My Blog’s Stats After Adding A Co-Blogger
My previous two posts about co-bloggers covered the potential positives and negatives of having a co-blogger. Today I’ll share some results.
Background:
The blog I’ve been discussing in the last two posts is Tree Hugging Family. It launched in August 2007, so it’s somewhat new. Being a green family blog, it’s in a smaller niche, then say, pop stars or tech. Being in a smaller niche was one reason I was worried about getting a co-blogger; I wasn’t sure a co-blogger would reap large enough traffic benefits to make a difference.
I blogged at THF solo for about 5.5 months and then decided to find a co-blogger. Peggy has been co-blogging with me since February.
Stats:
THF is a network blog, so I won’t be giving away exact stats, since it doesn’t belong to me. That said, I figured the best way to illustrate the difference between me blogging solo vs. the co-blogger addition was to create a graph. I only included unique visitors and page views to keep it tidy.
Read more
Why I Don’t Meme
Not a week goes by I don’t get tagged for a blogging meme. I used to meme with gusto and tag in return, but I had to stop. It got to the point where I had to wonder if they weren’t sucking up too much time and if my readers really cared whether I drive a black car or how I didn’t learn to drive until I was in my late 30’s. Here’s why I don’t meme:
Memes Take Time
I just don’t have the time to respond to everyone who tags me for a blogging meme. This might go back to my being a lazy blogger, but at this stage of my game, I’d rather post good relevant content to my blogs and bring in the masses that way. Since the people who tag are usually people in the blogger’s’ own circle, memes don’t generally bring in more traffic anyway.
Memes are Selfish
I enjoying adding personal anecdotes and amusing stories into my blog, but memes are selfish. I don’t want it to be all about me. I feel it gets boring and readers don’t respond well when it’s all about me.
Readers Don’t Always Get It
How confusing would it be to come to a blog for information on saving money only to read "5 Reasons I’m Like a Rhinoceros?" Granted, that’s a really silly meme but most memes are off topic. If I was a first time visitor and came across a meme post at my blog Simply Thrifty, for example, I might not be inclined to come back. If I was a regular reader, I might get bored at all the memes and wonder why can’t discuss coupon clipping, recycling and my DIY fence project.
Not all memes are off topic, but it’s my feeling those who want to establish themselves as authorities in their topics need to lay off the memes - or at least relegate them to a personal blog.
Memes Are too Personal
I don’t enjoy reading many memes for the same reason I don’t like writing them. They’re too personal. I know my readers know a lot about me because I do use personal stories to illustrate a post, but I also believe there’s such a thing as too personal. I know other bloggers feel differently but I don’t want to throw out information about my home town, my husband and son’s names, and other bits of information. I don’t feel it’s safe in this day and age to release too many personal details. Besides, who cares how many kids I have or whether or not I breastfed?
Do You Meme?
Do you meme? If so, do you notice a difference in traffic? How are the comments - are the only people participating the ones who are involved in the meme or do you get a positive response from all your readers. Am I the only meme grouch out there?
Blogging: One of the Top Jobs You Never Heard Of
You can make a living from blogging? Who knew? With a hat tip to Kristen King, I’d like to direct your attention to this article on Yahoo! about the top ten jobs you never heard of. See number four?
4. Bloggers:
Just 10 years ago, blogging would have sounded to most like a verb relegated to video games. But now, freelance writers, marketers, Web designers, finance professionals–even tea-drinkers–can draw people from around the world to read what they’re thinking. Businesses are catching on, which is why they’ll often hire people to blog about their products, and some bloggers can actually sell ads on their personal blogs. Are your personal thoughts worth paying for? They are, especially if you have education and a unique voice. Top bloggers can make six figures, and a handful are said to make millions.
Am I to believe blogging as a profession is such an unknown entity in this day and age? Perhaps it was unheard of several years ago, but in 2008 I can assure you blogging has become a force to be reckoned with. The proof, if there was ever any doubt:
- Look at any online job board and you’ll find at least several jobs for bloggers.
- Businesses are now hiring bloggers to personalize their website.
- Nearly every niche has a blogger.
- Blog networks are being seen as media by many publicists.
- Everyone wants their products reviewed on blogs.
- Bloggers are being interviewed as expert sources on many television and news programs.
- Major conferences are now being held specifically for bloggers.
Three years ago I could tell room full of people I had a blog and 9 out of 10 would say, "what’s a blog?" Today I could say the same thing to a room full of people and only one or two would wonder - though most have at least heard of blogs.
Now that blogging has reached the mainstream can more corporate salaries be far behind?
