Tags
#AtoZChallenge, #IWSG, A-Z Blogging Challenge, Anne R Allen, blog hops, blog tips, blogging, Insecure Writer's Support Group, network, networking, social media
D is for Daunting.
It’s already the first Wednesday of the month – and it’s also April! FYI, that means it is Insecure Writers Support Group and A to Z Challenge. Two blog hops in one. Yay!
Let’s look at this month’s question:
April 5 Question: Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book? What were the results?
Yes. I did the challenge last year for the first time and it was amazing. My goal with blog hops is to network with other writers. I’ve made a couple of friends last year, though the friends I made throughout the year and kept in touch with have enriched my writing and blogging life a lot more. (You know who you are.)
So why did the networking aspect fizzle after April?
Well, like I mentioned in my reflections post in May, I tried to connect with too many people at once. The linky list was enormous and figuring out where to start was a daunting task. This year’s might prove to be a lot better (leaving your post’s link at the bottom of the letter post for the day with the added bonus of knowing who had actually participated).
The sad part of last year’s challenge: people stopped blogging when it was over. Which meant that a lot of friends I made, disappeared.
Keeping up with bloggers on the same platform is easy (on WordPress you follow them and all their posts appear in the Reader). Keeping up with bloggers on other platforms… not so much. Having to log in to Google so I can get to my subscriptions to other blogs always feels like work – so I only do it when I actually have to log into Google (publicising my posts on Google+, posting a new competition on Cracked Flash Fiction Competition or checking my email once a week).
And let’s be honest: we all tend to do what is easiest.
So for the most part, I’ll only check in on blogs on other platforms once a month (usually during IWSG). Leaving a comment sometimes feels like a lot of work when you’re taking a quick break from your WIP to visit blogs and comment – and you’re expected to do a bit of math for the honour. Or the path to commenting is barred with applications I don’t use. Which means I lurk a lot. Which means people don’t realise I’ve visited – especially when they don’t have a Twitter account linked to their blog (I like to share interesting blog posts on Twitter @mentioning the author).
Something that will make this part easier (as I’ve mentioned in my NaNoHop reflections post):
…don’t force people to only comment with Facebook (or whatever) on your blog. Not everyone is on Facebook, Google+, Disqus or whatever. Make it easy for people to comment on your blog – or they won’t. (And if you can, add a place for people to “like” your post: not everyone is comfortable with leaving a comment.)
So, back to networking.
Anne R Allen has some great advice about blogging:
If you’re a Pre-Published or Newly-Published Author:
You want to get your name out there and reach as many people as you can, so right now, your primary goal is networking. You can start by networking with other author/bloggers. Fellow writers can be your best resource early in your career.
NOTE: I’m not telling you to market to your fellow writers, which can be pointless and obnoxious. But networking with your colleagues can pay off in much bigger ways than simply the sale of one book.
Visit blogs that focus on your genre—that’s readers, reviewers and other authors—to see what they’re blogging about and get to know them. When you find yourself leaving a long comment: that’s your next blog post!
Visiting blogs can be like hanging out with co-workers in the coffee room at a new job. You’ll find a huge amount of information just by listening. Think of your blog as your cubicle where people stop by to say hello.
But first you have to introduce yourself in a general meeting place.
(Like during a blog hop!)
Anne also has a couple of places you can try out (like the Insecure Writers Support Group!) and a lot of ideas of what you can blog about as a pre-published, newly-published or established author. She says you should treat your blog like your personal Oprah magazine – an expression of yourself… And, of course, she also tells you what you shouldn’t blog about.
We’re all busy. We all want to streamline our social networks and blogs – easy interaction, easy sharing, and easily accessible original content. So start with your own cubicle (as Anne refers to your blog) and make it awesome.
All relationships take work: just don’t be the high-maintenance one or people will go where things aren’t so difficult.
What are your thoughts about using blog hops as a networking tool? What’s your experience been with the A to Z Challenge? Do you find networking and blog hops to be daunting?
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Shah Wharton said:
Yeah, I’ve tried a few sign in apps for commenting and in the end, found the basic WordPress one to be the best. It still bothers a lot of Blogger bloggers, but I can’t find one which pleases everyone. I much prefer WordPress to work with and to visit and would advise everyone moves to WordPress. I started out with Blogger but their system is so clunky! Social Media is a time-suck I have backed away from lately, where I once blogged every day for years. I’m trying to be more consistent, at least until I complete my Masters, even if it’s just once a month for IWSG. 🙂
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miladyronel said:
I think consistency is key with blogging: as long as your readers know when to expect a post, they’ll be there to read it.
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raimeygallant said:
I learned a lot about the benefits of the A to Z Challenge, so thanks for that. I didn’t entirely understand its purpose before. As you know, I do like blog hops. As a new blogger, it’s difficult to gain traction, and blog hops are a great way to encourage interaction. I love networking with other authors, and like you, I’ve made some great friends over the past year. 🙂
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miladyronel said:
You’re welcome, Raimey 🙂
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Erika Beebe said:
I agree with you in so many ways. WordPress makes following blogs easy. I have learned a lot from the network in our IWSG group with posing questions at he end of each blog to make
Commenting easier. I do have Facebook but I think for the average user, getting likes doesn’t happen unless you have a need to do it. People scroll through and fail to like things. Why, I am sure there are reasons. Twitter is fun. It’s time consuming. I wish you luck this month with A to Z. I will check in as often as I can. 🙂
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, Erika 🙂
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Annalisa Crawford said:
I’ve done the A-Z a couple of times (though not this year) and I agree that keeping up the connections is hard. If you’re lucky, there will be some who you naturally gravitate towards. I met some of my closest blogging friends via my first attempt in 2012, one of whom I’ve met up with a few times since.
