Good morning and Happy Blog Talk Tuesdays!
Today we’re kicking off the fourth installment in the series.
Previous Blog Talk Tuesdays topics include:
- How to Start a Blog, Blog Focus, Self Hosting and More
- Blogger Safety
- Company Outreach: Receiving Free Products, Hosting Giveaways, Posting Product Reviews and More
Today’s topic is a fun one!
Many of you have asked me about great ways to connect with other bloggers and become more involved in the massive world of blogging. I personally feel like my blog fits best in the healthy living blog niche, but I know there are blog communities for every possible niche out there, from book bloggers to parenting bloggers to space and technology bloggers.
Since my personal experience lies mostly within the healthy living blog community, that will be the niche I address in this post, but understand that there are resources just like the ones I detail below for many other blogging communities.
Connecting with Other Bloggers
- How do you find other bloggers in your area?
By reading a lot of blogs! Honestly, reading a large amount of blogs or at least exploring newer blogs or blogs I’d never read before led me to bloggers who lived in Orlando. These bloggers then exposed me to more Orlando bloggers: Fashion, book, design and travel bloggers and more!
Additionally, the website HealthyLivingBlogs.com has a page dedicated to categorizing blogs based on the location of the author behind he blog. It’s a great way to find bloggers who live not only in the same country or state as you, but also in the exact same city.
You can also put a call out on your blog or through Twitter, asking if anyone knows bloggers who live in your area. Blog readers are a tremendous resource because they’ve likely read a bunch of blogs you haven’t.
- How do you plan dinners or meet ups with bloggers in your area?
First, I try to build some kind of a relationship with the blogger. Whether I comment on their blog, communicate with them via Twitter or email them, letting the blogger know that I even exist is a great start! Once I have some kind of a connection with the blogger, I’ll broach the topic of getting together for lunch or dinner. For the most part, bloggers seem to jump at the chance to meet up with other bloggers.
Blogging is so “behind the scenes” and having the opportunity to talk about something so many of us pour our hearts into every day is wonderful!
Also, if you see other bloggers in your area talking about getting together via Twitter or something, feel free to be a little bold and jump in and say “I’d love to meet you guys, too!” I’m of the mindset that if they really wanted their plans to be private, they wouldn’t broadcast them over Twitter.
Additionally, I’ve had bloggers who were coming to Florida on vacation reach out to me a few weeks before their trip to plan a meet up, so meet up opportunities can occur outside your hometown as well.
- Sometimes I feel really left out of the blogging community… Like other bloggers are always getting together or tweeting to each other and I’m never involved. Did you ever feel this way?
Oh my gosh, YES. All the time. In fact, I still do sometimes. I actually wrote a guest post all about having “real life” friends who don’t blog on Hollaback Health after recognizing the insecure feelings I had about bloggers whose friends always seemed to be other bloggers. Why wasn’t I friends with other bloggers?
Well, slowly I did find myself becoming friends with other bloggers through meet ups in the Orlando area.
Once I started to put myself out there on Twitter and began reaching out to Orlando bloggers, I was blown away with how friendly and welcoming bloggers truly are and connected with bloggers on a deeper level and friendships began to form away from the computer.
I know I’ve said it before, but if you’re not already, get on Twitter. It’s seriously the easiest way to begin having “conversations” with other bloggers.
- As a relatively new blogger, I comment on other blogs because I like to let bloggers know when I really relate to or enjoy something in their post… but with all these “promote your blog” tips out there about commenting on other blogs so people find your blog, do high-traffic bloggers like yourself enjoy comments from people you don’t know, or are you ever concerned that it’s just other bloggers trying to direct more traffic to their own blogs?
Though I’ve read the same tips that you have about commenting on other blogs as a way to promote your own blog, I must say that as a blogger, I read and enjoy every comment that comes my way and honestly never really thought that people only comment on my blog to receive traffic to their own blog (though maybe this is naive?). Either way, I love when readers give me feedback on a post through their comments!
I will add that the comments people write that clearly take more time and energy to craft and convey emotion are the ones that stand out to me more. They seem heartfelt and thoughtful and, oddly enough, those are the ones that inspire me to click over and check out their blogs more often than not.
Still, I think most bloggers welcome any and all comments. I love comments! They are what keep me going. They inspire me, crack me up, make me cry and turn my blog into a discussion at times rather than just a one-sided sharing space.
- How do you make a name for yourself and make yourself “known” in the blogging community?
By participating in the community beyond simply blogging. Sure writing an awesome blog is a great way to attract attention, but to receive attention you have to give attention, too.
If a blogger links to one of my workouts or recipes, I definitely notice and greatly appreciate this gesture. I am much more likely to visit their blog again and again, which increases the likelihood that I’ll find something inspiring on their blog that I will want to link to one day, thus exposing my readers to their blog as well.
Also, utilize social media. Create a Facebook page and get on Twitter. Plan or attend blogger meet ups in your area or go to a blogging conference like Fitbloggin’, Foodbuzz Festival, BlogHer or the Healthy Living Summit. I personally didn’t feel comfortable attending a blogger conference until after I had been blogging for nearly a year and a half, but I know many other bloggers love theses conferences not only for the informational sessions, but for the opportunities to meet and connect with other bloggers.
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