5 Lame Ways to Comment at Other Blogs
Looking to get your comment deleted from my blog? Comment like this…
1. “Hey, this doesn’t relate to your post at all but…. http://www.linkthatdoesnotrelate.com” - you lost me at “doesn’t relate.”
2. On one of my contest posts: “Everyone come enter my contest instead! at http://www.mycontestisbetterthanyours.com” - sad. Really even if you leave out the “instead”, I’m likely to delete you AND not enter you in my contest. This, in my opinion, is no better than spam. It’s just not cool. You already get to leave your url at my blog.
3. Say one of the following: “You suck” - “That last comment sucked” - “This post is stupid” - if my blog, my readers, or I suck so hard core, please back it up with why. I mean, it’s the least you can do, and it will save you from a delete.
4. On my post about organic shirts: “I love organic shirts, they’re so much better than regular shirts, my favorite organic shirts are from http://myorganicshirts.com” - then I look and guess what your url and email are - oh, big surprise, “myorganicshirts.com” this is slightly concealed spam within a semi-decent comment, but I’ll still catch and delete you.
5. “I HAVE A BLOG LIKE THIS! PLEEZE COME SEE MY BLOG LIKE THIS BLOG!” sigh.
You know, commenting at other blogs is one very cool way to promote your blog, and get more traffic. However, you do need to leave a real comment. The comments above are the types of things I see all the time. Often I’ll go check out the blogger and see that they’re working for someone else, say, a network blog, or an obvious company blog, which frankly boggles my mind. Bad comments are a terrible way to promote your client’s blog. If you work for someone as a blogger, and part of your gig is networking, you can do better than the above.
I promise, you’ll get more clicks back to your blog if you leave a comment that has one or more of the following traits:
- Relates to the topic.
- Smart
- Respectfully argumentative
- Questioning
- Helpful
What sort of comments frustrate you?
Positives of Having A Co-Blogger
Yesterday we looked at cons of co-bloggers. Today; the potential positives of having a really good co-blogger. In case you missed it, I’d read yesterday’s post first, or you may start wondering who Peggy is.
You finally… FINALLY can take a sick day: Since Peggy came on it’s not like I’ve taken days off - maybe one or two. What I like, is that the option is there now. The same goes for posting amount though. If I can only write one post a day for a couple of days because my son is sick, traffic won’t slow, because I know Peggy posted at least once as well. It’s really nice to have an extra blogger on bad days.
Chores are split: Tasks like blogroll upkeep, moderating comments, contests, and other blah tasks you need to do to keep a blog rolling, are split up. My most favorite thing to do is send Peggy sponsor emails! Now I’m not alone in dealing with them. It’s a huge relief.
You can sign off topics: At Tree Hugging Family, it would be nice to have a post about animals once in a while. Animals are actually a big green issue - one that bores me to write about. Animals are so not my thing. They are however Peggy’s thing. If you have a co-blogger there’s a good chance their knowledge base is different than your knowledge base and it can really round out your blog.
You don’t get stuck anymore: I love green issues. It’s rare I get suck on what or how to write about a topic. However, we all have an off day. When I do, I can email Peggy for advice. Since I know she knows the topics, I trust her judgment.
You know more people: When you start a blog, and you’re already an established blogger, one big perk is many of your readers will follow you to your new blog. Get two bloggers you’ve got 2 sets of readers. It’s not just old school readers either. There may have been people reading Tree Hugging Family who just plain didn’t like me - but, they might like Peggy. Sponsors and other bloggers also relate to each of you differently. You could end up with a wider range of pals, readers, and sponsors.
Your post amount, traffic, and pay can soar upwards: I’ll leave my actual examples for my post tomorrow, but I will say that two bloggers make for much better traffic than one blogger alone. It’s insane the difference Tree Hugging Family has seen.
It’s fun: This was not a perk I expected. However, having the right co-blogger is a lot of fun. We can laugh about the anti tree-hugger emails and chat about green issues and other stuff. For me talking to any blogger is fun - but having another green blogger to talk to is super keen.
It’s supportive: It’s really cool to have someone around who gets the blog like you get the blog. You can discuss ways to pump traffic, rant about mean emails from the loony folks who love global warming, and vent when no one comments on your (assumed) brilliant post.
What are some pros you’ve seen related to co-bloggers?