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miladyronel said:
Finding your closest blogging friends through something like the A-Z sounds awesome 🙂
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lorigg said:
This year is the first time I learned about the #AtoZchallenge. I have participated in other blog hops before and enjoyed them. For the last 2 years my blog has taken a bit of a back seat to other life happenings. Now I am in process of reviving it and need to get some of the social media links on it still. Thank you for your thoughts on this and other hops.
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miladyronel said:
You’re welcome 🙂 Good luck with reviving your blog.
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Crystal Collier said:
I hear you about people disappearing after the challenge. Last time I was so excited about all the new friends I’d made, only to never see them again. Sad times.
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miladyronel said:
It is quite awful…
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raven avery said:
We’ve had some very similar experiences, disappearing friends after AtoZ and perusing through blogger sites wishing I could just like it because I can’t think of anything witty to say. I like that you’ve managed to roll AtoZ and IWSG into one post as well 🙂
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, Raven 🙂 Sometimes commenting can be difficult (seriously, how do you comment on a post about something sensitive or uncomfortable without sounding like a jerk if your comment is misunderstood?), but we try 🙂
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raven avery said:
Exactly I’m not good at stuff like that in person never mind through comments 🙂
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Chrys Fey said:
So many people only blog for A to Z, which is a big let down. You think you found a cool blog and a cool blogger, but then they disappear. It’s unfortunate. And to me, feels like a waste of networking.
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miladyronel said:
Totally. That’s why I’m looking at a blog’s history this year before commenting; hopefully it will yield better results.
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Juneta said:
I get about people disappearing and commenting and several can be time-consuming when you should be writing. I know I allow myself to be distracted too much by this, but working on doing better. Great post. Ease and value is key to connection. Happy A to Z and IWSG Day.
‘ Juneta @ Writer’s Gambit
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, Juneta 🙂 Yeah, playing on the internet, ah, commenting on posts can be a bit distracting at times 😉
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jazzfeathers said:
That’s something that happend to me too: making friends with someone with a great AtoZ theme… who disappears after the challenge. That’s a big shame, but hey, many bloggers don’t blog for long periodes.
I follow all the blogs I’m interested in via Feedly, which is a bookmark kind of app, so I don’t care about the platform of the particular blog. If you enter the url, Feedly will create a feed of new posts daily. I only have to check that and find out all the new posts from bloggers I follow. It’s very handy 🙂
This said, I too find it frustrating when commenting becomes difficult. I don’t have FB, so I can’t comment on blogs that only use that kind of log-in. But honestly, I’ve found that having a Gravatar and a Google account, I can comment on most blogs.
Keep up the good work, Ronel!
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter – 1940s Film Noir
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, Sarah 🙂 Feedly sounds great…
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John Holton said:
I use Feedly as my RSS reader. It deals with blogs on WordPress, Blogger, and any other blogging platform (anything that generates an RSS feed, for that matter) seamlessly. Just a suggestion.
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, John. Anything to make things easier 🙂
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Team Operation Awesome said:
It’s very true that networking is a big part of being an author. You’ve made a wonderful point there. And blog hops are a great way to find new friends and colleagues online. Great post.
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miladyronel said:
Thank you 🙂
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saracsnider said:
I’ve met a lot of great people through the A to Z Challenge. Some of them have disappeared once the challenge is over, but some are still kicking about. I do struggle with visiting and commenting. I get so caught up in my own stuff it feels difficult pulling away. I’m hoping participating in this latest A to Z will get me back in the swing of things.
Also, I’m going to have to check out this Feedly app others are mentioning, because it sounds awesome…
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, Sara. I’ve heard of Feedly, yet I haven’t had time to check it out…
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Anne J. said:
Hi. I also give up too easily when sites are not convenient. I understand that some want to be outside of the “WordPress confines” but I find following and liking challenging. Sometimes, I just don’t see buttons to click. And I end up not following. I hope mine is pretty straight-forward. Thanks, Ronel. Informative and helpful, as always.
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, Anne 🙂 I still find blogs where there’s no logical way to comment or follow… Oh, well, their loss.
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TheresaBarker said:
Ronel, as always, super-helpful information on the art and science of blogging. I love this. I did a much smaller experiment a few months ago, which, now that I think it over, may echo your findings about bloggers dropping out. As you know, I started to be more interactive with those who followed or “liked” a post on my blog, and as an experiment I subscribed to everyone, and tried to put at least a comment or two on their blogs, as an expression of appreciation for their connection with my blog.
Very quickly my blog grew in followers, and soon there were too many blogs for me to really keep up with. After about 2-3 weeks, I identified those blogs I really enjoyed reading and put them on “daily” email digest, with the others on “weekly,” and after another couple of weeks, I reduced the “weekly” digests even further, so that I could concentrate on the blogs I really wanted to read.
That resulted in lower visit statistics to my blog than when I was visiting everyone and commenting on all of them. But since one of my primary blogging goals is to connect within a community and to comment on, and hear from, those in the community regularly, I decided that I was reaching my goal by focusing on fewer blogs but being present daily (or a few times a week at least) for those bloggers.
Thank you again! Love to hear about your experiences and suggestions regarding blogging!
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, Theresa. Sounds like a great experiment 🙂 Building a community takes time – but it’s obviously worth it.
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TheresaBarker said:
and I’m delighting in the community I’ve found! You, Anne J, Mabel Kwong … and others!
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