Is Blogging A One Man Show? Really?

When we think of blogging, a picture of a solitary person banging away on his keyboard in some distant one horse town comes to mind. Blogging by its very nature seems to be a solitary occupation. It is more like playing solitaire, where no one bothers whether you win or lose. But in actual fact, blogging is a MMPG or massive multi player game. (Sorry to have abducted the phrase from online gaming).

You can blog either for pleasure or money. But if no one interacts with you, there is no point writing either. There is a misconception about blogging and bloggers and here is why we need to clear the fog surrounding it.

You will be noticed only if you engage readers

This piece of advice sounds familiar but how many bloggers consciously, single-mindedly and aggressively look to engage readers. Tech bloggers are the biggest culprits in this regard. They seem to think that their great words are enough to get people flocking to their blog.

The more complicated the tech talk, more the audience – that’s what they think. Because of this attitude they lose out on a huge lot of readers. People want to read something which they can understand, not something which just goes over their head. It would help if tech bloggers understood this simple fact.

Of course there are extreme niche blogs which don’t want many readers. But the blogging community is not about them – it is about common folk like you and I.

Give opportunity for vigorous debate

If you want your blog to be a happening place, you must give space for readers to comment. Picking up a contentious or controversial subject is not a bad idea. Every subject has some controversy attached to it. If not, you must generate one. This is the place where you can create a buzz. One single interesting post is worth a thousand insipid posts. I feel that this is where bloggers need to put their mind.

How to get people   interested in your blog? You must have noticed that I am not talking about content at all. I am talking about a strong rallying point. News which is happening is one place you are sure to find controversies. It is a place worth searching for them.

Bloggers must post comments on other blogs

You scratch my back and I will scratch yours. Seems familiar isn’t it. If you want your blog to pick up speed, you must comment on other blogs and steal audiences. I mean steal, because readers tend to change their loyalties quickly if they find another blog more interesting.

Since there is only so much time available, readers switch on and off their RSS feeds. Pick some nice good blogs to comment on and you will see the difference it makes to traffic on your blog.

Conclusion

Blogging is not a one man show, it requires communication. Participation and exchange of views can make your blog go viral.