Quick SEO Tip: Keep Up with Trends
Because bloggers have to be on top of what’s going on in their niche, it’s important to keep up with trends. I find the best way of doing this is through online trend reports such as Google Trends and Yahoo! Buzz and also through email alerts through Google alerts. In fact, the first thing I do when starting my day is check out Google Trends and Yahoo Buzz. This tells me what people are searching for at that time. Google Trends is updated every hour so you can stay on top of the hot searches. I also like to use Google Alerts to advise me of other blog posts and news articles posted about a particular search term.
What are some of the tools you use to stay on top of trends and search terms?
Troublesome Client Alert!
Here’s a quick tip. If you’d like to hold onto your blogging sanity, don’t attempt to work for someone who says…
“$10 a blog, I need 5-10 Blogs. Please respond with samples. Serious only Thanks.”
It’s a serious pet peeve of mine when clients call blog posts, “Blogs” - right away you know they’re going to be trouble. Why? Because obviously if they don’t know the difference between a blog and a blog post, you’re going to have to walk them through just what a blog is; every tiny aspect. As the client they should already know this stuff. This job will be a lot o’ extra work.
Apply for jobs like this at your own risk.
Thanks to Deb for the send - it was a nice morning laugh.
Co-Bloggers - One Cure for the Lazy Blogger
Deb’s last post was a good one. Did you miss it? Well, here it is - Why I’m a Lazy Blogger - And How I Can Improve.
Deb noted issues with the blogroll, minimum post schedule, and time to visit other blogs. I’m big time into blogrolls so no issues there. However, I totally get her deal with scheduling to increase posting quotas and finding the time to visit other blogs. Most network or client bloggers I know do have time issues; as in there’s never enough time, not ever. There’s always something you can do to improve your blog, and often it comes down to you vs. the clock. Sadly, the clock tends to win, especially when life gets fun and tosses you a sick kid, your network shuts down due to technical issues, or a storm kicks off your power.
One thing that can help is a co-blogger. Co-bloggers don’t relieve you of all your duties, but having an extra set of typing hands can help. A co-blogger is an especially efficient way to pump up post quotas.
Recently I took on a co-blogger myself at a network blog, Tree Hugging Family. My new co-blogger was, well is, Peggy. Based on this experience, I can give you some actual examples of how this has improved my blog, along with some pros and cons you may encounter. This is a longish topic. So, first in this post I’ll cover co-blogger cons. Then in my next few posts we’ll look at pros of co-bloggers, how to find a good co-blogger, and example results of having one.
Hopefully this co-blogger series as a whole will help you decide if a co-blogger is right for you.
Negatives of taking on a co-blogger:
Read more
Why I’m a Lazy Blogger - And How I Can Improve
I have a confession to make. I’m a lazy blogger. There are so many things I can do to make my blogs more successful, but I don’t. It seems funny to contribute to a blog where I tell others how to be a success, and then not practice what I preach. Hopefully by listing my faults and ways I can improve, I’ll show you how not to blog. If you have solutions to ways I can improve on any of these issues, do feel free to add your two cents.
Problem: I’m bad about the blogroll. I rarely look at it. I don’t add links or remove old links. Every now and then I look at my blogroll and think "Oh yeah…I need to find time to take care of that." While I do like to offer lots of link love in my blog posts, I need to improve my blogroll.
Solution: Schedule time on my editorial calendar once a month for blogroll updating.
Problem: I don’t post often enough. While I do my best to meet quotas, some of my blogs would have HUGE traffic if I posted more than the network minimum.
Solution: Instead of scheduling in one post a day , make time for at least two - even if the second post isn’t very long.
Problem: I don’t spend enough time visiting other blogs. Visiting other blogs is one of the most important tasks of blogging. It’s how to know what’s going on and meet others in the niche.
Solution: Make time at least once or twice a week for bloghopping.
There are a lot more issues than this, and they’re all time management issues. I need to make time to promote my blogs more, catch up on my RSS feeds and more. I especially need to get control of my email.
In a perfect world I’d be on top of all this, but the truth is, I’m not. I know there will be at least two more hours to work each day beginning at the end of June and this will help a lot. In the meantime I have to work harder at staying on task and not letting distractions such as Twitter get the best of me. They say the first step is admitting you have a problem so here it is, I’m a lazy blogger because I’m not using my time wisely.
Are there any areas of blogging in which you feel you’re lazy? How do you think you can improve?
Blog Improvement Advice From Problogger Easton Ellsworth
Easton Ellsworth blogs at Know More Media, a blog network with a focus on business. He currently blogs for Business Blog Wire, an excellent blog, covering daily blogging tips and advice. He’s also a Know More Media editor, and in the past helped to to run the Know More Media Author Certification program, which was created to help bloggers improve their blogging skills.
Read the interview:
Read more
