goal, what do you do to foster it? Would Annz insight work for your blog?

User Comments

10/07/09

nothingprofound

I like reading other people's blogs and I hope they enjoy reading mine. Plus I have a fond interest in the people themselves. I really do consider them my friends.

[reply]
1. 10/07/09
  
  MidwestMom
  
  I think that comes across in the way you interact with people. An attitude of friendship goes a long way toward fostering a healthy community.
10/07/09

ThriftShopRomantic

Like Nothing Profound, I know many of the folks who read and comment on my sites, and in many cases I know what's going on in their lives and we find each other on different social media venues. Some of them I've met in person.

I also try to respond to all the comments that are left me, there in the comments section of the blog. That creates a repository of dialog with folks. It's worked out pretty well so far. People come back to see if new things have been said.

[reply]
1. 10/07/09
  
  MidwestMom
  
  Do you usually respond publicly, right on the blog? Or do you use email to contact your readers?
2. 10/07/09
  
  ThriftShopRomantic
  
  I respond publicly if they post publicly. If they email me, I respond via email.
3. 10/07/09
  
  MidwestMom
  
  That makes sense. I deal with comments the same way, but rarely have readers engaging one another directly. I think reader-to-reader interaction is one of the rare things about Little Four Eyes.
10/07/09

MidwestMom

What about ning networks? I know there are a few here who use them as an additional place for discussion on their blog topic. How does that work?

[reply]
1. 10/07/09
  
  annz
  
  I've considered a ning network. Sometimes I think that a message board or discussion forum would fit what my readers are looking for better than the blog. But everytime I've asked about it, there's been no interest. I have also seen extremely successful blogs start a ning, only to find that it never really takes off, even when the blog has a large and active readership.
  
  I do have a facebook group where some additional discussion happens. There's a lot less interaction between readers there, it seems like people ask questions and I answer them, when on my blog when people ask questions, lots of readers chime in with answers. It's a bit of a mystery to me, since I would have expected the opposite to happen.
10/07/09

MissSuzie

My blog is so personal, I think people feel right at home. Like ThriftShop, I reply to all comments and emails and I think that helps get to know and interact with my readers.

I even text readers I have offered my number to.

[reply]
10/07/09

annz

Thank you again, MidwestMom, for such a great interview. I've written a couple of interviews on Little Four Eyes, and they never come out sounding quite as engaging and fun as yours did. I genuinely enjoyed answering your questions and working with you.

I'm going to throw out there that I don't answer every comment that comes in to Little Four Eyes. I want there to be a lot of interaction between my readers - my readers are often as knowledgeable or even more knowledgeable than I am, and I find that if I immediately respond to a comment, sometimes no one else will (though that's been changing now). So I deliberately wait to respond to a comment unless it's clear that the person needs an immediate reply. I also will repost comments as posts if the comment was asking a question (with permission of the commenter). This lets the whole community weigh in on the question, and helps connect everyone. I don't do that on my personal blog though, and I think it really depends on what the purpose of your blog is, and the type of community you're striving for.

[reply]
1. 10/07/09
  
  MidwestMom
  
  That's interesting. I like that you leave time and space for your readers to answer from their experience.
10/07/09

timethief

@MidwestMom
I'm delighted that you chose to feature annz's blog. I suggested this to TonyB and Jaybetee months ago and it's great to see what a wonderful job you did of putting the spotlight on Little Four Eyes. Your post is entertaining, informative and very well written.

I respond to almost every comment made to both of my blogs on the blog posts themselves in the comment sections. I respond to requests for blogging help from individuals made by email. However, when I feel the topics in their questions will also be of interest to all of my readers of onecoolsite then I publish posts on those topics too.

I'm not choosing to have either a forum or a ning site for either of my blogs simply because there is not need for one on my blogging tips blog, and my personal blog does not have a large enough readership to sustain a forum or ning site.

The audience (readers) of my blogging tips blog onecoolsite is roughly 7 times larger than the audience (readers) of my personal blog thistimethisspace is. The former are able to join many other existing forums, chatrooms and groups in that niche. The latter are too small in number to consider starting a forum or ning site for.

Forums and ning sites come and go every day because it's difficult to achieve attracting enough participants, who have the time to spend time on them to keep them going. It's my experience that in order to remain enlivened a forum needs a critical mass of over 100 participants, 1/2 of which are frequent posters.

I believe the best approaches to creating a blog centered community has been included in two of my posts so I'm linking to them below.
Encouraging blog readers to comment
onecoolsite.wordpress.com/2009/02/09/encouraging-blog-readers-to-comment/
How to form blog centered relationships
onecoolsite.wordpress.com/2009/02/05/how-to-form-blog-centered-relationship...

[reply]
1. 10/07/09
  
  MidwestMom
  
  @Timethief
  
  Thanks. I agree that lasting ning networks seem to be few and far between. I wonder who on blogcatalog has had success with one?
  
  Thanks, too, for your links. They are relevant here and well-placed.
2. 10/07/09
  
  timethief
  
  You're welcome. I have been speaking to several bloggers in the wordpress community and also blogspot bloggers who have had forums or ning sites that have failed due to lack of a critical mass. Like you I'd also be happy to hear from any BC members who have vibrant forums or ning communities.
10/13/09

Zpoet

What a kindness for you to feature another blog on your site. Recently another blogger here featured my blog on his site; I was extremely touched by it. What wonderful support! I also visit my friends websites, and I enjoy reading them; especially blogs that are of like mind....my blog is memoir/literature, and I enjoy reading literature in all of its forms; creative writing, poetry and the like. I do comment if I feel I have something relevant to say; but I would never post anything negative on their blog; I don't think this is a fair thing to do. If it's positive, I most certainly will. And I think it's all a very slow process.

[reply]